SANTA FE — 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 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 Doll, “Lakota Honor- Sees the Horses Woman.” Holy Bear is from the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation.
This year’s Best of Class winners by 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”
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)”
Special Youth Awards: 2nd Place Youth: Kiiyaanni Reeves — Navajo/ Diné
3rd Place Youth: Mosgadace Casuse — Anishinaabe/ Navajo/ Diné
