Navajo Artist in Latest “New Mexico True Stories” [VIDEO]

 

 “Silversmith” aims to bring attention to Santa Fe’s impressive market season

SANTA FE, N.M. – Santa Fe is known for many things, with history, art and culture often topping that list. At no time are those three interests more intricately woven than during “market season,” the busy summer months that play host to more than a dozen art markets in the City Different’s historic center. Now, New Mexico has a new way to celebrate market season, while bringing attention to the handcrafted detail that goes into each piece created and displayed during these uniquely New Mexican events.

“Silversmith” features Navajo artist Roland Brady, who creates intricately handmade art and jewelry in his northwestern New Mexico home near Shiprock. His mother taught him to work with silver, melting down old coins and silver scrap and hammering the metal into something beautiful. Now, five decades in, Brady produces intricate and soulful pieces inspired from the landscape that he calls home. View “Silversmith” here.

Artists like Brady are drawn to Santa Fe each summer to showcase their handmade pieces and works of art, which, in turn, attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

“As consumers our values are changing, and we have a deep desire to know more about the food we eat, the experiences we have, and the art we buy,” said Rebecca Latham, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Tourism Department. “Markets allow consumers to have a deeper connection to what they’re purchasing, and also allow visitors to take a tangible memory of New Mexico home with them. ”

Fine arts and crafts will be on display many weekends throughout the summer, with the most widely known events being the International Folk Art Market (July 8-10), Traditional Spanish Market and Contemporary Spanish Market (July 30-31), and the SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) Indian Market (August 20-21).

“New Mexico is consistently seen as a top destination for people who appreciate handmade art,” said Latham. “Art markets drive visitors here from all over the world, and bring a significant economic impact to the state’s economy. These beautiful works of art are serious business for New Mexico, and the department is using this video to show a deeper look behind one artist to make people think about the bigger picture of art in New Mexico.”

“Silversmith” is the tenth video in the “New Mexico True Stories” series. Others in the series include “Aunt June,” which features a 91-year old Hatch native sharing her family’s history in the chile business; “The Visionary,” the story of a Native American veteran who returned from Vietnam without sight but the ability to create beautiful works of art from memory; and the recently-released “Cured Earth,” which tells the story of New Mexico’s unique adobe architecture and our relationship with mud.

To learn more about market season and other art and shopping in New Mexico, visithttp://www.newmexico.org/truetreasures.