Debra Garcia y Griego, Cabinet Secretary for Department of Cultural Affairs | americansforthearts.org
The New Mexico History Museum will host a series of free programs during Indian Market weekend in downtown Santa Fe on August 16 and 17, 2025. The events aim to support Native artisans and provide educational opportunities for visitors.
The museum will welcome the Native American Portal Artisans Program, which usually operates under the portal of the Palace of the Governors. For this weekend, sales will move to the museum’s courtyard from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days. Attendees can buy art, jewelry, pottery, and other items directly from Native artisans representing 23 federally recognized tribes, pueblos, and nations in New Mexico.
Saturday’s schedule includes two presentations. From 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Dr. Jennifer Nez Denetdale (Diné), Clarenda Begay (Diné), and Lillia McEnaney will participate in a panel discussion about an exhibition and related book currently at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Arizona. The exhibition is titled "Nihinaaldlooshii doo nídínééshgóó k’ee’ąą yilzhish dooleeł" / "Our Livestock Will Never Diminish: The Photography of Milton Snow and the Legacies of Livestock Reduction." Later that day, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., author Martha A. Sandweiss will give a talk and sign copies of her book “The Girl in the Middle,” which is based on an historic photo taken at Fort Laramie in 1868.
On Sunday from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Cathy Notarnicola, Curator at the New Mexico History Museum, and Elisa Phelps, Head of Curatorial Affairs at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, will discuss the history of the Southwestern Association of American Indian Arts’ annual Indian Market and art competition.
A film screening and discussion for “Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery” is also planned for the weekend. More information about these programs is available online at https://nmhistorymuseum.org/programs/events/.
According to information provided by organizers: “New Mexico History Museum, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, offers a welcoming place for exploration of multifaceted views on history, dialog that bridges social and cultural divides, and reflection on the conditions needed for a more resilient, just, and sustainable future.”
The museum campus is located on the north side of Santa Fe Plaza.
