MIAC | NOVEMBER 2023

I am happy to report that the Collectors’ Sale was wonderful success. We sold more than $56,000 worth of art over the two-day weekend. More than $125,000 worth of art was donated or consigned by dozens of donors including Tony Abeyta, Cody Sanderson and more. We are so appreciate of everyone’s support for this event and for the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

In other good news, MIAC is happy to welcome Dr. Beth Stone as the new Deputy Director. Dr. Stone has been promoted to this role internally, having served as the Manager for Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites.

“Dr. Stone brings with her an incredible set of skills and an enthusiasm for community-led interpretation of history,” said Debra Garcia y Griego, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Cabinet Secretary. “This is another example of how we continually promote within the department assuring talented individuals stay at NMDCA to serve the public. Keeping experienced, talented leaders like Elisabeth boosts productivity, employee confidence, and growth at our locations promoting engagement with visitors creating a more fulfilling experience.”

Elisabeth Stone holds a PhD in Anthropology from UNM, with an emphasis in archaeology, as well as an MA in Anthropology and Museum Studies, with a focus on museum education. In addition, she has extensive training and experience in visitor studies and in building equity into museum practice.

Welcome, Beth!

Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Living Treasure and Legacy Awards. These awards are part of the annual MIAC Native Treasures Art Market and honor Native American artists who have made outstanding artistic contributions to the field of Indigenous arts and culture.

Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) is the 2024 recipient of the MIAC Living Treasure award. Michaels is known for her haute couture designs. Growing up in New Mexico, she was surrounded by beauty—in culture, landscape, and art, all of which influenced her design aesthetic. She became widely known through participation in the Emmy Award-winning season 11 of “Project Runway” in 2012. Based in Taos, her career as a designer has taken her to faraway places like New York and Paris. In June 2023, she dressed actress Tantoo Cardinal for the Cannes Film Festival to premiere “The Killers of the Flower Moon.” Michaels will be celebrated with a solo exhibition in the spring of 2024.

Martha Arquero (Cochiti Pueblo) is this year’s recipients of the Native Treasures Legacy Award. Arquero has been creating clay sculptures since the 1960s. She was inspired to continue the family tradition of clay sculpting by her mother, Damacia Cordero. She continues to use traditional methods: gathering and processing her own clay, using plant and mineral pigments to paint, and firing outdoors. Arquero specializes in handmade Cochiti figures, nativities, animal and traditional storytellers. However, her unique whimsical style and divergence into characters like the superheroes Wonder Woman and Spiderman propel the tradition of Cochiti figures into the 21st century like no other artist. Her art works are a special combination few artists achieve, carrying forward an art form that emerged in the 19th century to our present.