The Santa Fe Indian Market is excited to reveal the winners of this year’s Best of Show, Best of Classification, and Special Awards. Since 1922, this iconic event has been the premier Native North American art market, celebrating the exceptional talents of Native artists across a wide range of categories.
On Thursday, August 15, more than 50 expert judges spent the day carefully evaluating entries in various media, selecting the very best for top honours. The much-anticipated results were announced at the Best of Show Ceremony on Friday afternoon. If you’re in Santa Fe this weekend, don’t miss the chance to see these incredible works of art on display at the Plaza downtown.
Dan Vallo, Best of Show 2024 , Pueblo Revolt © Tira Howard Photography for SWAIA.
A special shoutout to Merlin Little Thunder, who received the Native American Art Magazine Award of Excellence. The Best of Show Ceremony was made possible by the generous sponsorship of JoAnn and Bob Balzer, and the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) sponsored the Best of Show Luncheon.
SWAIA deeply appreciates these contributions. For a full list of this year’s winners, check out the SWAIA website later this week. Congrats to all the amazing artists!
Santa Fe Indian Market is pleased to announce this year’s Best of Show, Best of Classification, and Special Award winners in a variety of classifications. Since 1922, Santa Fe Indian Market, the world’s largest and most prestigious Native North American art market, has awarded Best of Show winners to exceptional Native North American artists in various juried categories.
Over 50 judges, and experts in various media, spent most of the day Thursday, August 15, reviewing and critiquing this year’s entries and determining the winners. The announcement of the Best of Show, Best of Class, and Special Award winners was made public at the Best of Show Ceremony on Friday afternoon.
All the Best of Show winners’ extraordinary artwork is available this weekend during the Santa Fe Indian Market on the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe.
The 2024 Best of Classification winners are:
Class I: Jewelry
Winner: Sarah Aragon (Navajo Nation)
Title: Back in the Saddle – Horse Headstall with silver female ring bit
Dimensions: 33″ x 9″ x 6″
Materials: Handcrafted sterling silver from Tufa cast ingots, shaped by chiseling, chasing, and filing secured on a leather headstall. Stone inlay work of Mediterranean coral, Castle Dome turquoise, Morenci turquoise, Kingman turquoise, Persian turquoise, and Carico Lake turquoise.
Class II: Pottery
Winner: Garrett Maho (Hopi)
Title: Gentle Rain— hand-built pot
Dimensions: 11″ diameter
Materials: traditional clay, paints, and paint brushes. Stones used to polish. Outdoor traditional wood and dung firing. All natural pigments.
Class III: Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography
Winner: Johnson Yazzie (Navajo Nation)
Title: AM 660 Afternoon —painting
Dimensions: 53″ x 48″
Materials: acrylic and oil canvas.
Class IV: Wooden Pueblo Figurative Carving & Sculpture
Winner: Arthur Holmes Jr. (Hopi)
Title: Chasing Star – Na-ngashu Katsina— Chasing Star is a handsome figure who usually appears during mix-dance
Dimensions: 16 ½” x 5 ½”
Materials: Carved from roots of a cottonwood tree, oil paint.
Class V: Sculpture
Winner: Ryan Benally (Navajo Nation)
Title: Feathered Prayers— Sculpture inspired by the Navajo feather ceremony
Dimensions: 63.5″ x 24″ x 24″
Materials: Italian marble, black granite, stainless steel base, CNC cut design on the base, carved with hammer and chisel, electric power tools, and hand-polished to 8000 grit.
Class VI: Textiles
Winner: Isabel Gonzales (Jemez Pueblo / Walatowa)
Untitled—Hand-embroidered ladies’ manta with a traditional pattern
Dimensions: 60″ w x 48″ l
Materials: Cotton monks’ cloth, hand-spun yarn on drop spindle, commercial yarn.
Class VII: Diverse Arts
Winner: Dan Vallo (Acoma Pueblo) Best of Show
Title: Pueblo Revolt Ensemble— rendition of a set of weapons used by many Pueblo warriors during the time of the Pueblo Revolt
Dimensions: 66″ x 14″ x 5″
Materials: Obsidian flint knapped dagger, handle made of yucca cord encased in clear resin, Juniper bow backed with over 150 wild turkey feathers, handmade twisted bow string, rawhide quiver, red cedar wood arrows.
Class VIII: Beadwork & Quillwork
Winner: Monica J. Raphael (Grand Traverse Ottowa / Chippewa)
Title: Indede Odayi – My Dad’s Horse — Bead and quillwork on birchbark displayed on a horse mannequin with a handmade doll
Dimensions: 18 ½” x 19″
Materials: Woodland porcupine quillwork on birch bark. Otter hide, smoked deer hide, replica dimes, and a found horse as a mannequin wearing a miniature saddle. Doll constructed with brains tan smoked deer hide. All natural materials, harvested and prepared by artist.
Class IX: Youth (Artists aged 17 and under)
Winner: Aydrian Day (Ho-Chunk, Anishinaabe and Lakota)
Title: HoCak Manape — (translates to Ho-Chunk warrior)—Otter turban and Otter medicine bag
Dimensions: 8″ x 12″ x 6″ and 11″ x 8″
Materials: Otter pelts, smoked hide, commercial hide, and cotton. Seed and true cut bead adornments.
Class XI: Basketry
Winner: Caleb Hoffman, (Cherokee/ Penobscot)
Title: Embers — hand-pounded ash point basket with sweetgrass
Dimensions: 8″ diameter
Materials: Double-woven, plated-point basket, inspired by teacher, Jeremy Frey.
2024 Special Award Winners
Excellence in traditional Hopi carvings: Wayland Namingha
Excellence in lapidary: Ernest Benally
Excellence in contemporary Hopi carvings: Mark Taho
Traditional Pottery Award: Robert Patricio
Mark Tahbo Memorial Award: Garrett Maho
Tony Da’ Memorial Award: Jared Tso
Make Me Smile Youth Award: Suyma Maho
Margaret Tafoya Memorial Award: Nancy Youngblood
Sarafina Tafoya Memorial Award: Sergio Lugo
Mela Youngblood Memorial Award: Daniel Begay
Oqwa Pi Memorial Award for Excellence in Traditional Pueblo Painting: Thomas Tapia
Anita Da’ Memorial Award to Encourage the Work of a Young Potter: Xavian Suazo
IAIA Alumni Award: Adrian Wall
The Native American Art Magazine Award of Excellence: Merlin Little Thunder
Santa Fe Indian Market’s Best of Show Ceremony was sponsored by JoAnn and Bob Balzer and the Best of Show Luncheon was sponsored by the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). SWAIA is grateful for these generous contributions. A complete list of winners in all classifications will be posted on the SWAIA website this week. Congratulations to all the winners!
