UA News

Desert Diamond Casino will host this spring's annual Native marketplace.

Southern Arizona's premier Indian art show and market has been rescued from a 2010 hiatus by a benefit affair hosted by Desert Diamond Casino.

Arizona State Museum announced last October that its 17th annual Southwest Indian Art Fair, or SWIAF, would have to take a one-year hiatus due to budget cuts and staff layoffs. Since then, members of the museum's advisory board and members of the community have been collaborating to devise a way to salvage this year's event while building a more stable financial base for 2011.

"We quickly realized that Native artists could not survive this year with the loss of yet another art market; several in the Southwest have already folded or faded," said Mark Bahti, museum advisory board member, Indian art trader and owner of Bahti Indian Arts in Tucson. "And we realized that the museum could ill afford the loss of another important public program, particularly its largest and signature event."

This year, Desert Diamond Casino, an enterprise of the Tohono O'odham Nation, has stepped up to offer its facility at I-19 and Pima Mine Road.

Event planners from the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Association will be handling the logistical details on behalf of the museum.

Previous fairs have been held on the grounds of Arizona State Museum and run by museum staff.

"While the event is definitely evolving, we are committed to preserving the educational components so central to our Southwest Indian Art Fair in particular, and to all the Arizona State Museum's public programs in general," said Arizona State Museum Director Beth Grindell. "As always, our guests can expect to be able to chat with Native artists about their work, learn about the cultural and historical significance of the pieces they will be taking into their homes, and gaining further appreciation for Southwest American Indian traditions."

Proceeds from the benefit will go directly to producing the 2011 Southwest Indian Art Fair. In the coming year, museum staff and advisory board members will be looking at all possibilities for strengthening the fair's financial base, which will include securing corporate sponsorships and more community involvement.