Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, from Siksika Nation, Alberta, Canada, is a fashion show producer for the annual Indigenous fashion show for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA). Bear Robe joins us this week for our webinar series on The Native American and Indigenous Design Community & Their Contribution to the American Fashion Industry. She shares more about her work and commitment to supporting Native American artists.
What is the Santa Fe Indian Market and why has this become an important meeting ground for Native American and Indigenous designers and artisans?
The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) was rooted 99 years ago. The first Indian Fair in 1922 was developed by the Museum of New Mexico, This fair morphed into the Southwest Indian Fair and Industrial Arts and Crafts Exhibition, originally held September 4, 1922.
To be clear, SWAIA Market is a place for Indigenous artists to display and sell their work. The week of Market is rich with the merging and exchange of art, ideas, performances, competitions, discussions, and a celebration of the rich diversity of Native North American art, past, present and future. Think of it as the only Indigenous Art Biennale.
For the past 99 years, Santa Fe Indian Market has brought together the most gifted Native American artists from the U.S. with millions of visitors and collectors from around the world. The extended weekend of beauty and celebration ranks as the world’s largest and most highly acclaimed Native American arts show and as New Mexico’s largest attended annual weekend event. Market is an occasion for people to meet, collaborate, network and be inspired.
What is your role within SWAIA and how do you work with designers and artists?
I produce the SWAIA Fashion events, including the main fashion show on Sunday, and this year the Gala fashion show which is a little more of an intimate experience for the gala attendees. Generally, each market there is a fashion preview or freeze modelling component. An exciting expansion to the fashion component is that we are bringing a fashion preview to Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Indian Gaming Association trade show and conference.
How do I work with the designers, artists, and models? They are organically, structured relationships. Each is tailored to the individual. They work on the creative side; I work on the logistics. The day of the show is a fashionable, controlled chaos.
My role is to also expand SWAIA Fashion to be its own brand and entity – into a SWAIA Fashion Week. I plan to implement this with the newly formed partnership between SWAIA Fashion, Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO), Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) and the newly established Supernaturals Modelling Agency.
How is the market fostering talent? Are there any initiatives, funds, resources it provides to these artists?
SWAIA Market has been fostering talent since its inception in 1922 and it continues to expand. For example, the early years mainly highlighted artists from the Southwest. Now SWAIA has artists coming from across Canada and the United States. Considering SWAIA is a not-for-profit organization, we are always looking for sponsorships and writing grants. Logistically, SWAIA artists sell their work to the market visitors. Some collectors attend the event, lining up at an artist booth to get first dibs on their new work.
Resources provided by SWAIA come in many forms and are continually changing. For example, prize money for juried art competitions has been a foundation. Recently, the new Director, Kim Peone, has been developing the Indigenous Collections providing a platform year-round for artists to sell their work globally.
Outside of the market, what other opportunities do you offer to Native American and Indigenous designers/artists to leverage their work?
Historically, everything revolves around the one main market in August. SWAIA now has a Winter Market. Both events include publications with scholarly articles, artist highlights, and more. Online content, of course, is a year-round promotion of the artists. The Indigenous Collections will expand on the exposure of Indigenous artists and designers. Because I also teach Indigenous art history at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) I will align programming. One example, I am producing a documentary short on two SWAIA Artists, Cara Romero and Kenneth Johnson. These films will run the independent film festival route. The 2018 SWAIA fashion short by Mountain Mover Media, won a regional Emmy. These films get great attention, but of course more is always embraced. The representation of Indigenous art, design, artists and designers has such a small platform and voice in American compared to Canada.
In your opinion, from working with some many designers and artists, what are some of the opportunity areas that Native American and Indigenous designers are looking for greater access to?
Access to the main platform of art and fashion beyond Indigenous markets and museums or commercial galleries. To be included and a part of the main American discourse of art and fashion. To be part of New York fashion week, to be featured in pop culture media. To be seen and heard. To be highlighted and included on platforms such as the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
SWAIA Indigenous Fashion Show: Sunday August 22, Santa Fe, NM
Designers: Jamie Okuma, Orlando Dugi, Pamela Baker, Lauren Good Day
SWAIA Gala Fashion Show: Saturday, August, 21, Santa Fe, NM
Designers: Delina White of I am I AM ANISHINAABE, Loren and Valentia Aragon of Aconav, and Yolanda Skelton.
SWAIA Fashion Preview: Loren and Valentia Aragon of Aconav, Monday, July 19, Las Vegas, Nevada
National Indian Gaming Association, CAESARS FORUM
Please join this two part webinar series by registering below:
The Native American and Indigenous Design Community and their Contribution to the American Fashion Industry.
Wednesday, June 16 12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT
Register here
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Opportunities to Foster and Preserve the Crafts of the Native American and Indigenous Design Community
Wednesday, June 23 12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT
Register here
