Native American Art – August-September 2026

Summary

Greyshoes (Upton Ethelbah Jr.) of Santa Clara Pueblo and White Mountain Apache carved the Portuguese marble "Santa Clara Pueblo Ram Dancers" on the cover of Native American Art's August/September 2026 bimonthly, the official magazine of the 2026 Santa Fe Indian Market.

Native American Art August/September 2026 is the official magazine of the 2026 Santa Fe Indian Market, running 232 pages with more than 200 artists showcased, and executive editor Michael Clawson leads the team. The market guide opens at 87, with a preview of the Whitehawk Antique Indian & Ethnographic Art Show at 219. The issue centres on SWAIA's market weekend, August 14 to 16, 2026 in Santa Fe.

Featured artists include Erik Lee's Plains Indian silverwork and leatherwork at 122, potter Daniel T. Begay at 130, and Hopi katsina carvers Mark Ron Taho, Arthur Holmes Jr. and Robert Albert at 139. The classified guide runs jewelry at 157, pottery at 161, painting at 165, pueblo wooden carvings at 169, sculpture at 173, textiles at 177, diverse arts at 181, beadwork at 185 and basketry at 189. For collectors the booth numbers and the exhibition listings are the working parts of the issue.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover
p.ON THE COVER · SANTA CLARA PUEBLO RAM DANCERS
Greyshoes (Upton Ethelbah Jr.), Santa Clara Pueblo and White Mountain Apache, carved Santa Clara Pueblo Ram Dancers in Portuguese marble at 38 x 28 x 10 inches, and the piece fronts the issue with his booth number, PLZ 80, printed for Santa Fe Indian Market. The work is the cover subject rather than a reproduction. Find booth PLZ 80 at the market if you want to see the piece in person.

▸ Features
p.122 · PLAINS INDIAN FORMAL — ERIK LEE
Jessa Rae Growing Thunder, Ph.D. (Fort Peck Assiniboine/Sioux) writes on Erik Lee at 122, covering his silverwork, leatherwork and the legacy he carries. The piece names the materials and the traditions involved. Look for Lee's work by the silver and leather techniques described here.

p.130 · DANIEL T. BEGAY
Daniel T. Begay (Santa Clara Pueblo/Navajo (Diné)) is profiled at 130, with the piece covering his carved vessels and the process behind them. He grew up with potters Harrison Begay Jr. and Marie John as parents, and describes the sound of the blade cutting leather-hard clay. Handle a carved vessel if you get the chance, since the carving is the point.

p.139 · HOPI KATSINA CARVERS
Russ Hoover and Barry Walsh report at 139 on three award-winning Hopi katsina carvers, Mark Ron Taho, Arthur Holmes Jr. and Robert Albert, who are pushing ultra-realistic carving past the aesthetic that once defined it. Taho's First Hunt in cottonwood is shown, and Holmes has won the pueblo wood carving category five of the last 10 years. Compare the three carvers' approaches at their booths rather than judging from photographs.

▸ Market Guide
p.87 · OUR GUIDE TO THE 2026 SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET
The market guide opens at 87 with the classified listings by category: jewelry at 157, pottery at 161, painting, drawing, graphics and photography at 165, pueblo wooden carvings at 169, sculpture at 173, textiles at 177, diverse arts at 181, beadwork and quillwork at 185 and basketry at 189. Booth numbers are printed with each artist. Plan your route by category before the market opens, since the plaza fills early.

p.219 · WHITEHAWK SHOW
Charles King previews the Whitehawk Antique Indian & Ethnographic Art Show at 219, held at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center with more than 130 exhibitors. Two special exhibitions run alongside: The First Moderns on Navajo/Diné textiles from 1870 to 1900, and Heritage on Australian Indigenous art. Attend the textile exhibition if you collect early Navajo weavings.

▸ Exhibitions
p.OPENING AUGUST 14 · BEST OF SHOW
Best of Show: Making History at Santa Fe's Indian Market opens August 14, 2026 at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture on Museum Hill and runs to spring 2027. The exhibition traces the Best of Show award across SWAIA's 104-year history, with Dallin Maybebee, Jennifer Tafoya, Darryl Dean Begay, Maria and Julian Martinez and Trinidad Medina among the artists. See it before the market crowds arrive on the opening day.

p.AUGUST 13-OCTOBER 11 · WOVEN FUTURES, UNBOUND PATTERNS
Woven Futures, Unbound Patterns: Contemporary Diné Weaving runs at the Institute of Contemporary Art Santa Fe from August 13 to October 11, 2026, showing weavers including Tyrell Tapaha and Venancio Aragón. The exhibition is timed to the market. Pair it with the Whitehawk textile show in the same week.

▸ Events
p.AUGUST 15-16 · FREE INDIAN MARKET
The Free Indian Market marks its eighth edition on August 15 and 16 in Santa Fe's Federal Park, with over 500 Indigenous artists, free booth spaces, free admission and free trade. Family booth spaces bring grandparents, parents and children together. Go on the Saturday if you want the widest choice before pieces sell.

p.AUGUST 16 · SWAIA NATIVE FASHION SHOW
The SWAIA Native Fashion Show starts at 3 p.m. on August 16 at the convention center, with designers Himikalas Pamela Baker, Jimmy Dean Horn, Jontay Kahm, Devon Tso, Desmon Pack and Stephen Paul Judd. The Native American Regalia Showcase runs the same morning from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Santa Fe Plaza. Arrive at the plaza early for the regalia showcase before the fashion show.

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Editor's Take

Native American Art's August/September 2026 is a market guide that happens to be a magazine, and its 232 pages and 200-plus artists make it the single most useful object to carry into Santa Fe Indian Market weekend. The Daniel T. Begay profile at 130 and the Hopi carvers piece at 139 are the two features that read as journalism rather than listings, and the classified guide at 157 to 189, with booth numbers, is the part that works on the plaza. The weakness is structural: much of the issue is gallery and booth advertising, and with no regular columns or reviews, there is little to read once the market is over. The cover, Greyshoes' Portuguese marble Ram Dancers, is a strong choice and the best object on any of these covers. Buy this if you are going to Santa Fe in August; it is close to worthless six weeks later.

Strengths
• 232 pages and 200-plus artists with booth numbers
• Begay and Hopi carver features read as journalism
• Exhibition listings cover the whole Santa Fe week

Weaknesses
• Much of the issue is gallery and booth advertising
• No columns or reviews once the market ends

Verdict: Essential for Santa Fe market attendees — The guide works on the plaza; little to read afterwards.