Southwest Indian Art Fair at Arizona State Museum

It should be noted that the 2014 Southwest Indian Art Fair described below was the second-to-last fair ever held. Arizona State Museum director Patrick Lyons made the sad announcement in September 2015 that ASM will no longer produce the fair; not that they would be taking a breather from hosting the fair, but canceling their involvement in it altogether.

The original blog post follows...


As the Arizona State Museum website states:

The Southwest Indian Art Fair began in 1993 as a small pottery fair. Since then, it has grown to be the highlight of Arizona State Museum's annual educational and cultural celebrations, as well as a highly anticipated feature of Tucson’s winter festival calendar.

It’s possible I was there for the inaugural event as I remember attending a small show and sale of pottery at the museum in the early 1990s, but I am not certain which year. Nevertheless SWIAF, held annually on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, has become a highlight of our Indian art season here in Southern Arizona.

For the past three or four years Pat and I have sponsored a jewelry award for the fair. One of the rewards of being a sponsor is attending the Awards Reception the night before the fair opens to see all the entries, the winners, meet some of the artists and say hello to friends who are fellow ASM members and also those on the museum staff. The grounds are lovely at night, the tents are set up on the grass, and it’s the quiet before the storm, so to speak.

We’re always excited to see the magnificent creations that are entered, and to admire the masterwork that receives our sponsored award. This year’s went to Jake Livingston, a master jeweler of Navajo/Zuni heritage for his stunning silver and coral buckle.

Early Saturday morning we arrive with tickets in hand, an hour before the gates officially open, for members-only early bird shopping, eagerly plotting which booths to hit first.

We also spend time in the morning viewing the offerings at the benefit sale/silent auction tent for the Friends of Arizona State Museum and often find a vintage treasure or two that was donated to the Friends organization. The air is usually crisp and the crowds are sparse so the morning is one of my favorite times at the fair.

After the gates open to the public at 10am the aisles grow crowded with shoppers and the tents sometimes become a challenge to navigate.

But the performances start shortly afterwards and many attendees move to the stage area to witness the music and dancers from various southwest tribes.

As the fair has grown in size over the years so has it grown in prominence; for a number of years it has attracted some of the finest American Indian artists working today. For example, below is another fabulous jar from Susan Folwell, the multi-talented potter from Santa Clara Pueblo. Susan is a creative and innovative potter, constantly reinventing herself and I never cease to admire her work. Her mother Jody Folwell, an award-winning master potter, was the featured artist at the 2014 fair. But does the couple depicted on this jar look familiar?

For the first time ever at an Indian art exhibit I purchased an award-winning piece this year. At the awards reception I couldn’t take my eyes away from this remarkable photo taken at White Sands National Park by Priscilla Tacheney, Navajo, which took a First Place ribbon in the 2D Art category. I couldn’t believe this piece hadn’t sold before I found her booth on Saturday morning. Now it hangs in a prominent place over my bed.

Arizona State Museum doesn’t simply view the fair as an opportunity for art collectors to buy direct from the artists. They also see it as a cultural exchange between the American Indian artists, musicians and dancers and the attendees who may not otherwise have an opportunity to interact with cultures that many Americans still mistakenly believe “vanished” over a century ago. Though the fair has traditionally been held every February, this year it was on February 22 and 23, 2014, next year it is scheduled for March 28 and 29, 2015. So mark your calendars for an entertaining and rewarding experience. We'll be there!