Swaia - Indian Market

Bernstein comes to SWAIA as former Board of Directors member (1990-1996 and 2002-2007) in addition to his volunteering as judge, evaluator, and receiver at the Santa Fe Indian Market for the past 25 years. He is a curator at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. From 1997 to 2005, Bernstein served as the Assistant Director for Cultural Resources at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Previously he was the Director and Chief Curator at Santa Fe's Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; his directorship oversaw the building and installation of the Bloch Wing and the permanent exhibition, "Here, Now and Always." He has also held positions at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, and the University of New Mexico's Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. He has published and curated exhibitions widely on American Indian art. He and his wife, Landis Smith, have two children, Elliot and Isabel. E-mail: bbernstein@swaia.org

(Nambe/Laguna Pueblo)
Gala has worked for SWAIA for 13 years. She oversees SWAIA programs and manages all market logistics, including youth market booths, non-profit booths and food vendors. These duties include creating maps of booth layout, securing vendor contracts, and working with Santa Fe City officials to finalize entire set up of Indian Market. She is a member of and resides at Nambé Pueblo. Caren is an artist, as well, and creates a variety of traditional Pueblo textiles and attire. Her education includes Haskell Junior College in Lawrence, KS. E-mail: cgala@swaia.org

James comes to SWAIA with 15 years of experience in business management for both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. She has a background in development, especially grant writing and reports, and will be graduating in May 2006 with a BA in Humanities from the College of Santa Fe and is currently a graduate student at Regis University in the Masters of Nonprofit Management program. She also holds an AA from Santa Fe Community College in Fine Art (with a concentration in painting) and has taught arts and crafts for over 20 years, specializing in the fiber arts. Cheryl was blessed with a mentorship in which she worked closely with a Navajo silversmith over a period of several years. She notes that this experience embedded into her a being a love of Native American arts. She has lived in Santa Fe for over 8 years and loves its diverse culture.E-mail: cjames@swaia.org

Lopez joined SWAIA with nearly sixteen years of experience working in administrative/office manager roles in banking, accounting, civil and structural engineering, GEO testing, and with construction and development companies. An added bonus for SWAIA is her several years experience in working with the public. Lopez has lived, worked and grown up with American Indian culture and enjoys working at SWAIA to help carry on native traditions. E-mail: slopez@swaia.org

(Zuni)
Gomeo came to SWAIA first as a volunteer with the Native American Clothing Contest (NACC). He now serves as the executive assistant and helps with the volunteer program and is the staff liaison for the NACC. He is also a jeweler specializing in inlay work.

(Diné)
"Nez" comes to SWAIA from the world of anthropology/archaeology. As one of a small handful of Native Archaeologists, Nez has helped move the field away from mere "things" and towards a focus on the People of the past. For 15 years he worked in the cultural resource world for dozens of western tribes, but the longest was with his native tribe, the Navajo Nation. His journey brought him to Santa Fe in 2000, where as a curator at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, he became active in the world of Native art and began volunteering at SWAIA. He brings to SWAIA a breadth of knowledge of Native history and tradition from the ancient past to the living present and remains active in both the Native and anthropological communities. He also serves on the Navajo Studies Board of Directors and is a bead worker, flintknapper, and jeweler. E-mail: jtorresnez@swaia.org

Gabe Gomez is a poet, playwright, editor and freelance journalist. He received a BA in creative writing from the College of Santa Fe and an MFA in creative writing from St. Mary's College of California. He has taught English at the University of New Orleans, Tulane University, the College of Santa Fe and the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is the co-editor of Breach Press and his first book of poetry The Outer Bands won the Andres Montoya Poetry Prize and was published in 2007 by the University of Notre Dame Press. He also is the host of the live music radio show The Junk Drawer on 101.5 FM. E-mail: ggomez@swaia.org