Summer in Santa Fe: Arts Calendar - Don't miss an art market or show this year

Here we go again! It’s summer and Santa Fe has an excellent line up of art exhibits and markets. Mark your calendars!

Santa Fe is poised for yet another one-of-a-kind summer season of the city’s centuries-old dedication to the arts. Local art collective Meow Wolf’s exceptionally successful opening of the “House of Eternal Return”—a project backed by best-selling author and resident George R.R. Martin—is just one of many special new opportunities for travelers of all backgrounds.

This summer, Santa Fe hosts dozens of new and traditional markets that showcase a spectrum of artwork to thrill all tastes. Mainstay events such as the Santa Fe Indian Market celebrating a 95^th anniversary and younger but rapidly-expanding and socially-impactful events such as the International Folk Art Market, voted #1 Best Art Festival in the U.S., provide visitors with unrivaled cultural immersion. 

Find a full calendar of events on www.santafe.org including:

Santa Fe Art Trifecta (July 7-17)

This magical ten-day summer stretch is known as the “Santa Fe Art Trifecta” and consists of ART Santa Fe, the International Folk Art Market and SITE Santa Fe. Two of three were voted #1 and #4 in a 2015 USA Today 10Best Reader’s Choice poll for Best U.S. Art Festival and all three provide visitors with a glimpse into why the city is universally renowned as both a traditional and contemporary mecca for the arts.

ART Santa Fe (July 7-10)

ART Santa Fe brings collectors together with artists and representatives from dozens of galleries around the world. This event—a four-day juried contemporary art show featuring extraordinary global art, specially curated programming, special events, and entertainment—showcases a variety of modern and contemporary work by both acclaimed masters as well as emerging artists. 

The International Folk Art Market (July 8-10)

The International Folk Art Market, ranked as the “Best Art Festival in America,” is a colorful festival at which hundreds of master folk artists from dozens of countries in addition to tens of thousands of visitors and volunteers congregate on the city’s Museum Hill in what has blossomed into the largest event of its kind. 

As the goal of the Market is to preserve living folk art traditions while creating economic opportunities for folk artists, approximately 90 percent of the sales are allocated to return home with the artists to their native countries. This year, the Market is estimated to generate $3 million in sales, in addition to an $11 million impact for the local economy.

SITE Santa Fe (July 7-17)

This celebrated gallery established the country’s first global contemporary art biennial and in 2016 will open “Much Wider Than a Line,” the second installment in its biennial series “SITElines: New Perspectives on Art of the Americas.” The exhibition will feature 35 artists from 16 countries and 11 new commissions brought together by a team of five international curators. “Much Wider Than a Line” is an articulation of the interconnectedness of the Americas and various shared experiences such as the recognition of colonial legacies, expressions of the vernacular, the influence of indigenous understandings and our relationship to the land.

Traditional Spanish Market (July 30-31)

The Traditional Spanish Market is celebrating its 65^th year and features a wide variety of stunning artwork all handmade in traditional Spanish Colonial style by hundreds of local Hispanic artists. The Market also showcases live music, dance, art demonstrations and delectable regional cuisine.  

Contemporary Hispanic Market (July 30-31)

The Contemporary Hispanic Market showcases original work and individual expression in the mediums of painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, weaving and more. Both the Traditional Spanish Market and Contemporary Hispanic Market are held in the area surrounding Santa Fe’s historic downtown plaza and draw many thousands of visitors to the city formerly known as “New Spain.”

Objects of Art Santa Fe (August 11-14)

Objects of Art Santa Fe is held in Santa Fe’s Railyard district at El Museo Cultural to showcase a wide variety of work including furniture, jewelry, textiles and more courtesy of more than 70 prestigious galleries and exhibitors. 

Whitehawk Antique Indian & Ethnographic Art Shows (August 12-15)

These annual shows celebrate their 38^th anniversaries and feature the finest in ethnographic art and historic antique Indian art. Each boasts more than 100 dealers and features a collection of merchandise not found anywhere else in the world.  

The Antique American Indian Art Show (August 16-19)

The Antique American Indian Art Show Santa Fe is the most anticipated show and sale of historic Indian art of the summer art season and brings together nearly 70 of the world’s most knowledgeable experts in American Indian art and thousands of select historic art objects from indigenous cultures throughout North America. The show is in its third year and is the largest of its kind in the world.

Indigenous Fine Art Market (August 18-20)

The Indigenous Fine Art Movement is the Native-owned nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for Native artists by building and promoting market places so artists can sell directly to their clients in beautiful outdoor and indoor settings. IFAM is about sharing the Native narrative with the world through the connections and relationships made with those who experience the art. IFAM’s events and youth, music and literary programs create a greater understanding of the complexity and beauty of Native American culture and people as they evolve and exist today.

Santa Fe Indian Market (August 20-21)

Santa Fe Indian Market, organized by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), celebrates its 95^th anniversary in 2016 and is the largest event of its kind. The market draws more than 100,000 collectors and gallery owners to Santa Fe’s historic downtown plaza as they meet with thousands of artists representing dozens of tribes. Artwork includes a wide selection of jewelry, textiles, baskets, beadwork, quillwork, pueblo wooden carvings, sculptures, drums, hides, leather goods and more. The Market also includes an awards ceremony and a Live Auction Gala, as well as a Native American fashion show, Native Cinema Showcase and performances of indigenous music, dance, storytelling and comedy. An absolute Bucket List event for any traveler.