Maine Antique Digest, December 2016

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6-C Maine Antique Digest, December 2016
- SHOW -
6-C
The show is reaching the goal—
“a flagship show in Santa Fe to
showcase the best.”
Antique American Indian Art Show, Santa Fe, New Mexico
“Pure” Antique American Indian
Show Continues to Grow
by Alice Kaufman
In Native American art parlance, the Antique American
Indian Art Show’s origin myth starts decades before
the show made its debut in Santa Fe’s El Museo in
the Railyard. The show’s inspiration dates to 2014, when
Kim Martindale, the man who started the show with his
producing partner John Morris, decided there should be
and had to be a “pure” American Indian art show in Santa
Fe in August.
An August “pure” Indian art show had been in place
for decades, beginning with the first Whitehawk show
at the Santa Fe Hilton in 1978. A young Kim Martindale
worked with that show’s founder, Don Bennett, to produce
that and subsequent shows. So Martindale felt he had a
personal stake in keeping alive a tradition he helped create.
And when current Whitehawk producer Marcia Berridge
announced that she would combine the antique Indian and
tribal material into one show, Martindale saw the need for
a new show. He shared his enthusiasm for the new venture
with several exhibitors who were on the same wavelength
and who signed up to do the first show.
Now, three years and three shows later, the Antique
American Indian Art Show has become a fixture in Santa
Fe’s August calendar, and that’s no myth. The first show
had 40 dealers; the 2016 edition had 75 dealers and
included the cream of the antique Indian art crop. One
Santa Fe dealer, a longtime veteran of the August shows,
noted that the show had attracted “old school collectors,
some of whom had been absent for several years,” and
said he found that encouraging. Colorado dealer Steve
Begner said that Turkey Mountain Traders exhibited at
only one show, the Antique American Indian Art Show,
“which is what we plan to do in the future. Kim and John
put together a very nice show, the best in Santa Fe, and the
caliber of buyer who comes through the door is exactly
what we had hoped to see.”
Now, as Kim Martindale said, the show is reaching the
goal—“a flagship show in Santa Fe to showcase the best
of the historic American Indian market.”
John Morris said the 2016 show drew “just about every
major dealer. Trotta-Bono exhibited after doing no shows
for a few years. Jimmy Economos doesn’t have to be in
shows but was a strong voice in supporting the show from
the beginning and has exhibited all three years.”
This year’s dates were August 17-19 and were planned
to occur “in the perfect time period,” said Martindale. It
followed closely after the Objects of Art Santa Fe show
and spinoff shows. “The timing brings the two worlds of
contemporary and historic together.” The show is clearly
in growth mode, and this is “no problem” said Martindale.
The show’s current venue, El Museo in Santa Fe’s Railyard
District, “still offers room to grow. We’ve signed up ten
more exhibitors for next year.”
The show’s 2017 dates are August 15-18. For
This 1870s-80s Arapahoe child’s coat cost
$36,000 at the booth of Mystic Warriors,
Evergreen, Colorado. The coat was collected
by William Joseph Prescott de Lesdernier, who
was employed at various Indian agencies in the
1800s. Bruce Johnson of Mystic Warriors said,
“The show was successful in terms of seeing
current clients and meeting new clients. It was
a beautiful show.” Business was good at setup,
he said, and an array of beadwork including
both higher-end and “more affordable” was
selling. Mystic Warriors exhibited at both
the Antique American Indian Art Show and
Whitehawk this year and said both shows were
“equally successful.” Johnson said he'd be
doing both shows again in 2017.
This 6' x 6' Inuit Raven clan textile once hung in the Fairbanks
Museum. At the booth of Lou DeFusco and Holly Luring of Cocoa,
Florida, it cost $6000.
The Home of New Mexico’s First Governor, Santa Fe, 13" x 18", by
Warren Rollins, whom Denver, Colorado, dealer Neal Smith called
“dean of the Santa Fe Art colony,” was priced at $18,000 at Smith’s
booth.
Tucson, Arizona, dealer Terry DeWald asked
$38,000 for this circa 1920 Apache olla, 23"
high, from the San Carlos reservation. DeWald
exhibited at both the Whitehawk and Antique
American IndianArt shows and told M.A.D. that
both shows were successful for him, although
setup business was minimal. Baskets (DeWald’s
specialty) sold better than weavings, he said. He’s
not decided which shows he will do next year. He
added, “I wish more young people would start
collecting, like we did when we were young.” So
does everyone!
Irwin and Marjorie
Goodman of Wayne,
New Jersey, were asking
$30,000 for this 1850-
60 Navajo two-piece
woman’s dress made
with all natural dyes.
This circa 1870 Navajo Germantown blanket, 4' x 5'8", cost
$60,000 from Weisman Gallery, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
A 1950s Navajo silver box with Zuni inlay
cost $3900 at the booth of Turkey Mountain
Traders, Evergreen, Colorado. Steve Begner
said, “The show was quite successful. We
sold jewelry and silver objects very well,
including major pieces by Kenneth Begay
and Fred Peshlakai.”