Walk with Pride, Santa Fe Indian Market Haute Fashion Show documentary (short film)

 Wins Regional Emmy

 On Saturday, September 19^th, 2020 “Walk with Pride,” a short documentary about the popular Indigenous Fashion Show at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), was awarded a Rocky Mountain Regional Emmy in the category of Special Event Coverage. The six-minute film was created by videographer Kaela Waldstein of Mountain Mover Media, who worked with SWAIA’s Fashion Show producer Amber-Dawn Bear Robe to highlight the stories behind the featured designers.

According to Bear Robe, “The show highlights Indigenous fashion designers who look to their cultural past to create clothing, jewelry, and accessories that embody the essence of ancestral memory while creative innovative designs representing the now.” In the film, Bear Robe provides an overview of the misconceptions surrounding Indigenous Art and the problematic nature of terms like “traditional” and “authentic” as well as how the show allows a platform for Indigenous designers to express themselves without the limitations that historically have defined them.

Included Indigenous designers are Jamie Okuma, Sho Sho Esquiro, Cody Sanderson, Maya Stewart, Yolanda Skelton, Shane Watson, Decontie & Brown, Pamela Baker, and Adrian Standing Elk Pinnecoose. Along with interviews with some of these designers, models and attendees also lend their voices, and there is a glimpse of World Champion Hoop Dancer Nakotah LaRance’s opening performance. Stunning and vibrant imagery of models walking down the runway wearing each of the designers’ work is shown throughout the video.

Before “Walk with Pride” was submitted for consideration to the Regional Emmys, the film made the rounds in the film festival circuit with 14 screenings across the U.S.  Walk with Pride won awards for Best Documentary at Fashion Film Festival Chicago and New Mexico Filmmakers Showcase and was nominated for awards at the Seattle International Film Festival and Borderscene Film Festival.

 In 2020, because a large in-person event was not possible, SWAIA and Bear Robe worked with Waldstein to create a virtual fashion event – a series of intimate bio-pics about seven Indigenous Designers, plus a pre-recorded intimate show of local designer Orlando Dugi’s 2020 capsule collection. The video streamed at this year’s Virtual Indian Market to great fanfare.

Bear Robe and Waldstein are currently applying for grants to produce additional films around the theme of how Indigenous designers of today are incorporating contemporary elements into their designs as they honor their cultural heritage(s).

Press release and information courtesy of Amber-Dawn Bear Robe and Kaela Waldstein

https://mountainmovermedia.com/about

Media Inquiries:

METTA

Audrey N Rubinstien

audrey@themettaagency.com

505-490-5029

If you haven’t heard of NDN World yet, don’t worry, you will soon. In March, the Southwestern Association of Indian Arts, the non-profit that produces the 99-year-old Santa Fe Indian Market, embarked on a project with consulting partners, the Clark Hulings Fund and Free Agent Source to create a virtual gathering space. The virtual space, named NDN World, is the location of this year’s Santa Fe Indian Market Best-of-Show Awards.

“Those of us working on the SWAIA project love it so much we hope to do more projects like this. Implementing virtual collaboration and expo space on the Vircadia platform for organizations and corporate clients is a growing practice area,” said Steve Pruneau, co-owner of Free Agent Source, responsible for consulting operations.



NDN WORLD—3D, modeled after the Santa Fe Convention Center with design elements such as a kiva fireplace from the La Fonda Hotel and textiles modeled from images of Shiprock Santa Fe’s collection, now exists on the open source Vircadia Platform. Vircadia is an online metaverse: participants can connect and create with others in an immersive and interactive virtual world. 

NDN World demonstrates the non-profit’s commitment to the future, embracing new ways of showcasing Native art and entrepreneurship in an increasingly digital world. “I think it is amazing that a Native American art festival is stepping into the virtual world. All of the collaborators on this year’s Virtual Indian Market are setting the bar, embracing the future,” said Elizabeth Hulings, founder of the Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists. 

SWAIA’s Executive Director Kim Peone (Colleville Confederated Tribes/ Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) has a history of organizational leadership and enacting change. She is the first woman to lead SWAIA in the organization’s almost 100-year history. Her goals for SWAIA are both immediate and long term. 

“I immediately recognized the potential in creating a virtual space to showcase the best in Native art, to educate visitors about the North American Indigenous Nations and to gather with people from around the world,” said Executive Director Kim Peone. 

Join This Year’s Virtual Experiences:

On Saturday, August 15, SWAIA Members with Select/Premium and VIP Access will have the opportunity to attend the first-ever, live “In World” virtual awards program sponsored by JoAnn and Bob Balzer. Awards will be announced in 11 categories, including a newly designated Virtual Grand Award.

• Jewelry
• Pottery
• 2-D
• Pueblo Wooden Sculptures
• Sculpture
• Textiles
• Diverse Arts
• Beadwork/Quillwork
• Basketry
• Youth
• Virtual Grand Award 

Special Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• “Elaborate Face Masks”
• “Solidarity in our Current Times”
• “Executive Director’s Award: Honoring Your Mother and Father”

The Virtual Awards Program will begin In World at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, or visitors with Select/Premium and VIP access can watch the live-streamed event at SWAIA.org 

August 22: SWAIA Gala and Benefit Auction

The Gala begins at 3:00 p.m. MST followed by the Benefit Auction at 4:00 p.m.

For additional information on how to install Vircadia software on a Mac or PC and an ‘In World’ user experience guide, visit swaia.org. SWAIA will offer technical support to members throughout the month of August, Monday to Friday, 12:00 pm (Mac Users) and 2:00 pm (PC Users). 

PRESS INQUIRIES

Press interested in previewing NDN World, please contact Audrey Rubinstein to join an In-World Press Preview.

            audrey@themettaagency.com

            505.466.6992 or 505.490.5029 

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About Virtual Indian Market:
The Indian Market 2020 (The Virtual Edition) is Delivered By Close Collaboration Between the SWAIA, the Clark Hulings Fund, ArtSpan, Vircadia and Madpipe.

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—August 5, 2020; Santa Fe, NM—The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts is pleased to announce this year’s Virtual Fashion Show premiering at SWAIA.org—August 10 through August 16, 2020. SWAIA’s annual Fashion Show is produced by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation) showcasing the best of North American Indigenous fashion.

“Indigenous fashion is continually changing, reflecting current culture and environment. This year’s designers reflect innovation and creative strength, grounded in diverse Native cultures across North America,” said Bear Robe.

Designer spotlights will feature the following designers in the process of making and presenting new designs: 

Aug 10  Skawannati  (Mohawk)

Aug 11:  Korina Emmerich (Coast Salish Territory, Puyallup)

Aug 12: Catherine Blackburn (Dene)

Aug 13: Sage Paul (English River First Nation)

Aug 14: : Delina White (Ojibwe)

Aug 15: Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo)

The Main Fashion show on Sunday, August 16, includes the streaming of all participating designer spotlights, concluding with designer Orlando Dugi’s debut of an exquisite New Capsule Collection for the SWAIA 2020 fashion show. The fashion film short can be seen Sunday, August 16, 2020, at 2 p.m. on the SWAIA virtual market platform followed by a live Q & A steaming with the artist.  

For Media Inquiries and Images:

Audrey Rubinstein
505.466.6992 or 505.490.5029 (cell)

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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

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About Amber-Dawn Bear Robe:

Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, from Siksika Nation, Alberta, Canada, achieved an MA in American Indian Studies and a second MA degree in Art History, both from the University of Arizona. Currently, she is Assistant Faculty of Art History in the Museum Studies department at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM. Bear Robe is presently curating an exhibition about Indigenous representation; writing a paper on the Indigenous Printmaking movement in central Canada in the 60’s-70’s for the Mackenzie Art Gallery, Saskatchewan, Alberta; producing the annual Indigenous fashion show for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA); sitting on the curatorial committee for Vital Spaces, Santa Fe, NM; and an acting trustee for two organizations: the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) board and the Wheelwright Museum. Previously, she was Director/Curator of Urban Shaman: Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Winnipeg, Canada.   

SANTA FE, N.M., June 29, 2020 (Newswire.com) –​​​​​​The Southwestern Association for Indian Art (SWAIA) is pleased to announce additional details about their partnership with the Clark Hulings Fund, which will launch the 2020 Virtual Indian Market on Aug. 1, 2020, while providing business training and support to Native artists. A further collaboration with Artspan.com is producing e-commerce websites and a global marketplace where visitors can easily find, experience and acquire the world’s best Native American art. 

The Clark Hulings Fund (CHF) has arranged for SWAIA to work with a third partner, Artspan, to provide websites to SWAIA artists throughout the U.S. and Canada. The CHF will deliver hands-on training to the artists, not only to help create top-notch e-commerce sites but also to teach digital sales and marketing strategies and how to employ them effectively. 

Artspan is currently working with SWAIA and the Clark Hulings Fund to create websites for SWAIA artists throughout the U.S. and Canada. These individual artist websites will be integrated into a central Native American Art Marketplace opening August 1. 

Artspan was the first website company to focus on artists, artisans and photographers. It will provide Native American artists with individual websites. The artwork on the sites will provide the inventory for an Art Marketplace which will stand in for the Santa Fe Indian Market. 

The cancellation of this year’s physical Santa Fe Indian Market, the most important juried Native art market to both artists and collectors, will now be accessible virtually year-round at the Artspan SWAIA Marketplace. Buyers will be able to purchase artworks directly from an artist’s website and through the Native American Art Marketplace— and artists will have a robust set of tools and platforms with which to run their businesses online. 

Virtual Indian Market will be live at swaia.org from August 1 through August 31—offering engaging programming and fan favorites like the Native American Clothing Contest, and a re-imagined awards program. Individual artist websites will be live for one year, with the option for artists to renew the e-commerce sites to market and sell work. 

“SWAIA’s goals are both immediate and long-term,” says Executive Director Kim Peone (Colville Confederated Tribes / Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians).  “Our first objective is to launch a solution-based platform to meet the economic needs of our artists. Longer-term goals will position SWAIA as a technology leader and innovator, able to offer increased services and support to Native artists.” 

For virtual market updates, events and a growing list of participating artists, please visit: www.swaia.org. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Audrey Rubinstein | 505-490-5029
audrey@themettaagency.com

About SWAIA: The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) is a non-profit organization supporting Native American arts and culture. It creates economic and cultural opportunities for Native American artists by producing and promoting the Santa Fe Indian Market, the biggest and most prestigious Indian art event in the world since 1922. www.swaia.org