INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MARKET
More than 160 folk artists from 51 countries set up shop in the Santa Fe Railyard from July 11 to 14 for this kickoff to market season, which includes a night market, a lecture series, and nearly $3 million in sales. WHY GO? “IFAM brings the world together,” says Stacey Edgar, executive director at the market. “[The artists] get to tell their own stories and show their own works.” WHAT’S NEW? To mark the 20th anniversary, IFAM will have a Legacy Tent featuring artists who have attended since the market’s beginning, as well as an Innovation Tent, showcasing young artists who represent the future of folk art. WHO IS THE FUTURE? Ignacio Nava, a weaver from Mexico, is reviving traditions held by Indigenous Mexicans before Spanish colonization. “He is pioneering innovative designs in serape tradition and creating complex compositions with natural dyes,” Edgar says. “We love the contemporary flair of his work.” WHO PAVED THE WAY? Hailing from Haiti, Georges Valris and his son Valentin create colorful, whimsical vodou flags, an art form long practiced and celebrated there.
Retablos and bultos at Traditional Spanish Market.
Photograph courtesy of Atrisco Heritage Foundation.
TRADITIONAL SPANISH MARKET
Spanish roots in New Mexico run deep. On July 27 and 28, this market brings artists who practice Spanish Colonial arts such as tinwork, retablo making, and colcha embroidery to the Santa Fe Plaza. WHY GO? “You cannot go anywhere else and find these art forms,” says Peter Sanchez, executive director at the Atrisco Heritage Foundation, which took over the market in 2023. “It gives people a sense of pride.” WHAT’S NEW? Atrisco team members visited the Walt Disney Company in California after last year’s market to learn how to enhance both the artist and visitor experiences. WHO IS THE FUTURE? In 2018, ceramicist Anna Cárdenas earned the Honorary Mention Award in her first Spanish Market for her sparkling micaceous pottery. WHO PAVED THE WAY? Woodworker and carpenter Randy Trujillo adorns his handmade chests, furniture, and cabinetry with traditional Spanish symbolism.
Cultures come together at International Folk Art Market.
Photograph by Tira Howard.
SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET
The largest gathering of Indigenous artists in the world, Santa Fe Indian Market draws more than 1,000 established and emerging Native artists from 200 tribes to the 12 blocks around the Santa Fe Plaza on August 17 and 18. WHY GO? “People who come to market create relationships with the artists,” says Jamie Schulze (Northern Cheyenne/Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), executive director of Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA). “It’s a community event.” WHAT’S NEW? In partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the market will highlight 20 student artists from New Mexico at Cathedral Park. WHO IS THE FUTURE? Bead artist Hollis Chitto (Choctaw/Isleta, Laguna) took first place at the 2024 Heard Guild Indian Fair & Market for a beaded bandolier. “I love that he is stepping into his own,” says Schulze, “making work that’s different than his father [sculptor Randy Chitto].” WHO PAVED THE WAY? Photographer Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) captures Indigenous people through an Indigenous lens, telling truths about Native life, cultures, traditions, and futures.
Read more: Color your weekend nights with these events.
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