Weekend in late August attracts 100,000 visitors to City Different
At age 38, Jody Naranjo is a veteran of the Santa Fe Indian Market. A sixthgeneration potter from Santa Clara Pueblo in northern New Mexico, she has been working the annual art fest since age 5.
“(My family) has been at Indian Market since the beginning,” says Naranjo, who now lives in Albuquerque. “I got my own spot at the age of 20. About five generations in my family have been doing pottery before me and now my daughters are doing it.”
She makes ceramic pots and sculptures out of traditional hand-dug clays that are fired with wood and manure. Naranjo integrates natural colors into her pieces, contemporary and asymmetrical shapes, and her own artistic designs.
She also is designing a T-shirt for Indian Market organizers, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts.
“That’s exciting ... designing a shirt for SWAIA after being there for so many generations,” says Naranjo.
Indian Market takes place on the Santa Fe Plaza and adjoining streets on Aug. 23 and 24. Now in its 87th year, the art festival is one of Santa Fe’s largest tourist draws during the summer. It attracts 1,000 Native American artists from hundreds of tribes and upward of 100,000 visitors. Pottery, painting, weaving, sculpture, jewelry and bead work are among the work available at the event.
Family tradition
Naranjo says there are more than 30 potters in her family. She learned the art form by watching and helping her mother, grandmother and other relatives gather clay from traditional sites and fire the pots.
“It’s something in my family that you just assume you’re going to do,” says Naranjo, adding that she began selling pieces on the Santa Fe Plaza year-round at age 15.
Over the years, she has developed her own style, which blends tradition with contemporary and whimsical themes. Naranjo uses the coil method of making pots, where layers of clay are built up to make the shape. She says she never felt comfortable using a potter’s wheel.
Then she smooths the inside and outside, adds texture and artistic design, and fires the pots at Santa Clara Pueblo.
She uses a river stone passed down from previous generations to polish each piece. Her pots are black, red or brown, or a mixture of those colors.
Naranjo also incorporates designs into her pots such as New Mexico landscapes, city buildings, a smiling girl holding a pot, churches from New Mexico pueblos and animal motifs. She says many of the designs are from pictures or sketches she has made while traveling around the state. It takes her two months to complete a batch of eight pots.
“It’s kind of what I’m supposed to do,” she says, “finding your own niche and seeing how you can push yourself in one direction or another.”
Naranjo’s work is on display at Legends Santa Fe gallery. She will host a show at the gallery Aug. 21. She has also sat on SWAIA judging committees, judged pottery for the Heard Museum, periodically works as an artist-in-residence at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis and plans to open her own nonprofit art school in Albuquerque.
Events
Lifetime Achievement Celebration: Thursday, Aug. 21. SWAIA honors its Lifetime Achievement winners and the 2008 fellowship winners. The invitation-only event at a private gallery allows the organization’s top donors, special guests and sponsors to meet the winners and see their art. Location and time are to be announced.
Best of Show and Preview Events: Friday, Aug. 22. SWAIA judges select the winning entries. Winners receive cash awards and Santa Fe Indian Market ribbons. Judges will also make the Best of Show selection. The Best of Show announcement takes place at 4 p.m. at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. It costs $200 and is only open to SWAIA members at the $250 membership level and above. Only 100 tickets will be sold for the event. From 5-7:30 p.m., SWAIA will host a sneak preview of the award-winning artwork and a silent auction. The latter is open to SWAIA members at the $250 membership level and above. A general preview will take place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Memberships can be purchased at the door.
Indian Market Day 1: 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 23. SWAIA says the most serious buyers gather before dawn outside their favorite artists’ booths. Free.
Auction Gala: 5 p.m. Aug. 23, the historic La Fonda. Artists donate one-of-a-kind pieces for the fundraising auction and seated dinner for SWAIA. Cochiti painter Mateo Romero will display his original poster artwork at the event. The cost is $135 per person or $1,250 per table. To purchase tickets, call the SWAIA office at 983-5220.
Indian Market Day 2: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 24. Native American Clothing Contest is usually held in the morning on the Plaza. The traditional and contemporary clothing is intended to teach the audience about differences between American Indian cultures. Free.
Other Events: Throughout the weekend, festival attendees can visit the Youth Market (an area set aside for a dozen or so artists under the age of 18), demonstration booths and the Book Booth where authors will discuss their recent releases on native subjects. There will also be plenty of opportunity to sample Navajo tacos, mutton stew, fry bread, roasted corn and other Indian and Southwestern fare.
