4340 N. Campbell Ave.
READERS' PICK: For the benighted among us who still call Hopi katsinas "kachinas," it's time to get back to the Bahti shop for a cultural update. For more than 50 years a respected family dealer in quality Native American arts and artifacts, it moved uptown a while ago (to St. Philip's Plaza) from its old Speedway location, but Mark Bahti will still find economical and creative ways to use your extra silver and turquoise beads. He'll also provide authoritative, interesting, non-patronizing information on fine Indian jewelry, figurines, folk art, textiles, rugs, blankets, baskets, sculpture and painting. He might even sell you something. It's a tasteful, native Must Shop for your out-of-town guests. Obsidian, a contemporary craft gallery located in the central courtyard of St. Philip's Plaza, houses an amazing selection of artisan jewelry honed from glass, clay, stone and precious metals by local and national artists. Elegant silver chains and pendants, chunky bracelets, colored glass rings and beads, and a wide variety of pins and brooches seem to draw geometric inspiration from ancient forms to outer space, imparting a sense of serious craft by artists with a gentle sense of humor. A stable of basketry, vases and bowls joins rotating shows of mixed-media, three-dimensional work, making Obsidian a delightful one-room showcase of whimsy and elegance. Items here start at $25 and climb into the thousands, which should give you some idea that it packs a wide selection into its modest, modernist space. The annual Día de los Muertos exhibit, which continues through October, brings yet another splash of regional color, with a more homespun appeal than the shop's trademark contemporaneity.
