About a month ago was the annual Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. Every year the folk art market brings thousands of artists from around the world to share their culture and crafts with the people of Santa Fe and beyond. I volunteered as an artist assistant to an artist from India who produced gorgeous block printed textiles using all-natural dyes and made from silk, cotton, and wool. The most popular item were the scarves and they were flying off the tables both days I worked in the booth. I splurged and ended up buying three of them. The event can be incredibly overwhelming, trying to walk in the midst of thousands of people is nearly impossible. I'm not into it for the shopping/buying part, but more for the opportunity to interact more closely with the artist and their work. The experience also provides great people watching opportunities; there are so many characters in Santa Fe anyway, and when you get them all together in one place at the the same time, along with few hundred out-of-towners, it can be fascinating. One of the greatest things about the market is that 90% of the profits are returned to the artists to help support themselves and the people in their communities.
*The first three photos are from last year's market.
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