2009: SWAIA Awarded Ford Foundation Grant
July 14, 2009 - SWAIA(SANTA, FE) The Santa Fe Indian Market is nearing its second century. Naturally, such a milestone would prompt reflection on past achievements that have tempered the Southwest Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) into the global source for Native arts. But nothing says more about SWAIA than its plans for the future. SWAIA is proud to announce that it has received a grant from the prestigious Ford Foundation to initiate a two year period of intensive study to forge and create the future of Indian Market.
Ford funding will enable SWAIA to assess the impact and sustainability of Native arts, with a particular focus on the continuum of tradition and contemporary arts, as means of cultural education and communication. SWAIA will convene a series of public and private forums to discuss the future of Indian Market as a means to engage in dialogue about self-representation and cultural sustainability. These discussions will be broadened with the development of Internet based discussion forums, newsletters that will reach the most rural populations and articles in the Native and non-native press.
SWAIA believes that the continued success of Indian market will rely upon its ability to adapt and grow by emphasizing self-representation through the adoption and incorporation of Native worldviews, perspectives, cultural identity and context.
SWAIA seeks to create an understanding of Native art that makes it different from other non-native art emphasizing the intangible connection to a living, breathing People and that has intrinsic, immeasurable, value stemming from a richness and unbroken cultural provenance.
For more information or Interview Requests please Contact: Gabe Gomez, Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) 505-983-5220 x229, ggomez@swaia.org