Native American Arts
When you buy an elegant turquoise and silver bracelet, a delicately painted ceramic pot or an intricately woven basket or blanket from a Native American artist in Santa Fe, you'll take home a piece of art rooted in an ancient, awesome history.
Nomadic pre-historic Indians first inhabited the region some 12,000 to 30,000 years ago. Their descendants, the Pueblo Indians, began to establish villages between 1200 and 1500 B.C. The Pueblo people's early ancestors wove blankets, baskets, sandals and more using yucca and other fibers and then cotton. They transformed clay collected from the earth into pots and pitchers--utilitarian vessels for cooking and storing food. And they adorned their bodies with turquoise, feathers, and shells traded from coastal tribes.
When the Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century, followed by the Spanish settlers in the early 17th century, the Pueblo people struggled to maintain their independence. Despite the Pueblo revolt in 1680, followed by the Spanish reconquest in 1692, contact with another culture led Pueblo artists in new directions. They combined, for instance, the turquoise they considered sacred with silver to create their now famous jewelry after the Spanish introduced silver mining to the Southwest.
The railroad arrived in Santa Fe in 1880, bringing with it a steady stream of tourists seeking Native American art. Pueblo artists responded, creating unique items intended for the tourist market. A group at Tesuque Pueblo, for example, invented Rain Gods, whimsical clay figures that railroad passengers eagerly bought as souvenirs. In 1964, Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo produced another popular clay figure, the Storyteller, inspiring hundreds of potters from other pueblos to work with the image, too. But no Pueblo artist of the 20th century has achieved more fame than Maria Martinez, the San Ildefonso potter who pioneered the now famous black-on-black pottery in the early 1920s with her husband, Julian. Her pieces remain highly coveted.
Santa Fe's reputation as a center for Native American art expanded yet again when the Institute of American Indian Arts opened its doors in 1962. Today, it serves native students from across the U.S. representing as many as 112 different tribes.
Many Pueblo artists continue to work with the same traditions and tools as their ancestors, producing prized pieces exhibited in Santa Fe museums and sold in Santa Fe galleries and at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. Others embrace a contemporary approach, blending time-honored techniques with cutting-edge media, perhaps, or infusing old traditions with new vision. However they're made, each piece reflects the vibrant history and innate talents of New Mexico's Native American artists.
To learn more, visit our sections on Indian Pueblos and Native American culture.
Nomadic pre-historic Indians first inhabited the region some 12,000 to 30,000 years ago. Their descendants, the Pueblo Indians, began to establish villages between 1200 and 1500 B.C. The Pueblo people's early ancestors wove blankets, baskets, sandals and more using yucca and other fibers and then cotton. They transformed clay collected from the earth into pots and pitchers--utilitarian vessels for cooking and storing food. And they adorned their bodies with turquoise, feathers, and shells traded from coastal tribes.
When the Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century, followed by the Spanish settlers in the early 17th century, the Pueblo people struggled to maintain their independence. Despite the Pueblo revolt in 1680, followed by the Spanish reconquest in 1692, contact with another culture led Pueblo artists in new directions. They combined, for instance, the turquoise they considered sacred with silver to create their now famous jewelry after the Spanish introduced silver mining to the Southwest.
The railroad arrived in Santa Fe in 1880, bringing with it a steady stream of tourists seeking Native American art. Pueblo artists responded, creating unique items intended for the tourist market. A group at Tesuque Pueblo, for example, invented Rain Gods, whimsical clay figures that railroad passengers eagerly bought as souvenirs. In 1964, Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo produced another popular clay figure, the Storyteller, inspiring hundreds of potters from other pueblos to work with the image, too. But no Pueblo artist of the 20th century has achieved more fame than Maria Martinez, the San Ildefonso potter who pioneered the now famous black-on-black pottery in the early 1920s with her husband, Julian. Her pieces remain highly coveted. Santa Fe's reputation as a center for Native American art expanded yet again when the Institute of American Indian Arts opened its doors in 1962. Today, it serves native students from across the U.S. representing as many as 112 different tribes.
Many Pueblo artists continue to work with the same traditions and tools as their ancestors, producing prized pieces exhibited in Santa Fe museums and sold in Santa Fe galleries and at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. Others embrace a contemporary approach, blending time-honored techniques with cutting-edge media, perhaps, or infusing old traditions with new vision. However they're made, each piece reflects the vibrant history and innate talents of New Mexico's Native American artists.
To learn more, visit our sections on Indian Pueblos and Native American culture.
Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
108 Cathedral Place
Santa Fe, NM 87501
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), a center of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), is dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation for contemporary Native art, history and culture through presentation, acquisition, preservation and interpretation.
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts is recognized as the preeminent organizer of exhibitions devoted exclusively to the display of dynamic and diverse arts practices representative of Native North America.
SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market
100 Old Santa Fe Trail
WHEN: August 17 - 18, 2013
SWAIA's 91-year-old market draws roughly 100,000 people annually to buy artwork by top Native American artists for one weekend. Santa Fe Plaza.
Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Arts and Crafts Show & Market
Hwy 60 - Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo
(1 Mile North of Espanola)
Fans of Native American art and culture flock to this annual event, held in mid-July at Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo). Hundreds of artists from pueblos and tribes around the country gather to celebrate their heritage, selling an amazing array of arts and crafts and performing ceremonial dances. Started in 1972, this popular festival has drawn crowds who appreciate the fact that it's organized by Native Americans and held on Pueblo land.
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
710 Camino Lejo
Santa Fe, NM 87505
The outstanding collection showcases classic and contemporary Southwestern Indian paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, basketry and weaving. A permanent exhibition tracing the life of American Indians, "Here Now and Always" was curated in part by Native American elders, scholars and tribal members.
Poeh Cultural Center and Museum
78 Cities of Gold Rd.
Learn about the art and culture of New Mexico's Pueblo people at Poeh Center, established by the Pojoaque Pueblo's Tribal Council to preserve and revitalize Pueblo communities of the northern Rio Grande Valley.
