Erick Begay (Navajo), Kingman Turquoise and Coral Bracelet Mimbres Design, silver, 2 inches wide.
Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN
June 24-25
Community and culture are at the heart of the annual Indian Market and Festival at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis. The event, focusing on Indigenous fine art, storytelling and performances, allows for one-on-one conversation with exhibition artists and shares traditions from across the U.S. and Canada. Approximately 120 Native American and First Nations artists specializing in pottery, basketry, jewelry, textiles and more will showcase and sell their works in the 31st edition on June 24 and 25.
Presented by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance, this premier Indigenous marketplace sees hundreds of submissions across 10 divisions that are then reviewed for inclusion. The juried nature of the festival allows for a highly curated and diverse show that is based on type of artwork and style, among other factors. Along with the festival itself, the artists can submit their works for the annual art competition, where they will vie for awards and cash prizes.
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- Monica Jo Raphael (Anishinaabe-Sicangu Lakota), Andawawinzo “What we see while picking berries” bracelet cuff, woodland porcupine quillwork, 2 x 7.
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- Darby Raymond-Overstreet (Diné/Navajo), Woven Landscape-Monument Valley, digital collage of photography and Navajo textiles, 24 x 32.
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- Pahponee (Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas and Citizen Band Potawatomi), My Fine Feathered Friends, bronze, 12.
“The market’s morning breakfast, on Saturday at 8 a.m., is also the awards ceremony,” says Brandi Crocker, the Eitjelorg’s manager of special events and artist engagement, adding that the Best of Show winner is a secret until that time.
This year, artists participating will include Navajo jeweler Erick Begay; sculptor Pahponee (Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas and Citizen Band Potawatomi); artist Monica Jo Raphael (Anishinaabe-Sicangu Lakota), who specializes in quillwork; photographer Darby Raymond-Overstreet (Diné/Navajo); and Rain Scott of the Acoma Pueblo who creates “origami pottery” from paper, feathers, shell and more. There will be around 20 new exhibitors included in the show and four artists will demonstrate their techniques on the front lawn.
Rain Scott (Acoma Pueblo), Minah’dee (Keeper of the Salt), paper, macaw feathers, deer sinew, willow rods, Kingman turquoise, shell, 22 x 14.
Every year the Indian Festival and Market showcases storytellers, dancers and musicians. Crocker explains, “I’m always excited about the performances because we always have new performers including many who have never participated in the show.” For instance, the award-winning Levi Platero Band (Navajo Nation) is a first-time musical act, while Firefly the Hybrid (Penobscot Nation) has typically been an exhibiting artist in the fair but made a transition to music and performing arts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rounding out the group of performers for 2023 are the storytelling families of the Yellow Bird Dancers of Phoenix, led by Ken Duncan (San Carlos Apache Tribe), and the trio of Randy, Rykelle, and Raven Kemp from the Choctaw, Euchee and Muscogee Creek peoples of Oklahoma.
For complete ticketing information for the festival, visit the Eiteljorg website. Along with the exhibitor booths and performances, visitors to the festival can view the reimagined Native American Galleries at the museum including the Expressions of Life: Native Art in North America exhibition that opened in June 2022. —Rochelle Belsito
contact information
(317) 636-9378
www.eiteljorg.org
This story appeared in the June/July 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.