The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art will host its 32nd annual Indian Market and Festival Saturday and Sunday. Nearly 150 Native American artists from across the United States and Canada will exhibit and sell their jewelry, pottery, basketry, sculpture, weavings and paintings.
Indian Market and Festival artist Roy Tenorio with visitors.
Billed as one of the biggest multicultural events hosted each summer in Indianapolis, the Indian Market and Festival will feature artists’ booths inside and outside the museum. People who come to visit the festival enjoy going booth to booth revisiting artists who have come from previous years and meeting new artists to learn about their cultures through their art.
Bryan Corbin, public relations manager for the Eiteljorg, said the festival brings many new faces as well as countless recognizable ones.
“Attending the Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival is a family tradition for many of our visitors who bring their children or grandchildren,” he said. “A few of the booth artists are the adult children of longtime Indian Market and Festival artists and are now artists themselves, creating and showing their own art.”
The event also offers an array of music and dance performances that continue to be an important part of the festival every year.
“In addition to the Native Hawaiian quartet Hoapili, another noteworthy act is Gabriel Ayala (Pascua Yaqui), who is an amazingly talented classical guitarist. Gabriel has performed at the Eiteljorg a few times, and audiences are always awestruck by his virtuoso performances,” Corbin said. “All the music and dance performances will take place on the north side of the Eiteljorg on the outdoor stage, under the Sails, our outdoor shade canopy structure.”
Corbin emphasized how special it is for the artists traveling to show their art this year.
“This year, the Eiteljorg has a record number of Native artists participating in the market, nearly 150, who will travel to Indianapolis from all over the U.S. and Canada. Of those, approximately 40 of the artists are making their first-ever appearance at the Eiteljorg,” he said. “So, it is a great opportunity for market-goers to get reacquainted with artists they know and meet some experienced, talented artists who are new to Indianapolis.”
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