SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale is home to many shops, art galleries, and restaurants, but the newest store to open on the block has a slightly different message and mission.
Meet Native Art Market.
Located near the corner of Main Street and Scottsdale Road in Old Town Scottsdale, Native Art Market opened less than two weeks ago and features authentic items made by Native artists.
Heather Tracy and her family, some of whom live on the Navajo Nation, opened the market as a way to support other Native artists and designers and to connect their works directly with the public.
“It’s definitely a passion project,” she said in an interview with ABC15.
“Everything here is authentic and Native handmade,” she said.
There are traditional Native jewelry and bracelets, wall hangings, and vases, as well as paintings, t-shirts, posters, skateboards, coffee mugs, hot pads, music, musical instruments, and holiday ornaments.
“You don’t realize how creative the Native community is until you actually come into the store and see how they’ve taken their creativity and put it onto a phone case or a coffee mug,” she said.
Over 400 families are represented at her store, and the artists and the artwork will rotate throughout the year.
Tracy said each artist purchases space inside the store to showcase their works and when something is bought, those funds are then direct-deposited into their account.
“A lot of reservations and Nations, they don’t have a huge economy because the way the government has set them up. Which is why we sometimes, mostly, go towards craftsmanship and metalsmithing,” she said.
In 2018, Tracy and her family opened an outdoor market at The Pavilions at Talking Stick shopping center to showcase Native artists during Arizona’s cooler months.
“We did that to create a platform for Native artisans to get their work out and to sell their work to the public,” she said.
Over the years, they’ve gained a following and grown from less than two dozen booths to 40 booths, plus performers and live artists, she said.
Due to COVID-19, they haven’t been able to open the outdoor market, which typically runs from November to March.
However, Tracy said they recently received approval to open the market with fewer vendors. The plan is to open the outdoor market this weekend.
IF YOU GO:
Native Art Market
7215 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
https://linktr.ee/nativeartmarket
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