The world’s longest-running Native American art organization has appointed new leadership to its executive committee.
Leslie Wheelock (Oneida) is the new board chair of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, the organization announced today.
Wheelock is the first Native American to serve as a trustee at Cornell University. She owns and operates Wheelock Consulting, PLLC, specializing in tribal legal, business, and management consulting, and also serves on the Board of the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. She has served on SWAIA’s board of directors since 2024.
SWAIA’s 2026 Executive Committee also includes Vice Chair, JoAnn Chase (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation); Secretary, Randy Chitto (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians); and Treasurer, Nicole Johnnie (Navajo Nation).
The preeminent Indigenous arts organization was founded in 1922 as a market for Native American artists to showcase and sell their wares. Today, SWAIA’s Santa Fe Indian Market draws more than 100,000 people from around the globe each summer. Its programming had expanded to include Native Fashion Week and the Winter Indian Market.
This year’s 104th annual Santa Fe Market will take place on Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16.