Keshi, the Zuni connection was established in 1980 as a direct Santa Fe outlet for Zuni artists. The Keshi Foundation (TKF) began in 2016 as a nonprofit arm of the original retail operation. The historic underrepresentation of Zuni artists at the annual Indian Market show in Santa Fe motivated TKF to expand the general public’s exposure and appreciation of Zuni artists by presenting  The Zuni Shows in 2016 and 2017. The success of those shows inspired the ZART program which assists an even broader segment of the Zuni art community and provides a highly professional presentation of their work through an all-Zuni online retail presence. 

With our focus on the Zuni artists’ community and respect for their culture and traditions, we work to support and expand their digital access to their markets on a global level. ZART is a program of TKF, created to bypass unscrupulous traders, their decades of foreign control of Zuni artwork, and poor treatment of Zuni artists.

ZART helps prevent the undervaluing of Zuni artwork, provides top-quality equipment and training, offers high-speed broadband, and assists in overcoming obstacles created by the pandemic. ZART provides the tools, training, education, and methodology that allow Zuni artists to present their beautiful artwork on an equal footing with other high-quality vendors.

The lack of broadband access for Zunis results in the predominant use of smartphones to access the Internet. ZART overcomes the neglect of decades-long restricted broadband access to less affluent sectors of the population, allowing Zuni artists to see the beauty and power of their work as it appears on larger screens. This alone may provide inspiration and motivation.

TKF believes the ZART program meets the challenges of these times and aligns with our mission statement of…“offering sustainable pathways to the people of the Zuni Pueblo through their arts and education.”