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A Market for Quality

As the appreciation for Pueblo pottery grew, a segment of Santa Fe's leaders took it upon themselves to help preserve what they believed was a dying art. They did this in two major ways: establishing a fund for the Museum of New Mexico to purchase fine pieces of Pueblo pottery and by starting the Indian Fair, where prizes were awarded for the best Indian art.

Rose Dugan, a long-time Santa Fe resident, provided funds for the Museum of New Mexico to purchase Indian art. With this, Edgar Lee Hewett and others purchased pottery they thought was of exceptional quality. They were willing to pay a significant premium over the regular price if the work met their standards, thus encouraging potters to make fewer, but better pieces.

Museum of New Mexico