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Santa Fe International Folk Market

The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market is a results-oriented entrepreneurial organization that provides a venue for traditional artists to display, demonstrate and sell their work. By providing opportunities for folk artists to succeed in the global marketplace, the Market creates economic empowerment and improves the quality of life in communities where folk artists live. Now the largest international folk art market in the world, leading to Santa Fe’s designation as a UNESCO City of Folk Art. As a leading international folk art organization, they envision a world that celebrates and values evolving traditional art and cultures, where a dynamic global folk art market ensures a dignified, sustainable living for folk artists, who are essential to preserving cultural diversity.

The mission of the Market is to foster economic and cultural sustainability for folk artists and folk art worldwide and to create intercultural exchange opportunities that unite the peoples of the world.

The Market fulfills its mission by providing opportunities for some of the world’s finest folk artists to participate in an annual festive, two-day event.  The Market takes place in in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where every July, more than 120 select folk artists from over 45 countries travel to historic Santa Fe where thousands of national and international visitors gather to admire and buy distinct folk art forms that express the world’s diverse cultures. Visitors attending the Market enjoy ethnic foods, artists’ demonstrations, international performances, and educational activities all weekend long.

Many of the Market artists are from developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central Asia, Eurasia, and the Middle East where they confront daunting political, social, and environmental conditions. Some Market participants also include women’s cooperatives and humanitarian organizations whose work supports improving economic conditions and the quality of life for many- sometimes hundreds- of folk artists in their home communities.

The impact of the Market on the artists’ home communities is considerable. In many cases, artists use earnings for food, clothing, healthcare, education, and as an investment in their growing business enterprises.

Website: www.folkartmarket.org/