Just in time for the holidays, Native American artists will be selling their art directly to the public at the Mitchell Museum’s annual Native Fine Arts Holiday Market. The two-day event will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4, during regular museum hours at the 3009 Central Street building, directly next door to the museum in Evanston. Jewelry, pottery, beadwork, dolls, paintings, graphics, prints, moccasins and an array of other items will be available for purchase. Throughout the weekend, artists will demonstrate their technique, speak about their culture and art, and answer visitor questions.
Award-winning artists come from all over the Midwest including Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, and as far away as New Mexico and Arizona. Participating artists include sketch artist/painter Robert Wapahi (Santee Lakota), beadwork artist Norma Robertson (Dakota), beadwork/jewelry artists Amelia and Darlene Ortiz (Ho-Chunk), jewelry designer Maria Lovato (Santo Domingo Pueblo), jewelry designer Nelson Garcia (Santo Domingo Pueblo), beadwork artistst Betty Williams, Sandra Wescott-Gauthier and Judy Jordan (Oneida), sand painting artists Melvin Masquat (Navajo/Winnebago/Kikapoo) and Tom Berreth (Athabascan/Gwich’in), and will be joined by Native art vendors Native Visions. “The Native Fine Arts Holiday Market has become an annual tradition for the museum, and we are excited to offer this unique opportunity for visitors to purchase American Indian art directly from the artists again this year,” said Kathleen McDonald, Executive Director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. “We are excited to welcome several new artists this year. Additionally, through daily demonstrations, visitors can learn more about the traditions and techniques that go into making each piece from some of the most renowned Native artisans in the Midwest and Southwest.”
The Native Fine Arts Holiday Market is sponsored by First Bank and Trust of Evanston, and admission is free. Saturday hours are 10:00am-5:00pm, and Sunday hours are 12:00pm4:00pm. Artist demonstrations will be held in the museum library, and are free with regular museum admission. For more details about the Market, including a complete list of artists and schedule of events, visit the Mitchell Museum Facebook page or www.mitchellmuseum.org during the week prior to the Market.
The Mitchell Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the country that focuses exclusively on the art, history and culture of American Indian and First Nation peoples throughout the United States and Canada. In 2012, the Mitchell Museum was named “Best Museum of The North Shore: Up and Comer” by Make it Better magazine, won the Superior award by the Illinois Association of Museums and was named a national finalist by the American Association of State and Local History award program. The Chicago Tribune named the Mitchell Museum one of its top 10 museums for 2015.
For more information about The Mitchell Museum of The American Indian, visit www.mitchellmuseum.org, call 847-475-1030 or see our verified Facebook page. The museum is located in Evanston, Illinois at 3001 Central Street. It is open Tuesday-Wednesday 10am to 5pm, Thursday, 10am to 8pm, Friday- Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday noon to 4pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students and children and free for Mitchell Museum members and Tribal members.
