Portal Artisans’ Celebration An Annual Palace Courtyard Event

From 9am-5pm Aug. 22-23, take a break from Santa Fe’s annual Indian Market and enjoy the shady Palace Courtyard, where artisans of the Portal Program will offer traditional Indian dances, music, handcrafted art, raffles and a Native specialties food booth. This free event, just steps away from the Santa Fe Plaza, has long been a welcome stop for families and Indian Market visitors.

The internationally renowned Native American Artisan Program, commonly known as the Portal Program, reserves the Palace of the Governors Portal specifically for use by Native Americans to display and sell their handmade arts and crafts. Hundreds of Native American artisans have qualified for participation by demonstrating the authenticity of their Native American pottery, sandpainting, silverwork, lapidary, and weaving.

Enter the courtyard through the Blue Gate just south of the New Mexico History Museum’s main entrance at 113 Lincoln Ave. Extend your stay (in air-conditioned comfort!) by exploring the exhibits at the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors. Admission is $6 for NM residents, $9 for others, although Sunday is free for all New Mexicans. Children 16 and under are always free.

The schedule of Native American dances:

Saturday, August 22

9 am: Opening/welcome

9:30 am: Oak Canyon Dancers (Jemez Pueblo); Traditional Jemez Pueblo Dance

10:30 am: Tony Duncan Dance Troupe (San Carlos Apache/Arikara Nation/Navajo); Traditional and Contemporary Native American Song & Dance

11 am: Red Turtle Dancers (Northern Pueblos); Traditional Northern Pueblo Children’s Dance

Noon: Oak Canyon Dancers (Jemez Pueblo); Traditional Jemez Pueblo Dance

1 pm: Tony Duncan Dance Troupe (San Carlos Apache/Arikara Nation/Navajo); Traditional and Contemporary Native American Song & Dance

1:30 pm: Evan Trujillo (Taos Pueblo); Native American Song & Dance

2 pm: Red Turtle Dancers (Northern Pueblos); Traditional Northern Pueblo

Children’s Dance

3 pm: Tony Duncan Dance Troupe (San Carlos Apache/Arikara Nation/Navajo); Traditional and Contemporary Native American Song & Dance

4 pm: RAFFLE Benefit for Palace of Governors Artisans Program

Sunday, Aug. 23

9 am: Opening/welcome

9:30 am: Oak Canyon Dancers (Jemez Pueblo); Traditional Jemez Pueblo Dance

10:30 am: Tony Duncan Dance Troupe (San Carlos Apache/Arikara Nation/Navajo); Traditional and Contemporary Native American Song & Dance

11 am: Red Turtle Dancers (Northern Pueblos); Traditional Northern Pueblo

Children’s Dance

Noon: Oak Canyon Dancers (Jemez Pueblo); Traditional Jemez Pueblo Dance

1 pm: Tony Duncan Dance Troupe (San Carlos Apache/Arikara Nation/Navajo);

Traditional and Contemporary Native American Song & Dance

1:30 pm: Evan Trujillo (Taos Pueblo); Native American Song & Dance

2 pm: Red Turtle Dancers (Northern Pueblos); Traditional Northern Pueblo

Children’s Dance

3 pm: Tony Duncan Dance Troupe (San Carlos Apache/Arikara Nation/Navajo);

Traditional; and Contemporary Native American Song & Dance

4 pm: RAFFLE Benefit for the Palace of the Governors Portal Artisans Program