Art markets
Santa Fe’s world-class markets give visitors reasons to browse
Santa Fe is known as a premier destination for both art and culture, and this summer a wide range of art markets will put both art and culture on display.
Spanning many nationalities and specializing in many mediums, hundreds of artists will be arriving in Santa Fe to display their work at a variety of art markets. These unique and stunning markets offer the chance to view worldclass artwork and interact with the artists creating the work, too.
Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival
Santa Fe Convention Center
10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 27-28
$10 May 27 (early bird $25; 9-10 a.m.), free May 28 nativetreasures.org
Known as “one of the most important Indian art shows in the country,” this event will feature more than 200 artists from more than 40 tribes selling their original work.
The festival is curated each year by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, which hand-picks the artists in attendance.
This wide-ranging festival will feature an abundance of different museumquality works ranging from pottery to textiles to jewelry. While the art may be the highlight of the show, food and music will be available during the festival to entertain the crowd. Sunday will feature the “Native Treasures Street Eats” food truck event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Native Treasures benefits the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture with each artist donating a portion of their sales.
International Folk Art Market
Museum Hill in Santa Fe
10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. July 15 (early bird 7:3010 a.m.) 9 a.m.-5 p.m. July 16
$15 July 15, $10 July 16 folkalliance.org
Artists from all over the world will gather in Santa Fe during the annual International Folk Art Market. This eclectic market will feature 160 artists representing 53 countries. Art is the focus of the event, but event organizers are highlighting the power that art has in building communities around the world.
“Seeing these cultural treasures and meeting the artists creates a connectivity that stirs the heart, opens the mind, and invites us to speak a single language,” says Judith Espinar, a co-founder of the Market.
Money earned at the market goes back to the home countries of the artists and is used as a source of economic development and growth.
Traditional Spanish Market
Santa Fe Plaza
July 29-30
Free spanishcolonial.org
A stunning array of traditional Spanish artwork will be on display and for sale at the 66th Traditional Spanish Market in the Santa Fe Plaza. This annual event draws around 250 artists from New Mexico and Colorado for a weekend showcasing a wide variety of traditional Spanish art like woodworking, tinwork, retablos and pottery. “Skilled artists and craftspeople create these breathtaking expressions of a living tradition, and many of them count
their art as their only source of income,” says David Setford of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. “Styles and quality are very different and far more exacting in terms of traditional accuracy and finish than tourist pieces commonly sold elsewhere.”
While the market is the primary draw for people seeking unique Spanish art, the Spanish Colonial Arts Society will be hosting a variety of events around Santa Fe from lecture series to tours to culinary events during the week prior.
Contemporary Hispanic Market
Lincoln Avenue
8 a.m.-5 p.m. July 29-30
Free contemporaryhispanicmarketinc.com
Held the same weekend as Traditional Spanish Market on Lincoln Avenue, adjacent to the Santa Fe Plaza, the Contemporary Hispanic Market showcases original work and individual expression in painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, weaving and more.
New Mexico artists will have 134 booths for browsing and buying.
Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe Plaza
7 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 19;
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 20
Free swaia.org
A breathtaking selection of art will fill the Santa Fe Plaza and the surrounding streets as hundreds of Native American artists gather for the 96th annual Santa Fe Indian Market.
Featuring artists from more than 200 tribes, this market is “the largest, oldest, and most prestigious Indian art market in the world,” says spokeswoman Amanda Crocker.
This acclaimed event draws nearly 120,000 visitors each year, making it one of New Mexico’s largest cultural attractions, Crocker says.
The size of the event allows artists to make a substantial living, and awards can often be a “career changer,” according to Crocker. Nearly $100,000 is given out each year in prize money.
While the event creates an outlet for Native American artists to make a living, it is also a celebration of the diversity of culture, tradition and art.
“Santa Fe Indian Market is all about creating a platform and exposure for Native artists,” says Dallin Maybee, chief operating officer for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. “Our art forms are intrinsically tied to our cultural identity and we are fortunate to be working with and supporting so many talented artists, it’s truly a dream.”