Indian Market
Aug. 18-19
Santa Fe Plaza area
The Santa Fe Indian Market is not unlike the average shopping endeavor, except for the authentic Native American art. Featuring hundreds of Native artists from around the United States, the festival has more turquoise than you’ve ever seen in one place. It features pottery, sculpture, textiles, jewelry, paintings, beadwork, baskets, wooden carvings and a plethora of other items such as bows and arrows, cradleboards and drums. Each artist is present to discuss his or her work.
Traditional Spanish Market
July 27-29
Santa Fe Plaza
Representing Santa Fe’s vibrant Spanish culture is the annual Traditional Spanish Market, which features handmade creations from more than 200 local artists focusing on traditional styles, such as bultos and milagros. Continuous music and dance keep it lively. Regional food is also available around the market, so you can snack while you shop. Spanish art demonstrations are common in the middle of the Plaza. Funded by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, special awards are given to acknowledge special artistic skill among the many participating artists.
Contemporary Hispanic Market
July 28-29
Lincoln Ave. (near the Plaza)
Although it always coincides with the Traditional Spanish Market, the Contemporary Hispanic Market is actually a separate event, run by a nonprofit committee of 12 artists. This market breaks from Spanish Market’s traditional mold and features jewelry, glass, metalwork, watercolors, oils, photography, furniture, weaving, printmaking, drawings, pastels, ceramics and mixed media. All work is created by local Hispanic artists and presented in 134 booths across Lincoln Avenue.
International Folk Art Market
July 13-15
Museum Hill
Held on Museum Hill, the International Folk Art Market invites artisans from around the globe to participate, and a slew of international cuisine is on offer as well. Colorful clothing is the norm, and music and special performances from assorted cultures take place throughout. Female artists from Mexico are said to truly benefit from the contributions of this market, and the booths boast inventions from Haiti, Zambia, Pakistan, Chile, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Laos and more.
Art Santa Fe
July 12-15
Santa Fe Community Convention Center
Art Santa Fe celebrates its 12th festival in 2012, and Bullseye Glass Co. is slated for a kiln-glass demonstration, bringing real focus to the work that goes into glass creations. Art Santa Fe serves as a venue for collectors and passionate art-seekers, mixing installations and contemporary gallery work with interactive meetings. Artists are available to discuss their ideas. Art lovers will be comfortable in this consciously high-class fair, which coins itself “glamorous.”
Will Shuster’s Zozobra /Fiesta de Santa Fé
Zozobra: Sept. 6, Fort Marcy Park, zozobra.com
Fiesta de Santa Fe: Sept. 7-9, various locations, santafefiesta.org
At dusk on Fiesta Thursday, a tradition conceived in 1924 by artist Will Shuster begins. A large marionette nicknamed Zozobra, or Old Man Gloom—a 50-foot-tall, moaning papier-mâché construction—is torched. Shuster imagined that Zozobra represented all the hardships and disappointments of the previous year, and as he burns away, so (allegedly) do all negative past experiences. The rest of Fiesta weekend is filled with festivities and theatrics, including the court of the Fiesta queen and princesses, the Pet Parade and the Historical/Hysterical Parade.
The Reporter Festival
Sept. 23-30
Various locations
Progressive art is the name of the game at The Reporter Festival. Kicking off with the After Hours Alliance Festival in the Railyard, this weeklong event offers a hip, independent opportunity for Santa Fe artists to collaborate and celebrate their crafts. In 2011, the AHA Festival alone featured more than 75 artists and musicians, outdoor performances, poetry readings, book signings, spontaneous presentations and installation art; the expanded 2012 festival aims to be bigger and better in every way.
Santa Fe Bandstand
July 5-Aug. 16
Santa Fe Plaza
We’re just going to say it: Summer in Santa Fe is the time and place to be, due in no small part to Outside In Productions’ Santa Fe Bandstand. Despite the tragic passing away of Outside In Director and founder David Lescht, the organization has promised to keep up its beloved summer series, which offers two performances a day, four days a week, on the Plaza. 2011’s 78 performances featured an eclectic mix of local and touring acts, including local country outfit Broomdust Caravan and jazz pianist Mose Allison. While you’re dancing on the Plaza as the sun sets over the adobe, say a little thank-you to Lescht for creating one of Santa Fe’s best events.
