About the Jurors
The Arizona State Museum's Southwest Indian Art Fair (SWIAF) offers recognition and awards to artists whose work is judged to be of exceptional merit. The goals of the jury process are to support excellence in the arts and to offer all participating artists opportunity for recognition from leading professional figures who have knowledge of both cultural and craft practices common to Native American art.
This year an invited panel of expert jurors selected artists for 37 awards of excellence. Jurors were identified by a committee composed of ASM/SWIAF staff. As with past fairs, the 2007 SWIAF jury for adult entries is composed of established working Native American artists and a non-native arts professional. These jurors reflect a cross section of perspectives and artistic disciplines. Purchase Awards are chosen by ASM Collections staff.
Arizona State Museum offers thanks to the 2007 SWIAF jury for their commitment to sustain the high standards SWIAF has developed over its 13 year history.
Adult Category Jurors
Larry King, a linguist/graphics artist comes to us with the highest recommendation from one of SWIAF’s past Award of Excellence winners and a past juror for this event, Shonto Begay. King is deeply involved in Navajo oral tradition and performs events based upon the oral histories of his people. His eye for quality is recommended absolutely by Shonto—who trusts him to stage exhibits of his own paintings.
Rex Arrowsmith is a renowned trader whose knowledge, experience and support of Native American culture brought him the highest recognition offered to a non-native—the 2006 Povika Award from the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) organizer of the Santa Fe Indian Market. Arrowsmith has expertise in all craft media and brings particular strength to the multi-category jury process.
David Johns is a Navajo painter who has received many accolades and awards since receiving his degree in painting and printmaking from Northern Arizona University. Johns also received an honorary doctorate in 1987.
Youth Awards Juror
Dawn Cromwell was the first director of SWIAF and guided it from its original concept as a venue for native pottery sales to its current role as one of the Southwest’s most respected Indian art fairs. Her longtime commitment to youth participation in this event reflects a particular sensitivity to youth category submissions. Since her retirement she has continued to counsel SWIAF's growth and funds an award for returning adult participants.
Arizona State Museum Jurors
Hartman Lomawaima, Arizona State Museum Director, Hopi, selected the winner of the Museum Director's Award. Lomawaima was responsible for initiating this award in 2003. His experience as an artisan includes traditional Katsina doll carving and silversmithing.
Patrick Lyons, Head of Collections at ASM, combines a knowledge of the needs of the ASM collections with expertise in many crafts to help select this year's purchase awards.
Diane Dittemore, Curator of Ethnographic Materials for ASM, has extensive knowledge of ASM's broad contemporary and historic collections.