Ray Dewey: Prolific Santa Fe Art Dealer - Epi. 259, Host Dr. Mark Sublette

I had a great time talking with Ray Dewey. It's a podcast that
I've been wanting to do for quite a while and it's just taken a
while for us to get together. He's a really busy guy so I finally
said: "Fine, I'll come up to Santa Fe."  I knew Ray would
have a great story, and he did not disappoint.

Ray was an instrumental figure in the Native American art
business, especially from the 1970s through the 1990s. He still
buys and sells paintings, so it's not like he's not out of the
scene, but he was just so pivotal as the owner/operator of Dewey
Fine Art. I remember going into his gallery and just being in awe
of all the material and the way he had it displayed. He ran a
first-class business and was always keen on educating anyone who
wanted to learn.

I would come in as a young guy in my 30s and I didn't have much
money but he would still spend the time to talk to me. That's the
thing that great dealers do. Ray is one of those great dealers.
Not to mention, he was really the first person in the Southwest
to deal in the paintings of one Ed Mell. Ed and I have been
friends for a very long time, but Ray gave him his first show in
1985. Of all things, it was a Maynard Dixon and Ed Mell show,
which was pretty groundbreaking at the time. 

It's a fascinating tale and it's really important to know who the
groundbreaking individual was who had so much to do with
enhancing the Native American art scene in Santa Fe. I really
enjoyed it. Ray Dewey on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast number 259.