Back by popular demand, Niwot‘s Native Art Market will return to Niwot Hall on Sunday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market will showcase vibrant, handmade works from Native artists, including paintings, beadwork, jewelry, prints, and even comics.
“I want to introduce emerging Native artists to a wider audience,” said Tom Myer, the event organizer and one of the featured artists at the market. “This is so important to me as it is super hard for Native artists to break in anywhere.”
Myer’s passion for the event and the Native art community is evident. Myer is a strong advocate of creating accessibility for participating artists, noting that many often pay high table fees at other markets without the guarantee of making a single sale.
“I’m paying all the fees, so that the artists can come and get set up and just start selling without risk,” Myer said. “I want these folks to meet buyers, I want them to meet folks who love Native art, and I want the people who love Native art to be able to see new art.”
As Myer prepares to welcome artists and guests, he is excited for the community to experience more than just an art market, a space for unique cultural exchange and connection.
“We will have all kinds of things, the kind of art that you traditionally think of as Native art, like the folks who do beaded earrings,” Myer shared. “We will have the people who do basket weaving and the people who do porcupine quill art. All very traditional.”
Alongside these traditional crafts, the market will also showcase a wide range of contemporary works, reflecting the diverse and evolving voices of Native artists today. Myer emphasized that today’s Native art is incredibly diverse, from digital illustrations and graphic novels to installations and mixed media, reflecting the broad and evolving ways Indigenous artists express their culture and stories in the modern world. “I encourage people just to come in and enjoy the whole spectrum of possibilities,” Myer said.
Myer is a gifted artist himself who bridges traditional Native artistry with modern expression. Known for vibrant, digital work, Myer draws inspiration from his Native cultural heritage while pushing creative boundaries.
“I’ve always been very much abstract-minded as I love abstracts, but I also want there to be something in the art that people can latch onto like a bird or something like that,” Myer said. As both organizer and artist, Myer embodies the spirit of the market, celebrating Native creativity in all its forms. This celebration of varied expression extends to other artists who will also be featured at the market.
“Rod Velarde will be joining us this time. He does a whole bunch of Native plus Star Wars stuff,” Myer said.
Other returning Native Art Market artists include Nico Strange Owl, Maxx Wapasha Lake, Kristina and Rafael Maldonado Bad Hand, Marie YellowHawk and Harry Teller, Starr Vipi, and Salix Dezrea Renan. New artists to the market include Rod Velarde, Travis Jensen, and Bill Mendoza. These artists proudly represent various Tribal Nations, including the Apache, Lakota, Navajo, Cheyenne, Haudenosaunee, and Native Hawaiian communities.
The second Niwot Native American Art Market is made possible by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, Niwot-area community members, and Thunder Wolf Native Arts and Culture.
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