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Facts from the 2008 Market

The Market is extraordinary in many ways, and while this can’t be expressed fully in statistics, the numbers do tell a compelling story. Here are some details from last year’s market (2008):

Artists Participation

The Market had 412 applicants. There were 125 artists from 41 different countries across 6 continents—8 new countries were represented (not presented in 2007) including Bolivia, El Salvador, Kenya, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, and Thailand.  Twenty-six artists’ cooperatives from India, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Mexico, Zambia, and more also participated. 

More than half of the artists were first-timers to the Market. Artist cooperatives and non-profit organizations sponsored approximately one-third of the artists.  Dealers sponsored an additional quarter, and the remaining artists came on their own or were sponsored by foundations or individuals.  The Market was able to fully sponsor 26 artists (covering airfare, food, and lodging) through the generosity of individual contributions and private foundations.

Attendance

20,400 people attended (an 18% increase over 2007).  More than half of attendees (55%) came from outside of Santa Fe from 41 different states and 9 foreign countries.  International dignitaries from South Africa, Kenya, India and more visited as well.

Artists’ Sales

Artists’ sales increased by 18% over the 2007 Market-- from $1.7 million to $2 million.  The average sales per booth amounted to $16,300.  Of the booths for which the Market handled sales, 62% earned more than $10,000.  Artists retain 93% of their sales.  Revenues earned support their livelihoods and their families and helps sustain entire communities.

Community Volunteers

A corps of over 1,000 dedicated volunteers helped create this event, a 25% increase over the 2007 Market.  Volunteers were involved in nearly every facet of the Market, dedicating over 15,000 of hours of work towards planning, overseeing, and executing artist coordination, hospitality, marketing, events, office assistance, and Market production.  The dollar value of volunteer time dedicated to the 2008 Market was over $746,000.

Economic Impact

Out-of-town visitors (who stayed in hotels, motels, and B&Bs) stayed on average 5.63 nights (using a weighted average) and generated approximately $233,395 in lodger’s tax and $264,654 in gross receipts tax (GRT) from room nights alone, not counting the tax generated through other purchases such as gas, food, shopping, and other travel-related expenses.  GRT from artists’ sales totaled $159,264 combined with GRT from room nights (above) totaled $423,916 paid to the State, with another $233,395 in lodger’s tax, totaling $657,313 in tax revenue.  This represents an 8.5% increase over 2007.