The road to this year’s Indian Market has been more scenic than usual. The group that puts on Indian Market every year, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, saw a change in leadership last spring, just before the work to prepare for market is at its most intense. Former Best of Show winner, artist and lawyer Dallin Maybee interrupted his life in Arizona to take over as interim executive director of SWAIA — proving once again the show must go on. He has kept a steady head through the market preparations, and his calm demeanor has been appreciated by all involved.

Because in the end, Indian Market is not about SWAIA, its staff or its board, or even the many Santa Fe businesses that benefit from the throngs of people who will be here to soak up the sights and sounds of market. Indian Market is about the artists — the more than 700 people from tribes across the country — the men, women and children, who despite the press of modernity, maintain ties to cultures and ways of being that stretch to pre-history. Indian Market is a time to celebrate their perseverance. It reminds us all that Native culture in 2014 is alive, continuing to grow and change while retaining its strong roots.

This year, visitors and locals will enjoy a new market as well.

Indigenous Fine Arts Market will take place Thursday through Saturday in the Santa Fe Railyard, offering more artists an opportunity to share their art and culture. It’s an innovative approach deserving of its own coverage. Its magazine will publish on Monday, also inside the newspaper.

Dubbed a market “by the people for the people,” Indigenous Fine Arts Market promises a full slate of entertainment and activities — especially for youth — that promise to add even more luster to the August week that gives Santa Fe its sizzle. Enjoy!