Santa Fe Indian Market Review

NPR Online has an article on the recent Indian Market in Santa Fe. The results from the sale seem to be mixed. So the news is not terrible, but it appears the sales are at best uneven, which going into the season I guess can be expected for many shows and fairs. The Indian Market sales seems to have had some good sales, but the rush to by was not there, replaced by more caution and deliberation. It is also noted some of the benefit auctions around the market received less valuable property as auction donations.

The NPR article states:

Each year at the end of the summer, more than a thousand American Indian artists converge in Santa Fe, N.M., to sell their work at Indian Market. It's the largest showcase of its kind, and a place for artists, museum curators and tourists to mix.

At dawn of the first day, the sluggish economy isn't immediately apparent as artists inch along in bumper-to-bumper traffic on their way to set up their booths along the plaza. But there is some anxiety mixed in with the cool mountain air.

Navajo jewelers Darryl Begay and his wife Rebecca are among many artists with serious concerns about how the economy would affect sales this year. Why? "Because we watch the stock market," Darryl Begay says.

The Begays had just won the best of show award for a concho belt with elaborate silver figures. It's a prestigious honor at Indian Market, which began in 1922, and has long been a magnet for the presentation and sale of authentic American Indian art. The market is a juried exhibition and all of the artists are here by invitation.

To read the full NPR article, click HERE.