Niwot Native Art Show draws large crowd

Niwot's Native Art Show on Sunday, March 16 at Niwot Hall saw a steady stream of visitors, many of whom purchased art and crafts from the emerging Native artists.

Tom Myer of Gunbarrel, who helped coordinate the event with Phillip Yates of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, had his art on display and sold out of some prints. "We had over $4,500 worth of arts and crafts sold by Native artists today at the art market," Myer said.

Art included paintings, prints, pencil drawings, cards, jewelry and basket weaving, which was popular with young and old alike.

"We had one artist who was snowed in from the four-corners area and couldn't make it, and Dustin Wolf had to cancel due to illness," Myer said. "But we were able to fill in with other Native artists at the last minute."

Myer was so busy at his own table that he did not have a chance to visit with all of the other vendors, but he did talk to some of them. "There was a lot of emotion in the room," he said. "One of the vendors told me that her great, great, great grandmother was shot in the shoulder at Sand Creek, and had to nurse her infant child, this woman's great, great grandfather, in the tall grass [at Sand Creek] and keep quiet to avoid being found....Here we are, 160 years later, and she's selling art in Niwot, Colorado. I don't think that anyone who platted Niwot could have imagined that."

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people who showed up and interacted with the artists." Patrons came from all over, including Colorado Springs and just south of Cheyenne, WY.

"Broomfield and Lyons talked to us about doing something similar," Myer said. "I was asked repeatedly, 'When are you coming back?' I'd like to see it happen twice a year."