Shaping the Market

Artist Selection Committee

At the International Folk Art Market (IFAM), we speak often about “master artists,” exemplars of technique, tradition, and the ability to incorporate artistic beauty and meaning into their creations. And, over a ten-day period starting in late October, two dedicated teams of experts – the Selection and Placement Committees undertake the daunting process of identifying the virtuosos who will share their art and stories at the Market.

Applications are reviewed by an independent committee of folk art experts from museums, galleries, universities, and philanthropic ventures whose collective expertise encompasses a range of media, cultural areas, and geographic regions. Notably, IFAM employees do not have a vote in the process.

Each application is painstakingly reviewed by a lead reviewer – an expert in the regions and mediums represented. These authorities assess the application based on the IFAM definition of folk art and a weighted scoring matrix that considers:

Lead reviewers then present their analyses to the full Selection team. Each member of Selection has an opportunity to contribute personal expertise and to challenge or endorse the recommendations made.  Through a collaborative and iterative process, an initial class of artists is identified.

Over the course of five long and intense days – including gasps of pleasure at the amazing creativity spotlighted in the application photos, tears at the challenges being faced and hopefully overcome by the artists, and the pain of not being able to accept all that applied – a subset of submissions are moved forward.

  • Tony Fisher is the owner and co-founder of Indigo Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, PA and is on the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market. Founded in 1987, Indigo Arts is a gallery of international folk, ethnographic and contemporary art. Like many galleries Indigo Arts has evolved from a “storefront” location to a predominantly internet and “by appointment” business, exhibiting at some international art fairs, such as the Caribbean Art Fair and the Outsider Art Fair in New York. Tony holds an M.Arch. in Architecture from UPenn and a BA in Architecture from Yale (with an unofficial minor in African Studies). Having lived and worked internationally, Tony has a strong personal interest in and knowledge of folk, tribal, and contemporary art. Living six years in Africa, and traveling there and in Latin America and the Caribbean, he has written on traditional (folk/tribal) architecture in Africa and Haiti. He has also served for many years on the board of the Haitian Art Society, as well as the Old City Arts Association in Philadelphia, and for the last several years on the Selection and Standards committees of the International Folk Art Market.

  • Rosie Gordon-Wallace is a recognized curator, arts advocate, community leader and pioneer in advancing contemporary Caribbean diaspora art. She founded Diaspora Vibe Culture Arts Incubator (DVCAI) to serve as a local and global laboratory dedicated to promoting, nurturing, and cultivating the vision and diverse talents of emerging artists from the Caribbean Diaspora, artists of color and immigrant artists. Twenty-seven years later, DVCAI is recognized as a global resource and one of the region’s leading platforms dedicated to providing diaspora artists with a venue to explore and experiment with new forms and themes that challenge traditional definitions of Caribbean and Latin American art.

    She manages funding from Mellon Foundation, Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, IMLS and NEA, including Miami Dade Department of Cultural Affairs and The State of Florida Funding. Her most recent curatorial work includes Cultural Currents: Miami Meets Paramaribo; Depth of Identity: Art as Memory & Archive; I M(O)ther: Threads of the Maternal Figure” Katrina Coombs solo textile exhibition at Sarasota Museum of Art, ORDER MY STEPS: “There are No answers Here Move on” Roscoè B. Thické III at Oolite Arts; Depth of Identity: Art as Memory and Archive. Twenty-two years curating international cultural exchanges to Caribbean islands. Educated in Jamaica, England & USA she is married and has one son who is a musician.

  • Amy Groleau is a curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and is on the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She previously served as the Curator of Latin American Collections at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe. Her work is centered in the Peruvian Andes where she has collaborated with numerous artists, organizations, and collectives as well as conducted archaeological research. She holds a PhD in anthropology from Binghamton University (SUNY).

  • Felicia Katz-Harris is the senior curator and curator of Asian & Oceanic folk art at the Museum of International Folk Art, where she has worked since 2005. Her research and work involves collaborative projects with diverse communities of practice and folk artists from the very wide region she represents as a curator. Felicia has a master's degree in sociocultural anthropology from Arizona State University, where she focused on museum anthropology and Southeast Asian studies, with a special focus on traditional arts of Indonesia. She has also studied art, art history, and Bengali folk art at Visva Bharati University in West Bengal, Bahasa Indonesia at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, and is currently a PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology at the University of New Mexico.

  • Marilyn Murphy writes a bi-monthly blog for ClothRoads, curates the ClothRoads collection, lectures about artisan sustainability, volunteers as co-chair for the non-profit Andean Textile Arts, and is on the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She has combined a passion for and knowledge of the textile arts for her entire career. She is the former president of Interweave, a media publishing company focused on the arts and crafts sector where she worked for 16 years. Prior to this, in 1986, she founded the Textile Arts Centre in Chicago, and was the owner of the Weaving Workshop there.

  • Safoura Zoroofchi is the founder and lead designer of Nar Collection and an expert in Persian and Central Asian carpets and is on the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She received her BA in Persian crafts from Al-Zahra University, Tehran; her MA in Illustration from Honar University, Tehran; and a degree in interior textiles from Central St. Martin’s School of Design, University of London. In her work, Safoura draws upon traditional Persian forms and calligraphy to create contemporary designs, which she produces in collaboration with artisans in Iran, India, China, and the United States. Her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in Tehran, London, and New York.

  • Cristin McKnight Sethi leads the Textile Center of Minnesota’s robust education programming and is the Chair of the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She is a curator, historian, and scholar of textiles and art from South Asia. She holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of California, Berkeley (2015) and a Master’s in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin (2008). Her research and teaching interests include the study of textiles and folk art, the intersection of gender and practices of making, networks of circulation and exchange, and histories of colonialism and British imperialism. Cristin has held teaching positions at the California College of the Arts, Colorado College, George Washington University, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She has also held curatorial and research positions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the UCLA Fowler Museum, the Asian Art Museum San Francisco, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of International Folk Art. Cristin has served on the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market since 2015; she has chaired the committee since 2018.

Artist Placement Committee

Observing the Placement team at work is akin to attending a master class on global folk art. The knowledge base, the trained aesthetic “eye,” understanding of tradition and technique, and the ability to bridge tradition with innovation are all brought to bear in finalizing next year’s Market participants. To ensure positive experiences for all artists coming to IFAM, Placement considers whether the work in the applications represents the best quality of a particular genre of folk art.

The Placement Committee considers how the work will connect with IFAM audiences and sell, so each artist returns home feeling successful, validated, and encouraged. They ask how audiences will respond to the artists and their work, and whether they will walk away with a more intimate understanding of the artists’ creativity, skill, and cultural circumstances. The Placement Committee is also challenged to balance proven strength with newness, collectible masterworks with affordable pieces accessible to the many, intricacy with simplicity, and tradition with innovation.

From their work, the shape of the Market emerges. It is at this point that the final class of artists is identified and the initial contours of the following July are shaped.

  • Suzanne Sugg has been active in a variety of art organizations in Texas and New Mexico for more than 40 years, she is on the Placement Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She has served 9 years on the Board of Directors for the International Folk Art Alliance, where she was Secretary for 2 years. She has been on the IFAA Advisory Board. Suzanne is currently on the Advisory Board of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and a charter member of the Texas Women for the Arts. Suzanne has served on the Board of Directors of the Taos Art Museum and City of San Angelo Public Arts Commission. She attended Christies’ Decorative Arts Summer School in New York City and participated in many national conferences of the Museum Trustee Association, International Majolica Society, and New York Silver Society. Suzanne has designed day and evening handbags, clothing, jewelry, and home interiors using antique and ethnic components.

  • Charlene has devoted her life to understanding and appreciating the world’s folk art and its makers. She is one of four co-founders of the International Folk Art Market, having co-chaired the first market in 2004. She served on the first governing board and oversaw the efforts to incorporate and then achieve 501(c)3 status. Charlene served as the Market’s full-time Executive Director from 2007-2012. She led six markets during a time when IFAM saw double digit growth in attendance and revenue each year, completed a successful $6MM comprehensive campaign and was an invited member of the Clinton Global Initiative. She is also Director Emeritus of the Museum of International Folk Art.

  • Judy Espinar is one of four co-founders and is on the Placement Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She has a BA in Clothing and Textiles and in Art History, as well as two years of graduate work in Philosophy of Design. Judith served in the Peace Corps in Peru. She was previously the fashion director of Gimbels East NYC, Fashion Director of Menswear for all Gimbels stores, Director of Fashion Information for Butterick Fashion, Editor in Chief of Vogue Patterns International, Director of Evan Picone Design Studio, and VIP Design Director of Murjani International. Judith was previously the owner of The Clay Angel in Santa Fe, supporting her life-long interest and study of the world's traditional ceramics.

  • Philip Fimmano is a trend analyst at Trend Union, working in fashion, textiles, interiors and lifestyle and is on the Placement Committee for the International Folk Art Market. In 2011, Fimmano co-founded Talking Textiles with Li Edelkoort; an ongoing initiative to promote awareness and innovation in textiles through touring exhibitions, a trend publication, a design prize and free educational conferences. He is the co-author of the design book A Labour of Love and the co-founder of the World Hope Forum, a platform for creative community building. He is the mentor of Polimoda's Fashion Trend Forecasting masters and the co-founder of the school's new sustainable textile program, Farm to Fabric to Fashion.

  • Anju Kataria is the owner of Khazana, a boutique gallery highlighting folk artists from around the world and connecting them directly with collectors. She started Khazana more than 30 years ago, inspired by her passion for the handmade objects that surrounded her as she grew up in India, and her discoveries as she traveled the world. In addition to her work as an independent gallerist, she has curated exhibits such as 100 Weaves of India, a showcase of the country’s dazzling textile ingenuity and heritage, and Woven Lights, a collaborative project with the nationally renowned Ragamala Dance Company. A storyteller and bridge builder, she relishes sharing knowledge and fostering relationships, as exemplified by Khazana’s Tea and Textiles event series—gatherings that explore textile history and origins through conversation and hands-on interaction. Her ongoing goal is to support artists and expand the reach of folk art to new audiences, honoring traditional practices and celebrating the unique and precious quality that only handmade objects can bring to our lives.

  • Carmella is a journalist, author, and editor who frequently explores intersections in art, culture, and history and is on the Placement Committee for the International Folk Art Market. She has published extensively, including in the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, Latina, and American Craft, and has written several books, including The Work of Art: Folk Artists in the 21st Century, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the International Folk Art Market in 2013. Other books include El Rancho de las Golondrinas: Living History in New Mexico’s La Ciénega Valley; Low ‘n Slow: Lowriding in New Mexico; and The Chile Chronicles: Tales of a New Mexico Harvest. In 2017, Padilla’s book A Red Like No Other: How Cochineal Colored the World, co-edited with Dr. Barbara Anderson, won the College Art Association’s Alfred H. Barr Jr. Award for distinguished scholarship in art history. A native Santa Fean, Padilla is a recipient of the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the City of Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Literary Arts, and the New Mexico Community Foundation Luminaria Award.

  • Shobhan is the owner of Porter Associates Inc. and is on the Placement Committee for the International Folk Art Market. Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Shobhan Porter grew up mostly in Santa Fe. She got her start in life spending time in Europe with relatives and traveling with her parents Helga & Greig Porter on buying trips in search of antiques, jewelry and clothing. Her experiences grew into her pursuit of International Studies at Vassar College and an International MBA at Thunderbird School of Global Management. She worked on several health projects in Latin America and entered the world of High Tech for several startups and Oracle Corporation. Shobhan’s vision has transformed the business begun by her parents to expand into three stores on the Santa Fe Plaza: Santa Fe Dry Goods, Workshop & Wild Life.

  • Peter Speliopoulos, the founder of Peter Speliopoulos Projects, is a multidisciplinary artist creating ceramics, and home objects and is on the Placement Committee for the International Folk Art Market. His foundation as a fashion designer, creative director and designer of costumes for opera and modern ballet have influenced his work. He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Design and Creative Director of Donna Karan New York, and former Creative Director of Cerruti Arte, Paris, and has designed for leading international fashion houses in France, Italy, and New York, for over 30 years. Peter noted from having attended the International Folk Art Market | Santa Fe over several years now, “Folk art and the artisan hand, Indigenous arts— these have always inspired my work in fashion and costume...”

Living Traditions, Thriving Communities

Every piece of jewelry, ceramics, tapestry, and pieces of art one purchases at the International Folk Art Market are results of generational traditions being kept a live by some of the most talented and committed artists in the world, despite economic, environmental, social, and political pressures. Your donations go toward artist and community-centric programs that benefit folk artists and the feasibility of the Market.

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