COVERAGE: Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show 2021

Native Max was present at SWAIA's Best of Show event and here's the quick rundown of our coverage.
Best of Show winner Rhonda Holy Bear

SHARE ON SOCIALS:

MORE LIKE THIS:

The Native Max team was present at the SWAIA’s Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show of 2021 and we have the rundown of our coverage of the event this weekend.

The Santa Fe Indian Market hosts Best of Show, Best of Class, and Special Awards every year in a variety of classifications. For 99 years, Santa Fe Indian Market, the world’s largest and most prestigious Native American art market, has awarded Best of Show winners to the nation’s most exceptional artists in a variety of juried categories.

Thirty experts in various media spent all day Thursday, August 19, reviewing and critiquing this year’s entries to determine the winners. The announcement of Best of Show and Best of Class winners was made public at the Best of Show Luncheon on Friday afternoon.

This year’s overall Best of Show winner is Rhonda Holy Bear’s (Cheyenne River Sioux) Doll, “Lakota Honor- Sees the Horses Woman.”

All Best of Show winners’ phenomenal artwork were available all weekend during Santa Fe Indian Market, where the public had an opportunity to see this year’s award-winning artwork.

This year’s Best of Class winners by the classification are:

Class I: Jewelry 
Denise Wallace (Chugach Sugpiaq)
Origins, Roots and Sources”

Class II: Pottery
Robert Patricio (Pueblo of Acoma) 
“Raining Dawn to Dusk”

Native Max team pictured with youth winner Aydrian Day 

Class III: Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography
Thomas Tapia (Pueblo of Tesuque) 
Watercolor, “Buffalo Elk Dance”

Class IV: Wooden Pueblo Figurative Carving & Sculpture
Arthur Holmes Jr. (Hopi)
Carving, “Broken Arrow”

Class V: Sculpture
Raymond Chee Sr. (Navajo/Diné)
Sculpture, “Healing into the Night”

Class VI: Textiles
Tyler Glasses (Navajo/ Diné)
Weaving, “Poncho for Days”

Class VII: Diverse Arts
Dana Warrington (Menominee/ Potawatomi)
Taxidermy, Otter wearing leather, quillwork, beadwork, lapidary, silver, weaving and feathers.
“Defending the Homeland” 

Class VIII: Beadwork & Quillwork
Rhonda Holy Bear (Cheyenne River Sioux) 
Doll, “Lakota Honor-Sees the Horses Woman” 

Class XI: Basketry
Jeremey Frey (Passamaquoddy)
Double wall ash basket, “Malsom (Wolf)”

Class IX: Youth (artists aged 17 and under)
Aydrian Day (Anishinaabe, Lakota, Hochunk) 
Beaded elk hide bag, “Mishkiikii Ode (Medicine of the Heart)”

2021 Special Award Winners:
Indigenous Collections Grand Award: 
The Winner of this award will be announced at the end of August at swaia.org. 

Special Youth Awards:
2nd Place Youth: Kiiyaanni Reeves (Navajo/ Diné)
3rd Place Youth: Mosgadace Casuse (Anishinaabe/ Navajo (Diné)

Here are some more Artwork submitted to Best of Show.