Clarissa at the 91st Annual Santa Fe Indian Market

Aug 20, 2012 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated, To Market To Market | 0 comments

Clarissa Rizal’s booth #283PAL at the Santa Fe Indian Market – someone commented that the booth was set up like a “little museum” – and another commented it looked like a “miniature gallery” – nice compliments, indeed!

I just don’t know how artists do this market annually; when I was younger I bounced back – not any more.    Some have done this market for 50+ years.  I’ve done this market 4 times in 18 years, since my first one in 1994.  As exhilarating and exciting this market can be with the variety of artists and their works, the thousands of people in just two days, and all the other art shows, fashion shows, musical and artistic events crammed into a total of maybe 4 days, I find that I am just not cut out for this kind of intense activity like I used to be.  However, I think that I just have to learn how to preserve and contain my energies while I’m at the market so that it doesn’t take me three years to re-couperate!

Top left feathers hang; bottom left is the wire “tree” with gumboot earrings, Chilkat/Ravenstail doll with the red Rusisan-style Navy hat next to the Ravenstail ensemble of “Copper Child” with the “Totemic Mosaics” in the background

I give thanks to all the folks who put this event together; producing a market of this magnitude is a lot of work.  What?–there are over 1000 artists crammed into tiny cubicles in the heart of Santa Fe – White booths line both sides of the streets each one block off the Plaza – and Santa Fe has done this for 91 years!  HOly Moly! I commend SWAIA for the extraordinary dedication –  I give thanks to all my friends, family members and DanDan who helped me get my stuff done and then off to market; and those friends who live in Santa Fe, whom I haven’t seen in months or years, who came by to visit.  The experience of people working together for a “cause” is a pleasant feeling; it makes all the work worthwhile!

the wire “tree” is adorned with the gumboot earrings – what are gumboots?  (See description below)  These particular gumboot shells were harvested from Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska

The Gumboots chitons, Cryptochiton Stelleri are also known as the giant Pacific chiton – they are a food source for many indigenous peoples, harvested from Central Coast of California, up the Northwest Coast of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska to the Aleutian Islands and to Japan.

These chitons have eight armored “butterfly” plates running in a flexible line down their back.  Unlike most chitons, the gumboot’s plates are completely hidden by its leather upper skin, which is usually reddish-brown, brown, or occasionally orange in color.  They can grow up to 14 inches long, and can live up to 40 years.

The Tlingit people enjoy eating the rubbery-textured gumboots boiled and dipped in seal oil, or pickled just like cucumbers.  True to Tlingit tradition, they utilize the entire animal; the shells either adorn regalia or get made into earrings, as you see here and most recently at the Santa Fe Indian Market this past weekend of August 18th and 19th.

Close-up of items for sale at Clarissa’s table: hand-caste paper feathers, cell phone covers (with padding), brochures and the infamous Russian-style Navy hats adorned with buttons and beads – if you look closely at the two ladies in the photo in front of the hats, on the left is Donna – she wears an actually Russian Navy hat from the 1800’s adorned with fringe – Clarissa (right) wears the Tlingit version in felted wool her grandmother Mary Sarabia created in the late 50’s/early60’s.

The Russian-style Navy hats were the big draw to Clarissa’s booth; most people had never seen anything like them and wondered where they came from.

The Russian sailor hats are reminiscent of the hats once bartered (or from battles) assimilated by the Tlingit for use in regalia in the 1800’s.  After the purchase of Alaska, the sailor hats from Russia were no longer available in trading and Tlingits subsequently created elaborately styled wool and felt versions of the hat.

I will have these hats available for sale on my website within the next week by September 1st.  I will also have my hand-caste paper feathers, greeting cards and cell phone covers available for sale too.

Waldorf School teacher Vicki Vessier and Clarissa wear Tlingit-ized Russian Navy hats handmade by Clarissa – Vicki’s is fringed with abalone shells and beads; Clarissa’s is fringed with red seed beads

For those of you who are self-employed artists/business folk, if you have not done so already, incorporate the smallest visa card contraption on the planet yet:  the Square.  Half of my sales were done with the Square – as easy as 1, 2, 3!  The Square doesn’t cost a thing, you can do a sale anywhere as long as you have your iPhone to plug into, there is no monthly fee, and it’s only .275% off every sale.  Check out the Square!

the Santa Fe Indian Market crowd – Saturday afternoon, March 18, 2012

DanDan and I had a great time at the market, although it’s gonna take several days to re-couperate from the intense activity.  I am already planning next year’s market.  I think the best part about Indian Market is after all the work is done, the booth is all set up like a “little gallery” and I can relax and meet people from all walks of life and from various corners of our Mother Earth!  See you next year, same time, same station!