American Indian artist Michael Horse knows people who are skeptical they’ll find something new and interesting at native art shows.

“They say, ‘I’ve seen so much Indian art,'” he says. “But they’re going into little curio shops and seeing the same piece of jewelry and the same painting over and over. When they actually come to a reputable juried native show, they’re so surprised.”

Horse, of Berkeley, Calif., served as a juror for this year’s Lawrence Indian Art Show, along with Paul Rainbird, of Santo Domingo Pueblo, N.M. Horse is an accomplished jewelry artist who also has had roles in “Twin Peaks” and “The X-Files.” Rainbird is a former director of the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum in Santa Fe, N.M.

The pair spent last Friday sorting through works by more than 100 native artists, selecting prize winners and narrowing the field for the exhibition at the Lawrence Arts Center.

When the deliberations ended, Ron Toahani Jackson, a Navajo artist from Tempe, Ariz., had snagged best in show for two-dimensional work. Ernest Benally, a Navajo artist from Gallup, N.M., won the honor in the three-dimensional category.

Emergence, by Ron Toahani Jackson, won best in show for two-dimensional work in this year's Lawrence Indian Art Show, which opens tonight at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

Jackson earned the honor for his painting “Emergence,” which Horse lauded for its combination of traditional and contemporary styles.

Benally’s “Butterflies – New Life with New Beginnings,” caught the jurors’ attention for its fine craftsmanship. The artist created the choker using 18-karat gold, sleeping beauty turquoise and colored natural stones.

“I’m a jeweler myself. I know the work that goes into this,” Horse says. “The execution of that piece was quite something.”

The show opens with a benefit reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H., and remains on view through Oct. 8. Here’s a look at the rest of the winners, their tribal affiliations and hometowns:

Merit awards

¢ Sandra Brewer (Lakota), Globe, Ariz.

¢ James Fendenheim (Tohono O’odham), Tucson, Ariz.

¢ Dina One Heart Gilio (Coleville), Rehnert Park, Calif.

¢ Benjamin Harjo Jr. (Seminole, Shawnee), Oklahoma City

¢ Charlotte Herr (Cherokee), Manhattan

Courtney Kuhlen/Journal=World Photo "Butterflies - New Life with New Beginnings," the 3-D piece by Gallup, N.M., Navajo artist Ernest Benally won best in show. The choker was crafted out of 18 kt gold with sleeping beauty turquoise and colored natural stones.

¢ Gwen Coleman Lester (Choctaw), Claremore, Okla.

¢ Benson Manygoats (Navajo), Gallup, N.M., winner of two merit awards

¢ Frank Mirabal (Taos Pueblo), Taos, N.M.

¢ Pahponee (Kansas Kickapoo, Potawatomi), Elizabeth, Colo.

¢ Chesney Sevier (Northern Arapaho), Glendo, Wyo.

¢ Joseph Skywolf (Apache), Teton Village, Wyo., winner of two merit awards

Judge’s honorable mention

¢ Barry Coffin (Potawatomi, Creek), Lawrence

¢ C. Maurus Chino (Acoma Pueblo), Albuquerque, N.M.

¢ Barbara Frances (Penobscot), Old Town, Maine

¢ Charlotte Herr (Cherokee), Manhattan

¢ Ron Jackson (Navajo), Tempe, Ariz.

¢ Levi Jiron (Isleta Pueblo), Odessa, Mo.

¢ Gloria Kahe (Hopi); Polacca, Ariz.

¢ Reuben Iron Horse Kent (Iowa, Ote), White Cloud

¢ Reycita Louis (Acoma Pueblo), Grants, N.M.

• Native roots (09-04-05)

¢ Pahponee (Kansas Kickapoo, Potawatomi), Elizabeth, Colo.

¢ Ken Romero (Laguna-Taos Pueblos), Albuquerque, N.M.

¢ Pennie Singer (Dine), Albuquerque, N.M.

¢ April White (Haida), Friday Harbor, Wash.

¢ Gary Yazzie (Navajo), Oklahoma City

Youth competition

First place: Hope A. Etsitty (Navajo), 15, Gallup, N.M.

Second place: David Nieto (Santa Domingo); 15; Lawrence

Third place: Faith Coyote, Cortez, Colo.