There is a very cool confluence of enthusiastic energy aimed at Indigenous Photographers and it's happening in Santa Fe during Indian Market. Ok, every one of my Native Photographer friends has to participate, that's the rule. We're all going the distance here for you, so take full advantage!

So yes, SWAIA has a very cool photography category now. Get your submissions in!

As if that's not good enough, the New Mexico Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition component! How cool is that? Katherine Ware, their Curator of Photography has helped reorganize the photography category for SWAIA and Indian Market. Talk about heavy hitters stepping in to help get the photography category moving with a bit more purpose. Now you've GOT to get some work submitted. The New Mexico Museum of Art has a long and honorable history of curating some of the best photographic exhibitions in the country.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

Andrew Smith is putting his love of photography behind this effort too. He's worked tirelessly behind the scenes for years to get the photography category more energized.

What? You're still not convinced? Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie, Katherine Ware and myself are jurying this Photography Indian Market category and the winners are going to have their work exhibited at the ever venerable New Mexico Museum of Art! With so much positive and innovative energy going into this, how can you go wrong? Get your work in!

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Call for Entries

Hosted by the New Mexico Museum of Art in partnership with the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), the competition and exhibition are designed to encourage Native American artists working with photography to share their recent work with a broad audience of viewers. Artworks will be judged on the basis of vision, technical execution, and cohesiveness as a body of images. All subject matter is welcome. The competition winners will be invited to show their work in an exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Art, opening August 12, 2011, during SWAIA’s 90th annual Santa Fe Indian Market, as well as in an online version of the show.

Jurors:

Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie (Diné/Seminole/Muscogee) is an artist serving as Director of the C.N. Gorman Museum at University of California Davis and Associate Professor in the Department of Native American Studies at University of California Davis. Her photographic works have been extensively published and exhibited nationally and internationally.

Katherine Ware is curator of photography at the New Mexico Museum of Art. She is a frequent juror and reviewer of contemporary photography and has published numerous books and essays on both historic and contemporary photography.

Larry McNeil (Tlingit and Nisgáa) is a scholar and artist serving as professor in the Art Department at Boise State University. He taught previously at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. He is a contributing author to numerous publications and has won many fellowships and awards for his photographs.

Artist Eligibility: The competition is open to all Native artists who are enrolled members of federally recognized US and Canadian tribes, nations, first nations and pueblos who work with digital or traditional still photography or two-dimensional mixed-media work that is photo-based.

How to Enter: All submissions must be of work made within the past three years. Submissions can be made electronically or through the mail. Please send electronic submissions to photoexhibit@swaia.org. For questions about electronic submission, please contact Lisa Morris (lmorris@swaia.org). Mail disks to SWAIA Photo Exhibition, P.O. Box 969, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504. The submitted images must be jpegs, no larger than 1960 pixels, with a maximum file size of 1.8 MBs. You may submit up to 12 images. Each submission should include a statement about the work of no more than 200 words.

Deadline: All submissions must be received by July 5, 2011.

Notification: Winners will be notified by July 13, 2011. All other entrants will be notified thereafter.

Winners wishing to participate in the exhibition must send ready-to-hang work to arrive at the museum no later than July 29.

Winners will be provided funds for framing and shipping. The art must be sent to the museum framed or ready for installation.

Final dimensions are not to exceed 5’ x 5’. Neutral mat colors and simple frames are preferred, unless the style of presentation is integral to the work of art.

Glazing must be acrylic – no glass.

If the presentation of the art does not meet the museum’s standards, the museum reserves the right to request modification. Artists will receive museum loan agreements for accepted works of art, which must be completed and returned by mail. For general questions about the competition, please contact Kate Ware (kate.ware@state.nm.us)

Terms and Conditions: The New Mexico Museum of Art, in consultation with the jurors, reserves the right to select or decline any artwork submitted. By submitting work for consideration, the artist agrees to allow accepted art to be reproduced for publicity and/or educational purposes.

Funding is generously provided by Andrew Smith Gallery and Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser.

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As you can see, the deadline is approaching quickly! July 5th, so get it together. Everyone involved in this endeavor is working hard to make it successful, but we need you to make it happen. So please, get your work in. This is going to be excellent and you need to be a part of it.