So for anyone who's never gone to Santa Fe Indian Market, I'll just give you the lowdown on what happens on the Friday beforehand. You have this event around noon-ish where they announce all of the winners for that year. Now, it's mainly for the artists and the press, but we were fortunate enough to have sponsored the grand prize, which is the Best of Show award and as a result we got to attend the ceremony. I asked SWAIA if we could film the event and release it as an episode of my podcast, got the all-clear, and now this episode is the recording of that incredible event.

I mean, it's just like you're in the room. I would recommend watching this on YouTube so you can actually see their faces and the emotion in the room. The speeches which often have segments in the artists' Native languages are so compelling. I think it's so important to see what this world of Santa Fe indian Market means to the artists.

Some of these people have worked for 50 years to get where they are such as the winner of the weaving category Isabel Gonzalez. It's such an amazing thing to see. The same goes for artist Dan Vallo, who won the Best of Show award. To see and hear the emotion, time, effort and energy it takes to do these pieces... it was remarkable.

Again, this podcast is the entire ceremony with all of the different Best of Classification awards. So I hope you take the time to listen (even better - watch on the YouTube) because you'll really get an insight into what it was like for those artists at that moment in time, and often winning these awards is genuinely life changing.

The 2024 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show Award Ceremony was an incredible experience and I'm so glad to have sponsored the award for the last two years. We look forward to platforming and celebrating the incredible Native American artists for years to come.

I've known Michael Higgins for 35+ years and he was actually one of the first dealers that I met in Tucson when I moved here. You see, Michael has been actively buying and selling Native American arts since 1972.

Michael got out of the military after serving in Vietnam, and went directly into the buying and selling of Native American art. His area of expertise ranges from the contemporary to historic Native American art, especially beadwork.

It was wonderful to get to actually spend some time talking to Michael. We live in the same town, but life gets in the way. We get busy. We don't get to see each other as much as we'd like to. Regardless, he's a unique individual with a unique approach to Native American material. He's seen a lot, and this podcast is all about his backstory and about the core components of this business.

So it was interesting to hear his stories and about the things that he's done and how he sees his role in the arts. I had a great time. This is Michael Higgins on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 307.

I had Ron Munn on today. Ron's been in the business for 60+ years. He started his first gallery in 1968 and ran a very successful auction for decades. I've known him for over 30 years and he's always been one of the individuals I wanted to have on the podcast, because he has the longevity. He's known all of the players and he's seen the art and the art business over the past 60 years which it gives him a very unique perspective that other people don't have.

He's still active too. He'll be showing in Albuquerque in early August 2024 at the 25th Annual Great Southwestern Antique Show. In fact, it's really fun to hear about the early days of this business because it's so much different than it once was.

I was on the tail end of it. I started 35 years ago and the unfortunate truth is that most of the big time dealers from back then have all passed on. Luckily for us, Ron is able to pass their wisdom and stories on just like this podcast will pass Ron's and even my own stories on to the next generation.

So this is a podcast that offers a unique perspective into the world of Native arts. Native American artwork as seen through the eyes of an early dealer and auctioneer. Ron Munn on episode 306 of the Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

I had Terry DeWald on today. I've known Terry for over 30 years. He's a magnificent person and he's a dealer, but he's also an expert in Native American basketry and textiles, specifically Navajo. He's spent his entire life working with the Tohono O'Odham basket makers and knows them all very intimately and are a big part of his life.

I've been trying to get him to come for a long time because he has so much to say. He knows so many people. He did so many interesting things, from being a professional baseball player to a teacher to again finding his way into the Native American art field.

He's what we refer to as an Indian art trader. That's what all these guys were kind of referred to as in the early 70s, late 60s up until today. I've been trying to interview these individuals while they're here. Unfortunately we've lost a few, and we're going to lose a lot more.

It's a subculture that's very unique in the whole of Americana. A group of non-Native individuals who dedicated their lives to Native American arts. Most of them work directly with different individuals, contemporary native artists, but also having this great love for historical material and really understanding it like very few can.

So it was a real gem of a podcast. I think you'll really enjoy this one with Native American art expert Terry DeWald.

Stephen Datz gave a wonderful lecture for the Western Art Patrons at the Tucson Museum of Art and, you know, it's one thing to actually see paintings up-close and in person, and it's another to actually hear the artist talk about his journey and where those paintings fit in to the greater story. This was the first time Stephen has given a lecture like this and he did a fantastic job.

So we wanted to share this lecture with you and I think it's much more enjoyable if you watch it on YouTube vs. listening to it, but at the same time it's a great to hear an orator like Stephen talk for over half an hour. I really enjoyed watching and hearing what he had to say and I'm sure you will too.

I had photographer Scott Baxter on today and I enjoyed this interview a lot. I was listening to this man's life unfold in front of me and it came out so fluid and easily digestible. He's a loquacious individual but he's also just really interesting.

You see, Scott gets a degree in history and just goes: "I'm not going to be a teacher, I'm going to be a photographer - and furthermore, I'm not going to be just a commercial photographer... I'm going to be a fine artist." And the projects that he's worked on are incredible. 100 Years, 100 Ranchers was such a pivotal exhibit. I remember seeing it at the Tucson Museum of Art and the individuals, the ranchers that he had interviewed and taken photos of were there.

It was so captivating then and now to be ten or so years later, getting to interview him about that project was really rewarding for me. Sometimes in this podcast world that I inhabit, there are certain connections that happen. I interviewed Ed Mell and I interviewed Jay Dusard, both individuals affected Scott's life a great deal.

This podcast came about because he wrote me this beautiful letter and said: "I just want to thank you. I really enjoyed these podcasts, and they meant a lot to me." I read that and thought, I've always wanted to interview this guy, and I love the project he did... Let's see what happens. So it was a very special podcast.

You should definitely know who Scott Baxter is, and if you don't this is the perfect entry point. He's a terrific photographer. We included images in video version, but to get the entire scope of his work you can go to his website.

I'm a fan. I really am. The podcast was so compelling that we actually went a little long, which I love, because that means there's a two parter here. So this is part two of the Art Dealer Diaries Podcast with photographer Scott Baxter.

*****

If you're interested in seeing Scott's work including pieces he spoke about in this podcast, visit his website: www.scottbaxterphotographer.com

I had photographer Scott Baxter on today and I enjoyed this interview a lot. I was listening to this man's life unfold in front of me and it came out so fluid and easily digestible. He's a loquacious individual but he's also just really interesting.

You see, Scott gets a degree in history and just goes: "I'm not going to be a teacher, I'm going to be a photographer - and furthermore, I'm not going to be just a commercial photographer... I'm going to be a fine artist." And the projects that he's worked on are incredible. 100 Years, 100 Ranchers was such a pivotal exhibit. I remember seeing it at the Tucson Museum of Art and the individuals, the ranchers that he had interviewed and taken photos of were there.

It was so captivating then and now to be ten or so years later, getting to interview him about that project was really rewarding for me. Sometimes in this podcast world that I inhabit, there are certain connections that happen. I interviewed Ed Mell and I interviewed Jay Dusard, both individuals affected Scott's life a great deal.

This podcast came about because he wrote me this beautiful letter and said: "I just want to thank you. I really enjoyed these podcasts, and they meant a lot to me." I read that and thought, I've always wanted to interview this guy, and I love the project he did... Let's see what happens. So it was a very special podcast.

You should definitely know who Scott Baxter is, and if you don't this is the perfect entry point. He's a terrific photographer. We included images in video version, but to get the entire scope of his work you can go to his website.

I'm a fan. I really am. The podcast was so compelling that we actually went a little long, which I love, because that means there's a two parter here. So this is part one of the Art Dealer Diaries Podcast with photographer Scott Baxter.

I had Mary Platt on today. It was a really fun talk because we were at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in Orange, CA and she did a walk and talk of the Disney material, and that's her expertise. In fact, she's done a book on that specific area. So this is a great podcast to watch on YouTube because you can see the paintings and what we're talking about.

We just had a wonderful conversation in the museum, talking about the main animation related exhibit they have at the moment which is on Disney artist and animation pioneer: Mary Blair.

So very interesting, enlightening talk with Mary Platt, Director of the Hilbert Museum of California Art.