Santa Fe is famous for its summer markets, and with the pandemic waning the markets are back in full force, which is great news for artists and collectors. This year, you can visit the International Folk Art Market (IFAM), the Spanish Market, and the SWAIA Indian Market, which is celebrating its centennial. Each of these popular markets has its own vibe, but they’re all the perfect place to meet creative artists, discuss their work, and take home something to remember your experience.
INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MARKET
JULY 6 – 10 | MUSEUM HILL
Have you ever longed to travel the world to visit folk artists and collect their work? What if artists from around the world came to you? Since its founding in 2004, IFAM has brought more than 1,000 artists from more than 100 countries to New Mexico. Walking through the stalls on Museum Hill is like wandering from country to country, discovering remarkable art at each stop. Perhaps even more exciting is the opportunity to talk with these artists (perhaps through a volunteer interpreter) whose sales at this event may be supporting their family, or even their village, until the next market. One year, I found my rusty Spanish was enough to get by to discuss a Brazilian artist’s work, despite his native language being Portuguese. A friendly smile, of course, works in any language to show appreciation for an artist’s efforts, as does a purchase.
Each year, thousands of artists apply for the opportunity to be part of this prestigious market. In 2022, 158 artists from 48 countries were juried into the market, and 38 of those artists will be participating for the first time. IFAM estimates that each booth generates approximately $20,000 in income for the artists, their families, and communities.
Leaving home and traveling to the heart of the United States to take part in a crowded market may be overwhelming for a first timer, but IFAM coaches new artist-participants with Mentor to Market programs, helping with everything from establishing an online presence to long-term support for the future.
IFAM began as a one-weekend celebration of folk art. Now, efforts to support these artists continue year-round, which helps their communities have, as their website states, “clean drinking water, education for girls, improved health care, and thriving folk art communities.”
One way to support IFAM and artists when it’s not market time is to visit the International Folk Art Market Center at 620 Cerrillos Rd. in Santa Fe, where you can shop for folk art and attend lectures and workshops.
Donors of $1,000 or more can anticipate an invitation to a Wednesday evening opening party. Tickets will be available for an early-bird market starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, with general hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. New this year is a Saturday evening market from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday is IFAM Community Day from 11 a.m. until the market ends at 5 p.m.
Tickets are required for entry and it’s best to buy them ahead of time through the IFAM website at folkartmarket.org. Tickets went on sale May 2. This year’s market is cashless, so bring your credit card, and learn more about each of this year’s artists at ifamstories.org. Want to get more involved? Email [email protected] for information about volunteering.
Visit the Museum of International Folk Art on Museum Hill any time of year to enjoy a wide range of folk art.
SPANISH MARKET
JULY 30 – 31 | SANTA FE PLAZA
Spanish Market honors New Mexico’s Spanish heritage and arts traditionally created centuries ago, like hide paintings, retablos, straw appliques, tinwork, colcha embroidery, furniture, weaving, and woodworking. Hosted by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, this largest and oldest Hispanic art show and sale was first held in 1926 during the Santa Fe Fiestas. This year is the 70th Spanish Market and they expect about 200 adult and mentored youth artists to participate.
Visiting this market is like stepping back in time, and here you’ll discover pieces you won’t find anywhere else. The artist whose work you admire may well be descended from one of the early Spanish settlers, carrying on a legacy through generations. You may also encounter historical reenactors from El Rancho de los Golondrinas, a living history museum, wearing period costumes and demonstrating what life was like for the colonists.
Spanish Market Director Yvonne Gillespie says, “The Traditional Spanish Market brings the artists together with our community to celebrate our rich Hispanic heritage through traditional art, music, food, and dancing. The market has grown into the world’s largest cultural exhibition of its kind, and it provides the artists with sales and marketing opportunities, award prizes, and public exposure. Visitors have the opportunity to meet respected and world-traveled artists whose works appear in public and private collections worldwide.”
There is no ticket required to visit this market. Other events associated with Spanish Market include open studio tours the week prior to market and panel discussions at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art on Museum Hill.
On Friday evening before the market opens, there is a ticketed event: the preview of award-winning art and a silent auction at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
The Spanish Colonial Arts Society also hosts a winter market. This year it is scheduled for the first weekend in December at Santa Maria de la Paz Church in Santa Fe. Check their website at spanishcolonial.org for more information about the summer and winter markets.
SWAIA INDIAN MARKET
AUGUST 20 – 21 | SANTA FE PLAZA
For 100 years, Native American artists from across the country have gathered on the Santa Fe Plaza during Indian Market (originally called the Santa Fe Indian Fair) to offer their wares to visitors. The market, hosted by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), brings together creators and collectors of Indigenous art.
SWAIA Executive Director Kim Peone says, “Our centennial is not only a moment to acknowledge the past, it is an opportunity to look forward to the next hundred years and devise new ways to support and sustain Indigenous artists. With this in mind, our theme this year
is ‘Remembering the Future.’ We honor our past while we help create a vibrant future for Indigenous art and artists.”
There’s something for everyone at the market, including traditional arts such as jewelry, pottery, basketry, quillwork, and beadwork, plus more modern genres such as photography and digital arts. Explore the general preview of award-winning art Friday at 4 p.m., during which there is also a silent auction. The market opens to the public Saturday morning, with weekend hours from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. If you need a break from shopping, a variety of performances will be featured throughout the weekend.
The swanky SWAIA Gala is Saturday evening and includes silent and live art auctions and the first of two Indigenous fashion shows. The Sunday fashion show is followed by a trunk show, a singular opportunity to purchase fashions from Indigenous designers. SWAIA Fashion Show Producer Amber-Dawn Bear Robe says, “The power of visual and cultural representation can be seen on the SWAIA Indigenous fashion platform.”
This year, SWAIA is launching Art Indigenous, an online marketplace where U.S. and Canadian Indigenous artists can sell their work year-round. During Indian Market, SWAIA is working with 40 invited contemporary art galleries for a four-day Art Indigenous gallery show at El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe’s Railyard District. The exhibit opens Thursday, August 18, and runs through Sunday, August 21. Tickets are required for admission to the market and other events such as the SWAIA Gala and Indigenous Fashion Show. Learn more and get tickets at swaia.org.
Story and photography by Cheryl Fallstead
Additionally photo courtesy
Originally published in Neighbors magazine
Posted by LasCruces.com
