{"id":31881,"date":"2023-09-06T16:39:08","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T20:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=31881"},"modified":"2023-09-06T16:39:10","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T20:39:10","slug":"indian-market-sponsorship-draws-criticism-for-ties-to-energy-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/09\/06\/indian-market-sponsorship-draws-criticism-for-ties-to-energy-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Market sponsorship draws criticism for ties to energy industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Santa<\/a>
Dancers perform at the Santa Fe Indian Market, an event that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Santa Fe, New Mexico, during the third weekend of August. The event celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and its 101st in 2023. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Indian Market criticized for accepting energy industry sponsorship<\/div> \r\n
Oil and gas development stirs strong feelings in New Mexico<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, September 6, 2023<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe organization that puts on the largest juried Indian art market in the world continues to face criticism on social media after thanking a sponsor of the popular event.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe Southwestern Association for Indian Arts<\/a> hosted the 101st Santa Fe Indian Market<\/a> from August 16-20. The event attracted upwards of 100,000 visitors to New Mexico’s capital city for a busy weekend of art, fashion, food, film, song, dance and more — all created by American Indian and Alaska Native artists from the United States and First Nations artists from Canada.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nBut it was a post-market show of gratitude that sparked fury online. The non-profit SWAIA thanked ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest publicly traded oil and gas companies<\/a>, for being one of the sponsors of a multi-day event that features more than 1,000 artists and relies on dozens of volunteers to be a success.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“We are so thankful for all our sponsors and what they bring to our artists each year,” the post, which went up about a week after the festivities concluded, stated.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n \"ExxonMobil<\/a><\/div>\r\n
A screenshot of a social media post — since deleted — stirred controversy when the non-profit organization that puts on the Santa Fe Indian Market thanked a sponsor of the popular event.<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n ExxonMobil had had touted its sponsorship of Indian Market<\/a> on social media during the event. And the company’s logo appeared on SWAIA’s website as one of several sponsors well before the activities got underway in Santa Fe.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe more recent post, however, attracted negative attention — much of it from Native people. They questioned why SWAIA accepted money from a major player in an industry that has contributed to the exploitation of tribal lands and to the crisis of missing and murdered relatives.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“Last executive director said they were going corporate,” a prominent Native artist in New Mexico, one who has participated in Indian Market, wrote in a comment on the post. “Guess this is how they do.”\r\n

<\/P>\r\nBut the artist’s comment, as well as hundreds of other reactions to ExxonMobil’s involvement, are no longer available on any of SWAIA’s social media channels. The organization deleted the offending post, erasing the criticism that has since spread to other platforms as Native people and others continue to express opposition to the corporate donation.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“They (SWAIA) did a thank you post the other day and had to remove it as it didn\u2019t go the way they thought it would,” one person wrote onf ExxonMobil’s post about the sponsorship<\/a>, where critical comments have migrated.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“I can\u2019t believe they are accepting the money from them,” another person said in response. “I doubt they will reverse that decision.”\r\n

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