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11 Indigenous artists came together in Oga’Pogeh Owingeh (Santa Fe) to celebrate and rep their connection and commitment to Native art and Santa Fe Indian Market. Each with prodigious talent, a legacy to draw from and protect, and a community of Native people to support them. 

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Look out for their work and performances at Santa Fe Indian Market this August 2021. 

 

 

Curators Statement

I would like to acknowledge that I live and work in O’ga P’ogeh Owingeh (Santa Fe), the current and ancestral land of the Tewa people. Home also to the Towa, Tiwa and Keres speaking Pueblo peoples and the many other tribes who followed including the Diné, Apache, and Comanche. As I live and breathe in this magnificent and sacred place, I offer my deepest respect and thank you to the original people of this land.

Aho.

K’uunda wo ha

 

It took a team of remarkable humans to pull this photoshoot off, the  exquisite realness that radiates from each of the eleven Native artists involved can be attributed to their creative passion and commitment to Native art and the legacy of Indian Market.  This was a full circle moment as the space we occupied, the School for Advanced Research campus, which is also the White Sisters estate, dating back to 1923. Two women who were involved in the earliest iterations of Indian Market and supporters of Native Artists. Indian Markets origins can be attributed to a rather small group of people Native and non-Native who lived in the Santa Fe area and were involved in the cultivation and collection of Native art.  One hundred years of Indian Market and we are still living in the presence of Indigenous excellence, this group of Native artists, some descended from those original Indian Market artists, came together to celebrate their talent and heritage, manifest new beginnings and claim space.  These eleven artists embody the shared spirit of creative genius that has carried Native artists and Indian Market across generations of change, trauma, and resilience. Each of them lives around or in O’ga P’ogeh Owingeh (Santa Fe), they are also either an Indian Market artist or a descendant who is bound to Indian Market through ancestry. 

 

In a time when our young people are faced with the insurmountable task of protecting the land and water, bringing justice to Indigenous women and children, and defending our cultures, we are forced to ask if they are up to the challenge.  In my understanding and experience with the young artists I have spent time and conversed with I believe that we are in good hands. These eleven Native artists are exceptionally talented, kind hearted, hardworking and are explicitly present to make art, support their communities, and carry on the legacy of Indian Market. Let’s listen to them and support them as they bring about the positive and resounding change the world needs. 

 

Special thank you to those who worked hard to make this all happen. Aho!

 

Felicia Garcia (Santa Ynez Chumash)

Ian Kuali’i (Kanaka Maoli/ Native Hawaiian)

Sháńdíín Brown (Diné) 

Kami Jo White Clay (Apsáalooke)

Garrett Vreeland 

 

 

The Santa Fe Reporter’s Alex De Vore 

Axle Contemporary’s Matthew Chase-Daniel and Jerry Wellman

The School for Advanced Research 

Charles King at King Galleries 

 

 

 

Nina Sanders (Apsaalooke), Senior Fellow at the University of Chicago, Neubauer Collegium, is a curator, writer, and culture consultant. Sanders has done work for the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, NM, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Field Museum in Chicago where she curated the groundbreaking exhibition "Apsaalooke Women and Warriors".  Nina has written for the Smithsonian, Native American Art Magazine and recently published "Apsaalooke Women and Warriors", a scholarly publication associated with the Field Museum exhibition. 

 

@apsaalookecurator

www.apsaalookecurator.com

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THE ELEVEN

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Hollis Chitto, Ko’chani

Booth: LIN E 740

Tribe: Mississippi Choctaw, Laguna/ Isleta Pueblo

Bio: Hollis Chitto is an accomplished Santa Fe based artist who works primarily in contemporary beadwork. Hollis says about his art, “My interest in art began at an early age. I’m told my grandmother was a beadworker. Although she died when I was very young, many people believe her talent was passed down to me. But I first started doing quillwork. I taught myself by looking at illustrations in a French Canadian book, and experimenting with beads and quills that my mom had used to try to teach herself this skill. The two art forms’ techniques are actually related: the two-needle band in quillwork is similar to the beadwork’s lazy stitch. People often say that beadwork takes patience, but I don’t see it that way. It’s like coloring to me; I see the designs and colors become reality in my hands. I never think of beadwork or quillwork as craft, but as fine art.”

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IG Handle: @hchitto

 

Your best Indian Market memory or experience:

My family has participated at Indian Market every year of my life. When I was very young, my mom would make a little bed with packing blankets underneath the table. I remember looking out underneath the tablecloth at all the people who would come to see my dad’s booth. I loved hearing everyone’s reactions to seeing his clay turtle storytellers. I was able to see the amount of hard work my whole family put in the weeks before Indian Market and I knew that it was worth it hearing these strangers’ happiness at seeing my dad’s art. Once I started selling my own art, I felt that same pride I had felt underneath the table,  but now it's about my own work. After all these years of showing at Indian Market, the feeling is still just as strong as it was back then.

 

 

Peshawn Bread

Tribe: Comanche / Kiowa

Bio: 

Peshawn Bread (She/They, Them) is a screenwriter, director and creative director from the Penatʉkʉ (sugar eater) and Yapurʉka (root eater) bands of the Comanche tribe. Her writing focuses on Indigenous women, sexuality, and humorous experiences.

In the winter of 2015 she was introduced and welcomed as one of Sundance Institute's Full Circle Kellogg Fellows. Peshawn was also a 2015–2016 recipient of the 4th World Indigenous Media Lab Fellowship supported by SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival), and in partnership with Longhouse Media, Sundance, and ITVS. She also attended the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, hosted by Joan Tewksbury. Throughout the years, she has worked on many sets, from Drunktown's Finest (2014) to Mud (Hast?'ishnii) (2017).  In 2019, she had the honor of receiving Sundance’s Native Filmmakers Lab Fellowship where she had the opportunity to workshop her script The Daily Life of Mistress Red, a mockumentary short film about a Native dominatrix for hire who whips apologies out of white supremacists. The Daily life of Mistress Red is currently in post production. After graduating from Academy of Art’s Screenwriting program in 2020, Peshawn has worked with Amazon Studios on production. Currently, Peshawn is creating new film works while serving as creative director for Teton Trade Cloth. 

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IG Handle: @the.pbread

Website: redambitionproductions.com

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience: 

Indian Market has held a special place in my heart ever since I was a child waking up early every year to set up my mother’s booth. Walking in the middle of the street with my arms full and heavy with art and chairs, trying to wave at artists I knew as the sun started to rise. When I had a chance to take a break, I would make sure to at least stop by, say hello, and ask how their market was going! Growing up in the world of native art markets was fun especially when I found out artists had children my age because we would all get together and hang out when our parents were watching the booth! 

My best memory of the market happens every year, and it’s the experience of  reuniting with my art market family and friends. It gives me warmth and happiness in my heart to see everyone I grew up with and people who made sure I was staying out of trouble! I have endless love for my art market family because they're the most creative individuals with the kindest hearts. I’ve learned so much from my family from technique in various art forms, to aspects of their culture and how to channel creativity in many ways. 

Most importantly, I learned that as Indigenous artists our love for our craft is what brings us together and makes us stronger. Anything I know about art is from the many artists who helped raise me and the knowledge they passed on! SWAIA Indian Market is special every year because it reunites me with people I love, admire, and treasure!  

 

 

Charine Pilar Gonzales, Turquoise Flower

Tribe: San Ildefonso Pueblo Tewa

Bio: Charine (San Ildefonso Pueblo) is a Tewa filmmaker whose work supports the growing visibility of Native peoples through many forms of media, especially visual storytelling. She’s a 2021 graduate from Institute of American Indian Arts where she studied Cinematic Arts and Technology. Gonzales is lead editor for Native Lens, a crowdsourced series by Rocky Mountain PBS and KSUT Tribal Radio. She is a 2021 Native Lab Artist in Residence through Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program. She's a current Artist in Business Leadership Fellow through First Peoples Fund, and was selected to participate as a Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellow. Gonzales earned an English Communication BA from Fort Lewis College in 2017. Her favorite foods are red chilé and oven bread.

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 IG Handle: @charinepilarpovi

Website: charinegonzales.com

Vimeo: Charine Pilar Gonzales

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience:

My first Indian Market was in the womb. Then, as I grew older, I was taught how to behave at Indian Market. We respect our elders and listen to what we're told. I was taught to respect tenureship. 

I would wake up early in the morning to help my dad, Cavan Gonzales, set up his booth, and often we would be the first ones in our row of white tents to arrive when the sky was still dark blue. My brother and I would sit behind our dad's booth in folding chairs covered with Pendleton blankets. His black-on-black pottery catches the reflection of each visitor that shakes his hands. He waves us over to say hello, as a new friend asks “what is the meaning of a water-serpent?” painted on my dad's large polychrome pottery. We'd wait for our cousins to visit our booth so we can walk around and buy toys from Five & Dime. We also frequented Señor Murphys. In between, we'd say hello to our Saya, TehTeh, aunts, uncles, and older cousins at their booths, too. My great-great-great-grandmother, Maria Martinez, was at Indian Market from the beginning. My memories surrounding Indian Market are connected across six generations of stories. PUEBLO PEOPLE ARE THE HEART OF INDIAN MARKET, we will always be the heart of Indian Market. We invite our brothers and sisters from other Tribal communities to join us for Indian Market year after year. When you set foot in Oga'Pogeh, presently known as Santa Fe, you set foot on Tewa land. Never forget the ancestors who walked the same paths you step on the Plaza for Indian Market. We are here because my ancestors fought for me, for you, for us. When you ask me what my favorite Indian Market story is — I can't narrow down one. I picture myself as a little kid walking up and down the Santa Fe Plaza streets with sticky hands and ashy knees carrying ice cream cones from Häagan Dazs. We see the lifetimes of hard work artists put into their Indian Market pieces. My little brother Tyler is by my side. My cousins Jeramy and Jasmin’s laughter is contagious. Even though my little brother is no longer on this earth physically, our voices and young spirits echo through the history of the Oga'Pogeh streets — all of our footsteps made a mark in my memory forever. We will always be the heart of Indian Market.

 

 

Santiago Romero

Booth: LIN W 756

Tribe: Cochiti/Taos/Santa Ana Tewa

Bio: Santiago Romero was born at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital but grew up in the heart of Los Angeles. After graduating high school, he attended Dartmouth College and received a Bachelor's degree in environmental science. Currently, he is a working ceramic sculptor, painter, and active cultural participant. He strives to integrate his education and experience into all of his work by incorporating different techniques, both traditional and contemporary, as well as themes of science, Pueblo iconography, and human nature. Santiago has won several awards for contemporary ceramic sculpture from SWAIA, including second place in Sculpture. He is currently represented by Faust Gallery in Scottsdale and resides in Phoenix.

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IG: santiago_romero_art 

Website: HexagonClay.com

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience: 

I was about six years old and carefully navigating through the rows at Indian Market transporting two oversized burritos- using both hands for security- to the already crowded booths of my dad and step-mother. As a child of artists, one of my most important duties during markets was meal delivery. As adults towered over me arguing about who was in line first, who had bought which pieces, what was left for sale; I navigated the sea of customers until I reached the back of the booth and completed a successful burrito mission.

Over the years, I have experienced the highs and lows of Indian Market. Starting first with my family’s and then my own experiences, I have come to know that every year will yield completely different outcomes. From selling only small pieces, to your sole large piece, or selling nothing at all, and even winning awards; the excitement of Indian Market goes hand in hand with the anxiety of it. 

My first solo booth was twenty years later, and I finally had the opportunity to set it up however I like. After years of sharing with friends or relatives, I was eager to use the space exactly how I wanted it. I used the booth as an entire installation piece (still somewhat corky and out of the norm for Indian Market) using found objects to create a retro southwest style backdrop for my ceramic pieces. Unfortunately, the installation was inherently fragile and with the constant traffic, many parts ended up breaking or falling off. 

    As day two came to a close, my new and unique setup hadn’t brought as much profit as it had intrigue and distraction. I was feeling rather defeated but vowed to stay until the last minute, refusing to break down earlier despite the time warnings from organizers. My patience ended up paying off and within the last few minutes on the last day, a couple came to my booth and bought my largest piece. Completely unexpected- the joys of Indian Market.

    While these are some of my favorite memories, I believe the best Indian Market will be this year’s. Coming out of a trying time, I think everyone is looking forward to community and joining together for another market. As for me, I am excited to be included on this year’s SWAIA cover and debuting some paintings alongside my sculptures. 

 

 

Cree LaRance 

Tribe: Tewa/Hopi/Assiniboine 

Bio: Cree LaRance is an award-winning Native American jeweler living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is an enrolled member of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, however his roots also include Hopi, Navajo, and Assiniboine. He is the son of renowned Native American artists Steve “Wikviya” LaRance and Marian “Kaawaadeh” Denipah.  Cree works in silver and gold, turquoise, coral, and multiple other precious stones. His art is heavily influenced by his Native American culture, religion, family,  and way of life. Cree’s work employs modern and classical approaches in jewelry making that creates an ever evolving style continuously rooted in a legacy. 

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Website: dlfineart.org

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience: I have always and will always look forward to watching my siblings dance. Nakota, Sonwaii, and now the kids of Lightning Boy are the highlight of market. 

 

 

Jo Povi Romero  

Tribe: Pojoaque, Cochiti, Santa Clara, Ohkay Owingeh

Bio: Jo Povi Thung Romero was raised in Pojoaque Pueblo along the Northern Rio Grande River, she is also from Cochiti, Santa Clara, and Ohkay Owingeh. Her name in Tewa means “Cactus Flower Basket,” passed down from her great-grandmother. She was raised in the studio painting alongside her father, Mateo Romero, and learning traditional pottery techniques from her mother, Melissa Talachy, and grandparents, Joe and Thelma Talachy. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in Sculpture and Photography and a minor in Anthropology. She is currently an artist in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her main sculpture mediums include clay (traditional and commercial), plaster, and metal. Her photography is medium-format black and white film and she specializes in multiple exposures stacked in the camera. Women are her main models and she aims to capture their complexity and strength. Her work explores her identity as a Native queer woman as well as influences from ancient Mimbres pottery designs, Indigenous mythology, pop culture, and comic books. Through her work, she aims to transform the widespread lack of knowledge the public has of modern Native American people, our history, and our traditional knowledge. Her work has been displayed at the Black Family Visual Arts Center, Barrows Rotunda Gallery, Jaffe-Friede Gallery, and Nearburg Gallery. Recent projects include the SWAIA Drum Auction for Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and participation in the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s Mural Project led by the Living Legends Recepients (Diego and Mateo Romero). For the past two years Povi has been working for Cara Romero (Chemehuevi photographer) and recently began studying under Diego Romero (Cochiti potter). She is planning on pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in fall 2022 in Italy. 

Kuu da woah (Thank you very much)

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Find Povi’s work at “Pathways Native Arts Festival’,  August 20-22 Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, Pojoaque

IG: @jo.povi.romero.art

Website:  www.jopoviromeroart.com

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Memory: My parents call me an “Indian Market Baby” because this  is where they met and fell in love. A year after their First Indian Market together my mother was pregnant with me. As a child I would sit alongside my mother and mimic her hands as we made  tiny pinch pots, turtles, and snakes in preparation for the Market. When I was 5 years old when I sold my first pottery piece at SWAIA Indian Market, I kept all the earnings to buy toys and roasted corn. Through the years, as I grow older,  I still make it a point to come home for Market to help my father and mother in their booth. In 2019 I had the opportunity to model for the remarkable Haida designer and artist Dorothy Grant for the SWAIA Fashion Show. 20 years before my own mother modeled for Dororthy so the moment was serendipitous.  That weekend I walked the runway in the most luxurious dress I have ever worn; it was a long white silk dress with raven motifs painted across the delicate fabric surface. I had never thought of myself as a model before that moment; but Dorothy, my mother, and SWAIA made my dreams come true. I wait to see what's in store for future Indian Markets. 

 

 

 

Ashley Browning, Yellow Butterfly

Tribe: Pueblo of Pojoaque/Pueblo of Santa Clara

Bio: Ashley Browning is from the Pueblos of Pojoaque and Santa Clara, in what is currently known as New Mexico. She received a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in Film and Digital Media from the University of New Mexico with a concentration on production.

During her time studying at the University of New Mexico, she honed her graphic design and photography skills. She explored different types of digital media, such as screenwriting, sound mixing, cinematography, and 3D animation. Not long after graduating from the University of New Mexico, Ashley had been selected to participate in the Full Circle Fellowship with the Indigenous Program with the Sundance Institute. Since completing her fellowship, she has worked on a variety of productions in roles that range from production assistant to sound mixer. Browning supports other local Indigenous filmmakers, such as Shaadiin Tome, Peshawn Bread, and Charine Gonzales. 

Browning was introduced to the art by her grandmother, Lu Ann Tafoya. Lu Ann creates traditional Santa Clara deep-carved, red and black pottery. Ashley continues the family legacy through Tafoya’s mentorship and expertise. After school, Ashley would attend her local Boys and Girls Club where she continued to explore various art forms including painting, drawing, and digital graphics. By the time she was 16, Ashley had won numerous ribbons in local, statewide, and regional contests for her graphic and fine arts. Ashley’s family has been part of the Southwest Association for Indian Arts since its inception in 1922. During her first experience at the market, in 2013, she entered the painting, drawing, and photography division. She won two first-place ribbons for her “Paper Doll” and “Juxtaposition” pieces. Since then, she has entered the competition every year, taking home numerous awards for her contemporary/traditional art pieces. The highest award she received was a “Best of Division” for her piece titled “NDN iPhone, a photo that puts an Indigenous spin on the contemporary iPhone layout. Collaborating with her mother, Michele Tapia Browning, the two created an indigenous board game titled “NDN-OPOLY” and has since been featured in local and national museums and in several publications.

While pursuing her film and art career, she works in the marketing department for the Pueblo of Pojoaque’s Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino.

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Find Ashley’s work at “Pathways Native Arts Festival’,  August 20-22 Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, Pojoaque

 IG Handle: @ybutterfly2

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 Your best Indian Market memory or experience:

Ever since I could remember, I've always been attending Indian Market. My family has been part of the market since day one, where my great grandma, Margaret Tafoya, sat under the porch at the Palace of the Governors.  One of the best Indian Market experiences happened in 2003. During the night of the preview, it is tradition for my family and I to attend the Indian Market Preview after we have dinner and visit a family friend’s gallery near the plaza. Before arriving at the gallery, a person that knew my grandma saw her and told her “Congratulations.” Confused and surprised, we proceeded to go to the gallery where more congrats came to my grandma. I remember her saying “Thank you, but I don’t know what for.” As we arrived at the preview, we were told to go straight to the higher prize tables and seeing in the middle of this long draped table was my grandma’s red deep carved “flying saucer” that was surrounded by various ribbons of all colors and a stand that stated “Best Of Show: Lu Ann Tafoya.”

It was a proud moment for the whole family. She was following the legacy that her mother, Margaret Tafoya, started and had left to her children and their children. I continue to live up to that.

 

 

Edwin Allen Felter,  Wiyeh Than (Two Suns) 

Tribe: Nambe Pueblo Tewa 

Bio: Edwin Felter is a singer, songwriter, educator, and engineer who was born in Nambe Pueblo, where he continues to live and work. Edwin’s love for music was born from and continues to grow through traditional songs and his cultural environment. Felter explores multiple genres, with hip hop and rap at the forefront and the source of his inspiration coming from artists such as Elvis, David Lee Roth, Lil Wayne, and Andre 3000.  Edwin intends to continue to maximize his own understanding and experience in sound and style, and encourages other young artists to do the same. A large part of Felter’s time is dedicated to the Lightning Boy Foundation, a nonprofit organization in northern New Mexico that provides traditional hoop dance instruction and other dance programming to youth ages 2 and up. The organization’s mission is dedicated to nurturing and building confidence and integrity through culture and artistic expression. Edwin is the singer for the group and travels with them as they tour. 

In addition to his music and work for the community, Edwin has a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Electromechanical Engineering and enjoys teaching STEAM workshops and concepts throughout New Mexico Public Schools as a  member of the NNMC Mentor Collective at Northern New Mexico College.

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IG Handle: @edmiyster

Youtube: @Edwin Felter REZCREW

Spotify:@Edwin Felter

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience: My favorite thing to do at Indian Market is sing as part of the street performances. I currently sing for the Lighting Boy Foundation. We will be out there performing, so come find us!

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Kaa Folwell,  Kaa Ojegi (Frost on the Leaves) 

Tribe: Khapo Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo Tewa)

Bio: Kaa Folwell received her BFA in studio arts from the Institute of American Indian Art in 2018. Kaa explores her creativity and heritage through mostly contemporary Pueblo pottery but not limited to. During her senior show  titled Bridgework she created a series of turquoise and silver teeth grillz that represent the fluency and journey of relearning the Tewa language. During Kaa’s creative process she utilizes both traditional methods to build while incorporating contemporary design. Her work is often accompanied by Pueblo and graffiti inspired iconography. Kaa comes from a prominent artist family in New Mexico: She is the daughter of contemporary Pueblo potter Polly-Rose Folwell, niece of Susan Folwell and granddaughter of the legendary Jody Folwell, one of the first contemporary Pueblo potters. Kaa grew up in Santa Clara Pueblo, where she strengthened her cultural ties and developed her love for art. her thoughts on what art means, “Art was never considered a hobby in my family and is a part of daily life, it’s almost another family member. Being able to use ancient techniques to build contemporary pottery is in essence exactly what it’s intended purpose is, to be a vessel that sustains life.”

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Represented by: King Galleries Santa Fe / KingGalleries.com 

IG:  @xxkaaxx

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Best NDN Market memory: I have been attending NDN Market since I was a child; there are so many memories it’s hard to pick one favorite. What I can wholeheartedly say are some of the best feelings are the early hour greetings on the plaza.  Breathing in the brisk air as you’re greeting your booth neighbors and hoping for a good weekend ahead with your loved ones is the best feeling!

 

 

Jacob Shije, Kaa Tsire (American Goldfinch)

Tribe: Kha’p’o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo Tewa)

Bio:  There is blissful energy emerging in the music industry and, Jacob Shije is quickly becoming known for his empathy, guitar prowess, and singer-songwriter performances. Jacob embarked as a solo artist in 2019, inspired by artists like John Mayer, The Beatles, and Ritchie Valens. Like clay from his homelands of Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, he molds music into something rhythmically groovy and sonically vivid with vintage textures like an old soul. Jacob is supporting his debut single “Hide the Heartbreak” with a series of club shows across the Southwest. Jacob is currently performing with the Levi Platero Band and is an endorsed artist with Delaney Guitars.

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IG Handle: @jacobshije 

Website: linktr.ee/jacobshije

Spotify: Jacob Shije

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience:  The location of my family’s booth (currently PAL N 215) underneath the portico of the Palace of Governors is my favorite part of Indian Market. I feel so much joy and happiness whenever I’m there. It brings back so many memories of being a kid and watching the people walk by as I sat there drawing or playing video games. There were even a few years where I would take a guitar and play right in front of the booth to everyone. Whenever I’m down in the plaza, I go to that spot just to remember those memories and experience those feelings of being at Indian Market. 

 

 

 

Del Curfman, Baatchilish (He Will Live a Fortunate Life),  Xuhkaalaxche (Ties-in-a-Bundle) Clan 

Booth: LIN W 756 

Tribe: Apsáalooke (Crow)

Bio: Born in 1993, Del Curfman grew up in the divides between his Apsáalooke (Crow Tribe of Montana) heritage and the greater Western/Montanan/ Non-Native culture, forever influencing him and his artwork. A graduate and alumni of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and emerging artist, his work has found significance as a reminder that American Indian culture and traditions have not faded into history or obscurity. His artwork is a conduit for cross-cultural dialogue. Through time, space, and movement, his paintings transgress the boundaries and limits of American Indian stereotypes. His work has been featured internationally, at the Field Museum of Chicago and the Neubauer, in local and national publications, and in galleries in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Bristol, England. Del is now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he remains concentrated on creating socially aware, community-engaged artwork. 

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IG Handle: crow_colors_studio

Website: www.delcurfman.com

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Your best Indian Market memory or experience: One of the most memorable experiences at Summer Indian Market was my first year in 2015. What stood out the most and what continues to be so impressive is the interest and support of American Indian art and culture. Indian Market is a platform and space for Native artist to share their experiences and authentic stories; Indian Market is so special in that way, where Native perspectives and outside non-Native communities intersect. 2015 was especially significant because I was selected as the design fellow and my artwork was featured on that year’s SWAIA merchandise: shirts and tote bags. People were so excited to meet the artist behind the shirt, fortunately my booth was directly across from the information kiosk where people were purchasing their goods and would walk over to my SWAIA booth which naturally led to a lot of discussions and signing of their shirts. This was the first real time for me to share my artwork and to highlight the stories of my people the Apsáalooke (Crow Tribe of Montana.)