The city of Phoenix last week announced Antoinette Pinon (Peeposh/Piipaash), as the distinguished Featured Artist for the 49th S’edav Va’aki Museum Indian Market. Pinon is an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community.

The Indian Market will take place the second weekend of December: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 13-14. at the S’edav Va’aki Museum, 4619 E. Washington St. in Phoenix.

Since Pinon was a little girl, she has always been exposed to pottery. She comes from a legacy of traditional Pee-Posh potters; her grandmother was the late Vesta Bread, and her mother was the late Phyllis Cerna. She had the best opportunity to learn the traditional skills from these two artists.

With years of practice, Pinon has mastered the art of creating beautiful pottery. Traditional Pee-Posh pottery uses natural elements: digging clay, forming pots with a paddle and an anvil, making red paint from collected red dirt, polishing with stones, firing and designing with black tree sap. This pottery style is a very tedious process, but she knows it is an honor to continue the work that has been passed down by her family. Pinon is known as a pillar of her community and shares as much as possible to try to keep this tradition alive and thriving.

“There are 574 federally recognized tribes found across the United States, and events like this one allow people to gather and connect with their tribes,” stated Nicole Armstrong-Best, museum administrator, in a news release. “We are honored to be a museum that offers a place for people to gather in community, connect and share their culture.”

The Indian Market features dozens of Native American artists vending fine art, crafts and cultural items, as well as main stage performances, cultural demonstrator area and food sales. All items sold at the Indian Market comply with The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 and are authentic and handmade.

Entrance to the museum is included in admission so guests can explore the rich history of the archaeological site where ancestors of the O’odham people built a thriving community. Prominent on the site is the va’aki, a large adobe structure that is the only one still standing and managed by city of Phoenix Arts and Culture.

Editor's note: The above was republished from a city of Phoenix news release.