EDWARD CHARLIE NAMED 2015 ARTIST OF THE YEAR ; MARK F ISCHER CAPTURES 2ND PLACE

Trading Post TimesTrading Post TimesTrading Post TimesTrading Post Times

Two leading River Trading Post artists cap-

tured top honors at the Indian Arts and Crafts

Association annual Artist of the Year

ceremony in Albuquerque in April.

Edward Charlie Takes Top Honors

Navajo jeweler, Edward Charlie, was named

the IACA 2015 Artist of the Year for his mag-

nificent interpretation of Navajo legend Spider

Woman in silver and turquoise (right). While

Charlie’s Spider Woman has simple, elegant

lines, the engineering complexity involved in

its creation took it over the top in the judges

balloting.

Spider Woman is on display and is available at

River Trading Post, Scottsdale.

Mark Fischer Takes Close Second Honor

Oneida sculptor Mark Fischer’s life size sculp-

ture, Ancient Dignity, garnered the second place

recognition in the 2015 Artist of the Year

competition. Fischer used nearly a mile of

copper wire with 39,000 silver weld points to

create the wooly buffalo.

The margins between top honors and second

place were razor thin in the 2015 competition.

Edward Charlie and Mark Fischer are at the

top of their game. Both are valued members

of the River Trading Post artist family. You

can enjoy their work in our galleries and on

our website.

Volume 12, Issue 3 July:September 2015

R i v e r T r a d i n g P o s t

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Turbulence at Santa Fe Indian Market

2

Copper and Silver Is Cool 2

Favorite Places: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

3

Thoughts from a Hopi

Artist

4

River Trading Post’s Joe

Zeller presents the 2015

Artist of the Year ribbon to

Edward Charlie, along with

a check for $3,000.

Oneida sculptor, Mark Fischer,

garnered second place in the 2015

Artist of the Year competition for his

sculpture Ancient Dignity.

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

• SWAIA Indian Market

August 22 & 23

Santa Fe, New Mexico

• Indigenous Fine Art Market

August 20 - 22

Santa Fe, New Mexico

• Indian Summer Festival

September 11 - 13

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Trading Post Times Page 2

2015 SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET SLASHES TOP ARTISTS; TURBULANCE AT

SWAIA CONTINUES

One year ago, we reported about an upheav-

al at SWAIA (Southwestern Association for

Indian Arts) the sponsoring organization of

the Santa Fe Indian Market.

At that time, SWAIA COO John Torres-Nez

unexpectedly resigned from that post and

immediately spearheaded formation of the

Indigenous Fine Art Market that successfully

went head to head with the vaunted Santa

Fe Indian Market during the 2014 Santa Fe

Indian market weekend.

Flash forward to 2015. Dallin Maybee,

(Northern Arapaho/Seneca) an attorney,

assumed the helm of the SWAIA as COO.

Actually while trying to calm the turbulence

within the SWAIA association, the choppi-

ness under Maybee’s leadership has

increased as nearly 70 long time exhibiting

artists were slashed from the show, including

many previous Indian Market award

winners.

We were curious about why SWAIA literally

“dumped” previous major award winners,

who were consistent market attractions, from

the 2015 market. We asked, but we received

no response from SWAIA to our inquiries.

Likewise, the Indian Arts and Crafts Associ-

ation had no response to their own inquiries,

according to our sources.

Dawn Dark Mountain (Oneida), a fellow-

ship recipient of SWAIA and major SWAIA

honors winner was among those “boosted”

from the 2015 market.

Interestingly, Dawn currently serves as the

2015 Eric and Barbara Dobkin Fellow at the

School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe.

Dawn Dark Mountain also won a prestig-

ious award at the 2015 Invitational Native

Treasures Indian Art Market.

But you won’t see Dawn at the 2015 Santa

Fe Indian Market.

Clearly the Santa Fe Indian Market is off

balance, while demand to enter the John

Torres-Nez market has increased considera-

bly. The two markets run somewhat

concurrently.

We don’t know why SWAIA has thrown the

cream off the top of its market. We wonder

about its “reformulated” judging process,

whatever that may be.

What we do know is that there will be

around 1,000 artists showing at the 2015

Santa Fe Indian Market.

Perhaps fewer world class artists though.

Many have been given the boot.

Copper and Silver Is Cool...Very Cool. Very Fashionable.

Who would have thought? Copper and silver?

Well, Randy Secatero and his wife, Sylvana Apache certainly did

by combining copper and silver into a stunning collection of brace-

lets and belt buckles.

The hybrid bracelets are solid, with the cuff measuring a full 1/8”

thick, shaped into a perfect oval.

Each cuff is features an inset of sterling silver that is stamped with

a traditional design. They are available in a variety of sizes from

delicately feminine to manly man.

A feature that we particularly like is the price of the bracelets

which are typically well under the $200.00 mark. The buckles are just a bit higher priced.

These are about the coolest works to come along in contemporary American Indian art in a long,

long time. They make perfect, reasonably priced gifts for small people as well as linebackers.

You can find a great selection of this stunning work in our River Trading Post galleries, and on our

website.

Volume 12, Issue 3 Page 3

River Trading PostRiver Trading PostRiver Trading PostRiver Trading Post 314 N. River Street

Dundee, Illinois 60118

847-426-6901

7033 E. Main Street, 102

Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

480-444-0001

www.rivertradingpost.com

Going on 15 years,

River Trading Post has become

renowned for its diverse collection

of American Indian art, and as the

friendliest place around for explor-

ing and buying American Indian

art.

Browse our galleries, visit our web-

site, and we believe you will find a

treasure with your name on it.

BRINGING YOU THE F INEST AMERICAN

INDIAN ART FOR 15 YEARS.

R IVER TRADING POST

Scottsdale Dundee

FAVORITE PLACES: INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER

Remembering Brant

He was a teacher, a former

Navy Seal, an airplane pilot an

Ojibwe pipe keeper, a storyteller

and a valued member of the

River Trading Post family.

Brant Snyder was a big man,

and a gentle soul who never lost

his passion for teaching, wheth-

er the subject was science or

engineering or American Indian

art.

Friends visiting River Trading

Post and having the pleasure to

meet Brant never left the gallery

without taking away a bit more

understanding of American

Indian art.

Frequently Brant would bring

groups of bright-eyed students

to River Trading Post where he

would enthrall them with stories

of ancient American Indian

tradition as it is expressed

through various art forms.

We lost our friend Brant in May

following his determined battle

with a long illness that ultimate-

ly took him away from us. But

never away from being a part of

the River Trading Post family.

The consummate teacher

Brant SnyderBrant SnyderBrant SnyderBrant Snyder

One of our very favorite places is the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in

Albuquerque. The center is owned by the 19 northern Pueblo tribes of

New Mexico, and is worth each minute of your visit. On weekends, you can see

beautiful traditional dances from the various pueblos, and feel the heart beat of the

pueblo drums. You also will enjoy the marketplace where pueblo artisans offer

their work.

The center features a wonderful museum where you can see art and artifacts, in

addition to a resource library with over 5,000 titles.

The Pueblo Harvest Café has to be the best “brunch” spot in Albuquerque. Their

blue corn pancakes are just yummy, and their Bloody Mary is the best!

And, cameras are permitted. Enjoy the visit.

A Buffalo Dance at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Bring your camera.

Phone: 866-426-6901 www.rivertradingpost.com

314 N. River Street East Dundee, IL 60118

Hopi art is centered on Holy places and writing by means of pictures and symbols. Every detail in Hopi art is planned with

meaning and purpose.

Any communication is to be correct and effective, and must point towards the Divine, and bring our minds back to the surface.

All wisdom granted to mankind comes from light. All understanding in visions and dreams and all skills and learning comes from the

Creator. From the Creator comes the knowledge of all that exists of the past, present, and future.

To the Hopi, four is a number for mortality, and the Fourth World. Idiographic writing is the association of words with pictures of ob-

jects that represent Ideas.

A cloud symbol with vertical lines descending from it may represent rain, tears, or something sent from above. It is the substance of our

bodies.

A mother is represented by an ear of corn. A perfect ear of corn whose tip ends in four full kernels is called a “mother corn.” Four, we

have learned represents mortality, Mother Earth, and so forth. So an ear of corn is an excellent symbol for mother and her offspring.

(Cycle of Life)

Eagle feathers signify the power which the eagle has to rise above the clouds and carry the prayers of the people with strength and speed

to the ear of the Great Spirits in the sky, in the Heavens.

The Downey feathers of the eagle represent the clouds, every natural thing has a parallel. What

does the Downey feather spiritually represent? (Heavens). Our elders consider clouds as “the

bottles of Heavens” - so I would say we have our spiritual guidance leading us wherever we go.

Arts of Native America

Augustine Mowa Jr. Provides Thoughts About Hopi Art.

Augustine Mowa Jr. is a Hopi jeweler, and kachina doll carver. He is Augustine Mowa III’s father, a teacher and a storyteller. Courtesy of Augustine

Mowa III.