If you are planning any summer getaways, consider visiting Santa Fe for one of its world-renowned art festivals:  The International Folk Market July 14-16.  The Market is on every art- and culture lover’s don’t-miss list.  People of all backgrounds and beliefs will unite as the Market welcomes master artists, entrepreneurs, global citizens, and community leaders whose creativity provides common ground in an increasingly polarized world.

Santa Fe has for centuries been an international crossroads of culture and commerce. Since the Market’s inception in 2004, the city has become more vital as a point of connection in a globalized but fractious world.  A place where the humanity of hand-made triumphs over mass-production.

The Market, juried by two panels of experts, is carefully curated to represent the highest quality folk art made in the world.  The Market’s artist-centered model is supported through longtime partnerships with such respected global thought leaders as UNESCO and the World Craft Council.

Real Change Around the World

Every folk art purchase at the Market—90 percent of which goes home with individual artists, family enterprises, or community cooperatives—is a catalyst for economic opportunity and positive social change.   The impact is especially great for disenfranchised women and artists from developing countries, where artisan work is second only to agriculture and daily income averages less than $3.10 per day.

Since 2004, more than 800 Market artists representing 90 countries have earned a combined $25 million. They have returned home to build schools, bridges, wells, and community centers, purchase milking cows and medical supplies, and fight political dislocation, gender inequity, and other forms of social and economic oppression. Their success has collectively impacted an estimated 1.1 million lives.

As Lulama, a maker of beaded animals from Capetown, South Africa, says, “We hope that beyond owning a piece of artwork, people will remember the story of the people who created it.”

Click here to connect to the Folk Market website.