Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Reflections from Culture Day: Arts, Culture, and Economic Development

From left to right:  JoAnn Balzer, Board Member; Charlene Cerny, Co-Founder and Executive Director; Charmay Allred, Co-Founder and Board Member; Senator Nancy Rodriguez; Carol Robertson Lopez, Board Member; Judy Espinar, Co-Founder and Creative Director

Each year during the New Mexico legislative session, one day is designated Culture Day: an opportunity to celebrate the rich cultural resources we have throughout the state. This year, it was February 15th, and the Rotunda of the State capitol was full of engaging exhibits from each of the museums, state monuments, libraries, arts and preservation programs. 

As part of Culture Day, Senator Nancy Rodriguez read a proclamation on the Senate Floor honoring the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. 

Other senators including Dede Feldman, Peter Wirth, Carlos Cisneros, Richard Martinez, and Mary Jane Garcia all spoke about the value of the Folk Art Market to our state – not only the cultural diversity and global perspective it brings, but the value of the tourist dollars as well.

Monday, February 08, 2010

The Folk Art Market is featured as one of the recommended events to attend in an in-depth article about Santa Fe in Sunday’s New York Times travel section.

The piece by Henry Shukman looks at the rich artistic and cultural resources in the city, and the combination of preservation and re-invention that keeps Santa Fe vibrant.

The Folk Art Market is described as “an outstanding market in a city of markets”.

> You can read the full story here.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Quilters from the Lila Handicrafts cooperative living in a small village in the Sindh province of Pakistan have recently launched the Santa Fe Desert School in a single room in their village using their earnings from the Market. 

Children of the Lila Handicrafts artisans attending their school

The school in the village of Kaloi in the Tharparker District was named to commemorate their connection to the Folk Art Market - Lila Handicrafts have attended the Market every year since it started in 2004.

Plans are underway to build a more permanent school based on the unique architecture of Santa Fe that will serve as a permanent building for the 24 children of the artisans there.

The cooperative previously used funds earned at the Market to send the artisans’ children to the Brightening Stars School, a private school in a neighboring town.