NACF Fellow Artists at the 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market

Art Talk: Disrupting the Mainstream : Indigeneity in the Art World
Melissa Cody, 2018 NACF National Artist Fellow brought a new generation of creativity and thought to the traditional art of Navajo rug weaving at Indian Market this year. At the Art Talk: Disrupting the Mainstream: Indigeneity in the Art World this past weekend Cody discussed how she pushes rug design forward while maintaining traditional design elements. However, these traditions can be a misnomer, because traditional designs were also influenced by the market needs of trading posts who supplied the railroad industry, mining, the army, and tourists.

ARTIST TALK: Flex Your Activism with Cannupa Hanska Luger
Artist and 2017 NACF National Artist Fellow, Cannupa Hanska Luger, created an art installation through social engagement in collaboration with photographer Kali Spitzer titled Every One. Luger created a “how to” video for participants to make the beads needed for the project. Hundreds responded and mailed their clay beads to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture bringing communities together to increase awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Queer & Trans (MMIWQT). Over four thousand handmade beads were then hung in the image of a woman to represent the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. Every One was supported in part by the NACF, to raise awareness of and to rehumanize the statistics of gender violence.

2018 Santa Fe Indian Market Gala and Fashion Show
A fundraiser for the Southwestern Association of Indian Arts (SWAIA) included a fashion show featuring the contemporary designs of 2017 NACF Mentor Artist, Delina White. Her designs are based on the woodland flora indigenous to the lands of the Great Lakes Nations. White uses contemporary woodland appliqué techniques to create completely unique clothing based on ancestral designs.