The acquisition of the Susan L. Q. Flaherty Collection is a rare and exceptional example of a collection donation that the IARC was able to acquire due to its uniqueness and story. The gifted collection allows the IARC to further demonstrate the multigenerational nature of pottery making that goes beyond what already exists in the IARC collection.
The School for American Research (SAR) started the Santa Fe Indian Market one hundred years ago this September. SAR’s first director, Edgar Lee Hewett, spearheaded the effort and printed a statement in the Santa Fe New Mexican on June 27, 1922. He wrote, “The objects of the exhibition are the encouragement of Native arts; to revive old arts, and to keep the arts of each tribe and pueblo as distinct as possible; the establishment and locating of markets for all Indian products; the securing of reasonable prices; authenticity of all handicraft offered for sale.” The first of its kind, the Southwest Indian Fair featured artists across seven states, and included Julian and Maria Martinez, the celebrated potters of San Ildefonso Pueblo, who won a substantial monetary prize for their work.