SWAIA Hires Ira Wilson (Navajo) as Executive Director of the Prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market

SANTA FE, N.M., Feb. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) (http://swaia.org) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ira Wilson (Navajo) as its new Executive Director, effective February 26, 2018.  SWAIA is the non-profit that produces the 97-year-old Santa Fe Indian Market, the world's oldest, largest and most prestigious juried Indian art market.

Ira Wilson spent 26 years as the Lead Buyer for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) (http://indianpueblo.org) in Albuquerque, where he transformed Shumakolowa from a small gift shop into an international online resource for the finest Native art.  At Shumakolowa (http://shumakolowa.com), Mr. Wilson provided economic opportunity to a wider and more diverse group of Native artists and educated the public about Native arts and culture. "With my expertise in management, finance, personnel, multiple facets of Native arts, techniques, materials and motifs, I will be a strong advocate, a staunch cheerleader, and an accessible and fair advocate for Native artists," he says. Mr. Wilson takes over as SWAIA's Executive Director from Dallin Maybee who served in the capacity for almost four years.

Ira Wilson is originally from Teec Nos Pos, AZ, in the Four Corners area— where he was raised in a traditional Navajo way with influence from his grandmother, a weaver. He has connections to both the traditional and contemporary Native art world, an asset that will serve SWAIA well as it heads into its 100^th year in 2021.

Elizabeth Kirk (Isleta Pueblo/Navajo), Board Chair for SWAIA, says, "Ira brings decades of experience in business and artistry, as well as a strong dedication to the cause of Native artists and the arts. He will take the organization in a direction which will insure SWAIA continues to evolve, sustaining our mission and vision in the years to come."

The 97th annual event will take place on August 18 and 19, 2018.

View a video about SWAIA and the Santa Fe Indian Market here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWgZR6CZWyA&t=77s.

Image files:
http://swaia.org/Ira_Wilson/index.html

ABOUT SWAIA: 

Mission Statement: Bringing Native arts to the world by inspiring artistic excellence, fostering education, and creating meaningful partnerships.

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) is a non-profit organization supporting Native American arts and culture. It creates economic and cultural opportunities for Native American artists by producing and promoting the Santa Fe Indian Market, the biggest and most prestigious Indian art event in the world since 1922; cultivating excellence and innovation across traditional and non-traditional art forms; and developing programs and events that support, promote, and honor Native artists year-round. swaia.org 

SOURCE Southwestern Association for Indian Arts

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http://swaia.org