Glenda McKay (Athabascan) wins the 2020 Virtual Indian Market– Virtual Grand Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—August 17, 2020; Santa Fe, New Mexico: SWAIA is pleased to announce this year’s Virtual Grand Award winner, Virtual Indian Market Class Awards and Special Award Winners. For 98 years, Santa Fe Indian Market, the world’s largest and most prestigious Native American art market, has awarded Best of Show winners to the nation’s most exceptional Indigenous artists in a variety of juried categories. Amid this year’s coronavirus pandemic, a virtual Indian market and reimagined awards program were devised to support Indigenous artists and to continue the almost 100-year-old tradition.
Virtual Grand Winning Art- Glenda McKay
Over 40 judges, experts in various mediums, reviewed and critiqued this year’s entries determining the winners. On Saturday, August 15, SWAIA Members with Select/Premium and VIP Access had the opportunity to attend the first-ever, live virtual awards program in “NDN World” on the Vircadia platform. The awards program was sponsored by JoAnn and Bob Balzer and awards were announced in 11 categories, including a newly designated Virtual Grand Award.
This year’s Virtual Indian Market Best of Class winners by classification are:
Virtual Indian Market Jewelry Award
Farrell Pacheco (Santa Domingo) “The Daughters of Mother Earth”
Virtual Indian Market Pottery Award
Shirley M. Brauker (Little River Band of Ottawa) “Missing Sisters”
Virtual Indian Market 2D—Paintings/Drawings/Graphics/Photography Award
Everton Tsosie (Navajo) “The Last of the Pure”
Virtual Indian Market Pueblo Wooden Carvings Award
Ronald Honyumptewa (Hopi) “The Message from a Butterfly”
Virtual Indian Market Sculpture Award
Ira Lujan (Taos Pueblo) “Parrot”
Virtual Indian Market Textiles Award
Lola Cody (Navajo) “Two Gray Hills Navajo Rug”
Virtual Indian Market Diverse Arts Award
Glenda McKay (Athabascan) “Harpoon Head with Sheath and Emergency Whistle”
Virtual Indian Market Beadwork/Quillwork Award
Bill Mendoza (Oglala Lakota) “Elk Medicine – Teachings of Lakota Love and Commitment”
Virtual Indian Market Basketry Award
Teresa Secord (Penobscot) “1920 Replica Woven Glove Box”
Virtual Indian Market Youth Award
TobieMae Patricio; 15-years- old (Acoma Pueblo) “Hunting Canteen”
Virtual Grand Award
Glenda McKay (Athabascan) Diverse Arts: “Harpoon Head with Sheath and Emergency Whistle”
Special Awards Winners:
Elaborate Face Masks Award: Cristal Ratt (Algonquin) “Kiga Jabwiimin”
Solidarity in our Current Times Award:
Shirley M. Brauker (Little River Band of Ottawa) “Missing Sisters”
Executive Director’s Award: Honoring Your Mother and Father”
Beverly Bear King Moran (Standing Rock Sioux) “Seen by her Nation”
To view the entire award’s video, HERE.
From August 8-12, SWAIA members were given access to a digital exhibit of all art submitted by Virtual Indian Market artists for consideration, as well as the ability to cast a vote for People’s Choice. The winner will be announced on August 25, 2020.
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About Virtual Indian Market:
Virtual Indian Market is a SWAIA initiative to support Native arts by establishing a global presence for artists through virtual platforms. Virtual Indian Market is supported by the Clark Hulings Fund, ArtSpan, and other organizations that have helped connect SWAIA with innovative marketing efforts designed to expand the organization’s existing marketplace. For complete information visit, www.swaia.org
About SWAIA’s Virtual Awards Program:
All Virtual Market artists were eligible to compete by submitting works digitally. From those images, judges selected the top five contenders in each of the ten classifications. Those were delivered to Santa Fe for in-person, socially distanced judging. The finalists competed for the top prize of $2,500 in their classification and then for the Virtual Grand Award ($10,000), along the lines of Best of Show in the traditional market. Three Special Awards were also given; $500 for “Solidarity” and “Elaborate Masks” and $1,000 for the Executive Director’s Award, “Honoring Your Mother and Father.”