Take A Trip Around The World At The Largest International Folk Art Market In New Mexico
By Chris Muras|Published December 14, 2022
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Chris Muras
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New Mexico has always had a rich cultural and artistic history. From early Native American artists dating back thousands of years to the contemporary artists of today, New Mexico is well known for its thriving arts community. It should come as no surprise that the world’s biggest International Folk Art Market started right here in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The market had humble beginnings as a small grass-roots organization in 2004, but now IFAM has grown up.
What once was a one-weekend-a-year event, has turned into a year-long program that empowers artists and cultures from all over the world. From master world-renowned folk artists to artisans looking to provide a better life for their families in small communities all over the globe.
The International Folk Art Market is held every July in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It features the work of more than 150 artists from 60 different countries.
It must be an amazing feeling to travel all across the world to attend an event that celebrates your culture and values the hard work you do as an artist. But the impact doesn't end there. These artists are often members of local co-ops in their country. In fact, these 150-plus artists represent another 25,690 members of cooperatives and groups from their home countries.
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The three-day event in July brings in over 20,000 visitors who support the artists by watching them work, listening to their stories, and buying their art.
More than $3 million in folk art is purchased during the event. On average, nearly $20,000 per booth goes home to support the artist, their families, and their entire community.
Half of the world's population lives off of less than $2 per day. And many, if not all of these artists come from parts of the world that fall in that category. From this event, hundreds of thousands of lives are changed. Much of the money generated from the event goes on to help build homes, bridges, and even schools.
Djamol Temirov is a textile artist from Uzbekistan. He creates new art pieces from old wool carpets. It's something he has been doing for more than two decades.
It is a tradition that dates back to the 16th-century when artisans from Uzbekistan and Central Asia set up shops in their local communities.
Aside from artists selling their work, many also give live demonstrations of how they create their pieces, or in this case, a Djembe drum artist shows off the beautiful music from his culture on one of the drums he has made.
Live musical performances from international musicians are also held on the main stage. Food is served from many of the 60 nations the artists represent as well.
Each year, more than 2,100 people volunteer their time to put on the event and smaller events all year long. More than 40,000 volunteer hours each year are generously spent to support folk artists from all over the world.
Like this one for example: Elisa Ayala and Josué Castro are world-renowned folk artists from Mexico. They create beautiful and somewhat haunting cartonería, which is Mexican paper mâché. Their workshop and lecture covered the history of Día de Muertos and its influence on Mexican folk art.
It is events like these small pop-ups celebrating artists and cultures from around the world that bring us all together. The International Folk Art Market as an event and as an organization is important not only for the beautiful genre of art it represents, but for the change it creates in the world.
When you support events like the IFAM, or even local art crawls, fairs, and markets, it encourages artists to have the courage to display their passion for all of us to enjoy. It also celebrates the unique cultures and people of the world. Will you put attending the International Folk Art Market on your bucket list?
