What's the world coming to? Santa Fe

Jul. 1—India, Indonesia, Ukraine, Mexico, Japan, and Colombia. For four days in July, representatives from these and dozens of other countries around the world (49 in all) converge on Museum Hill for the 18th annual International Folk Art Market. It runs Thursday, July 7, through July 10.

Collectives and individual folk artists working in all manner of living folk art traditions present their textiles, pottery, paintings, sculpture, carvings, jewelry, and more in a vibrant atmosphere of dazzling color and summer crowds. You'll find thousands of objects with stories to tell and dozens of travelers from distant lands willing to share those tales.

This year, discover the kimonos of Japanese textile artist Tsuyo Onodera and her daughter Maki Aizawa; Guatemalan artist Rosario Ratzán's intricately embroidered textiles and beaded accessories; the eclectic jewelry designs of Mexican collective Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts (looking for a beaded pendant of Frida Kahlo?); and the micaceous, utilitarian Pueblo pottery of Taos artist Brandon Adriano Ortiz. More than 160 artists join the market this year, up from the roughly 50 participants in 2020. The market, at its height, in 2018, saw 21,000 visitors and about the same number of artists as that slated for 2022.

"We're returning to the full physical footprint, so that's a two-level market," says IFAM's Chief Executive Officer Melissa Mann, who took over the position from prior CEO Stuart Ashman, who stepped down at the end of 2021. "Because COVID is still out there, and we're in something of a transitional period financially — as are the artists and vendors — all of our community partners are struggling with the cost of goods and services. We've been calling it a transitional market."

Mann and her team are aiming for a total attendance of about 16,000, which is about 5,000 more than 2021, but less than pre-pandemic attendance, which was often reached more than 20,000. Still, despite the pandemic, IFAM made more than $2 million in sales in 2021, marking the year as one of the market's best, despite the pandemic. The market was spread out over two long weekends instead of one, to allow for as many visitors as possible. For safety reasons, attendance was restricted to timed entry, which IFAM is doing again for 2022.

"It's what I'm calling hard entry, soft exit," says Mann, who says the market will permit 500 people in at a time. But, unlike last year, the market will be in the Museum Hill parking lot, as well as Milner Plaza, leaving ample room for leisurely browsing.

"Last year, people loved it. Not just was it more physically pleasant, it gave that extra time for people to really talk to the artists and get the context and background. And we had some of the highest ever sales. I think it was because of making that personal connection."

Mann, who's originally from New Mexico, joined IFAM in 2019 as its director of external affairs after a 30-year career managing the international movement of radioactive materials, specializing in non-proliferation policy and related export controls and transportation regulations in Washington, D.C.

"Somebody I knew through my old career — and just doing business in New Mexico — Jenny Kimball from La Fonda, sent me the job opening for the head of advancement for fundraising. She knew I came to the market almost every year from Washington. I said, 'Oh. Great. I'll try to think of somebody.' It took me a couple of weeks to realize that she meant me."

Mann took on additional responsibilities during the pandemic, and when Ashman announced that he was leaving, IFAM's board tapped her to take over the position. And her vision, going forward, includes continued economic support of folk artists worldwide. IFAM maintains a Mentor to Market program, which helps artists acquire the skills and business acumen to compete in the global marketplace.

"The artists' world has changed over the last couple of years," Mann says. "They've got a lot of hardship. We're still seeing a lot of illness and artists not being able to get materials, trying to figure out if they can still do this for a living. How do you make this market a relevant event for them in that context?"

In the midst of climate change, economic and ecological disasters, and social and political upheaval affecting communities around the world, folk artists, as the representatives of a living tradition, innovate and adapt when their resources dry up or their access to resources is removed. But a tradition's survival is not a given. Part of IFAM's mission is the preservation of folk art traditions and the fostering of artists who work for change within their communities. For instance, India-based WomenWeave Charitable Trust, a participating collective, teaches handloom and rural weaving techniques, with an aim towards turning them into profitable and sustainable business ventures for its artists, who make saris, lungi (a type of men's sarong), and other textiles.

Enriching the market is the return of past features, which were put on hold for 2020 and 2021, including food vendors, dance, and music. At IFAM's inaugural Night Market (6 p.m. Saturday, July 9), for instance, Indigenous Colombian rap group Kombilesa Mi performs on Milner Plaza, while the market booths remain open late for sales.

"This group is from the Afro-Caribbean tradition, and they sing and rap in their indigenous language," Mann says. "They've really been credited for keeping the language alive."

The artists represent two groups: those who participated in the formal jurying process and U.S.-based artists nominated by local cultural institutions, including the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, the School for Advanced Research, and the Museum of International Folk Art.

"Of [164 artists invited], we have 141 who are absolutely confirmed," Mann said about two weeks ago. "But some of them are still battling visa issues. The fact that we have this many coming is a real testament to constituent services at Senator [Martin] Heinrich's office. They have worked assiduously to get these artists here. A lot of consulates still aren't open, and some artists aren't receiving visa appointments until the spring of 2024. We said, 'Keep those appointments and reapply.' But we've tried to move those up."

IFAM, as in past years, arranged for volunteers to be available to man booths for any artists not physically present (their merchandise is typically shipped in advance and stored at IFAM Center). And Mann says the volunteers often go the extra mile. In past years, they've Zoomed or Skyped with artists in other countries to learn about the specific traditions and use of materials so they can effectively convey that to the visitors.

Two artists bring first-time representation from their respective nations, including an artist from Finland and one from Russia.

"As you can imagine, the Russian artist will not be coming, but the Finnish artist is, and her work has some resonance with the Dressing with Purpose exhibit up at the Museum of International Folk Art.

While IFAM's selection committee is looking at artistic excellence and execution in each applicant, part of their criteria is the degree of an artist's tie to a community and its traditions. A placement committee shapes the overall feel for the market in their final selections.

"Are they seeing a particular trend that they want to pull the string on? Maybe we have five amazing ceramic artists but two of them are really duplicative, or they want to make room for them all because they're telling five different, fascinating stories."