INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MARKET NEWS
The world-renowned International Folk Art Market (IFAM) is scheduled to be live July 7 – 18 in Santa Fe. To kick off this year’s event is a virtual Spring Preview Auction that showcases pieces from 2021 Market artists, including first-time Market participants. Funds raised will support first-time Market artists receiving financial assistance and aid others with booth fees. Proceeds also support IFAM’s Mentor to Market Artist Education Program and its move to an all-digital platform to provide support to artists worldwide.
El Grupo Bayate, a group of Cuban artists who’ve participated in IFAM for years, insisted on donating items to the spring event, since IFAM has supported them throughout the years. The group is located in Mella, a village in southeastern Cuba. Their work is informed by the lives and traditions of their agricultural communities.
“The Market has helped numerous artists in improving their living conditions and some have even been able to build or re-build their homes and workspaces,” said El Grupo Bayate artist Luis El Estudiante. “Our community consists of some 35 artists ranging in age from 20 to 75 with more than 30 years of experiences in painting. I can say with certainty that the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market is the absolute best experience we have had. It has provided a great benefit by enabling our small towns to preserve their cultural traditions.”
Learn more about El Grupo Bayate at:
http://ifamstories.org/artists/el-grupo-bayate/
There will be eight paintings from El Grupo Bayate in the exhibit. Additionally, there will be a sculpture by Leandro Gómez from Baracoa, Cuba, whose work was featured in a New York Times article. Another auction highlight, IFAM’s CEO Stuart Ashman, originally from Cuba, will create a traditional Cuban feast, a pig roast for 50 people. The event will feature music by Santa Fe’s Savor Cuban Street Music.
Auction attendees will have the opportunity to view and bid on paintings, basketry, ceramics, apparel, textiles, jewelry, and metalwork, as well as take part in unique, IFAM-exclusive experiences. The auction preview (no bidding), will open on Sunday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m. (MST). Auction bidding will open on Wednesday, March 24 at 10:00 a.m. (MST) and will remain open until Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m. (MST).
To register for the 2021 IFAM Spring Preview Auction, visit https://one.bidpal.net/springpreview2021 .
For more information on the summer event, visit https://folkartmarket.org.
ABOUT IFAM
The International Folk Art Market Santa Fe is a non-profit operating in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of New Mexico Foundation and the City of Santa Fe. To learn more about the International Folk Art Market, go to https://folkartmarket.org/ .