Southwestern Association for Indian Arts

What began in 1922 as the Southwest Indian Art Fair and Industrial Arts and Crafts Exposition, founded by Edgar Lee Hewett and Kenneth Chapman of the Museum of New Mexico, has transformed into SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts)—a global platform dedicated to celebrating and supporting Native artists. Originally created as a means to preserve and promote Native art, Santa Fe Indian Market grew from a small indoor exhibition into the largest juried Native art show in the world, attracting over 100,000 visitors each August and generating millions in economic impact.

Under the stewardship of pioneering figures like Amelia Elizabeth White, Margaret McKittrick, and Lloyd Kiva New, Indian Market became an artist-led event, [...]

What began in 1922 as the Southwest Indian Art Fair and Industrial Arts and Crafts Exposition, founded by Edgar Lee Hewett and Kenneth Chapman of the Museum of New Mexico, has transformed into SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts)—a global platform dedicated to celebrating and supporting Native artists. Originally created as a means to preserve and promote Native art, Santa Fe Indian Market grew from a small indoor exhibition into the largest juried Native art show in the world, attracting over 100,000 visitors each August and generating millions in economic impact.

Under the stewardship of pioneering figures like Amelia Elizabeth White, Margaret McKittrick, and Lloyd Kiva New, Indian Market became an artist-led event, shifting from museum control to direct artist sales, ensuring economic empowerment and creative autonomy for Native artists. By the late 20th century, SWAIA expanded its mission beyond preservation to fostering innovation and contemporary Native art.

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