International Folk Art Market
Santa Fe summer festival brings the world together
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The International Folk Art Market (IFAM), held every July in Santa Fe, is one of my all-time favorite New Mexico festivals. If you love art, cultural adventures and intercultural exchanges, this is right up your alley!
This happens to be the 20th year for the market so it’s quite a special occasion. The downtown Railyard neighborhood of Santa Fe will be filled with tents and colorful decorations, and over 150 folk artists from over 50 countries will be there to share their beautiful creations. The first time I attended IFAM in 2009, I felt like I got a round-the-world ticket without ever having to leave Santa Fe.
The truly wonderful thing about IFAM is the mission of the organization and the spirit with which the event is carried out. IFAM was founded with the intention to “create economic opportunities for and with folk artists worldwide who celebrate and preserve folk art traditions.”
As a nonprofit, IFAM relies primarily on volunteers to pull off this epic event, and it commits to making sure the vast majority of sales revenue goes right back to the artists. The artists in turn bring that money back to their communities and often use it for much needed development projects.
You get to take home amazing creations of all kinds — pottery, textiles, baskets, metalwork and jewelry, paintings, and more — and the artist has a chance to make more money than they might in an entire year and help their villages. I can’t think of a better combination.
