Events

There’s always something exciting happening at the Museum of International Folk Art! Join us for our many programs listed below.

Protection: Adaptation and Resistance
Lectures and Talks Exhibition Opening

Protection: Adaptation and Resistance

December 3, 2023
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join us for the exhibit opening!  FREE for all New Mexico residents.

1:00 - 2:00 pm  -  "Indigenizing Artistic Engagement in Alaska"  A conversation with Asia Freeman, exhibition curator and Bunnell Street Art Center director, and Melissa Shaginoff, co-curator of Ghhúunayúkata/To Keep Them Warm: The Alaska Native Parka.

2:00 - 4:00 pm - The Women’s Board  hosts refreshments in the Atrium.

To request ASL Interpretation contact Patricia Sigala by November 28 at: patricia.sigala@dca.nm.gov

The traveling exhibition Protection: Adaptation and Resistance presents the work of more than 45 Alaska Native artists who explore the themes of climate crisis, struggles for social justice, strengthening communities through ancestral knowledge, and imagining a thriving future. 

The diverse works in the exhibition range from regalia to images of traditional tattooing, graphic design, and posters for public health and well-being. Iñupiaq artist Amber Webb’s 12-foot-high qaspeq (a cloth hooded overshirt) features the drawn portraits of more than 200 Indigenous women who have been missing or murdered in Alaska since 1950. This Memorial Qaspeq makes visible the scale of loss and grief the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) has in Indigenous communities, and with this installation, Webb calls for a solution to violence against women and healing for Native communities.

Protection: Adaptation and Resistance is a project of the Bunnell Street Art Center in Homer, Alaska. It is made possible, in part, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, The CIRI Foundation, the Alaska Community Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, and the Alaska Humanities Forum.

Protection complements the MOIFA exhibition Ghhúunayúkata/To Keep Them Warm: The Alaska Native Parka, which opened at the museum in May 2023. The idea of protection is also inherent in Ghhúunayúkata/To Keep Them Warm, which examines the Alaska Native parka, a garment made for survival in the harsh environments where Alaska Native peoples live and thrive. Both exhibitions will be on display through April 7, 2024.

 “Protection: Adaptation and Resistance centers Indigenous ways of knowing. Working within intergenerational learning groups and as collaborators in vibrant community networks, Alaska’s Indigenous artists invigorate traditional stories and propose resilient new futures through design, tattoo, regalia, and graphic arts,” said exhibition curator and Bunnell Street Art Center director, Asia Freeman. “The projects featured in this exhibition elevate collaboration, allyship, and community as tools of resistance, adaptation, and cultural affirmation.”The diverse works in the exhibition range from regalia to images of traditional tattooing, graphic design, and posters for public health and well-being. Iñupiaq artist Amber Webb’s 12-foot-high qaspeq (a cloth hooded overshirt) features the drawn portraits of more than 200 Indigenous women who have been missing or murdered in Alaska since 1950. This Memorial Qaspeq makes visible the scale of loss and grief the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) has in Indigenous communities, and with this installation, Webb calls for a solution to violence against women and healing for Native communities.Some of the artists included in Protection include: Bobby Brower, Lily Hope, Melissa Ingersoll, Joel Isaak, Cassandra Johnson, Tommy Joseph, Dimi Macheras, Helen McLean, Holly Nordlum, Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Melissa Shaginoff, Hanna Sholl, Marjorie Tahbone, Beverly Tuck, Sarah Ayaqi Whalen-Lunn, Crystal Worl, Rico Worl, and Jennifer Younger, Louise Brady and Carol Hughey.

Kaxhatjaa X’óow/Herring Protectors, 2021

Created by K’asheechtlaa (Louise Brady), Káakaxaawulga (Jennifer Younger), and Carol Hughey with various volunteers. Herring design by Kitkun (Charlie Skultka Jr.)

Wool felt, silk WWII Japanese parachute cloth, metallic fabrics, ribbon, mother-of-pearl, akoya shell, abalone, dimes

Photo credit: Caitlin Blaisdell

Courtesy of Bunnell Street Arts Center

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VIRTUAL TOURS: Alexander GirardÂ's Nativities
Travel and Tours Holiday Featured Event

VIRTUAL TOURS: Alexander GirardÂ's Nativities

December 5, 2023
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

On this holiday virtual tour, you will be treated to folk art Nativity sets from from many countries of the world, including Italy, Peru, Poland, Germany, Mexico, Portugal, Greece and France collected by Alexander and Susan Girard. During this festive season, celebrate Girard’s love for Nativities that enthralled him as a child and that he grew to collect. MOIFA has over 200 sets from his folk art Nativity collection. The tour includes historical background, fun facts about Girard’s original Nativity installations, and a few surprises. The virtual tour is free, but please register for your preferred date at the links below and we will send you a Zoom link for the tour.

Register for Dec 5, 2023 09:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) here: https://nmculture-org.zoom.us/.../tZEtduChrjgiGdM6I02EQwg...  

Register for Dec 18, 2023 09:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) here: https://nmculture-org.zoom.us/.../tZApcOuoqzwoE9WpznfGKbn... 

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Conversations with Icons, Christine Mather
Members Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) Lectures and Talks

Conversations with Icons, Christine Mather

December 6, 2023
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Friends of Folk Art present Conversations: Intimate Salons with Folk Art Makers, Collectors & Icons with Christine Mather, Folk Art historian, author, purveyor and educator.

Please join us on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 10 a.m. to noon to spend time with art historian and author Christine Mather.  She has lived in Santa Fe since 1975 and her expertise on Spanish Colonial art history and the Southwest as well as her easy and fun writing style have made her books some of the best-selling about Santa Fe and its unique style. The wife of Davis Mather, she has also immersed herself in the folk arts of Mexico, New Mexico, and Native America.  The emphasis of this talk will be on her journey with folk art: from collector, author, purveyor to educator.

This event is for FOFA members ONLY.  FOFA members will receive an invitation by email which will include all the details and the price. A single membership allows access to one ticket. A dual membership allows for two tickets.

For information on joining FOFA, a membership group of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, please click here.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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National premiere screening of the PBS award-winning series
Lectures and Talks Featured Event

National premiere screening of the PBS award-winning series

December 9, 2023
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Join us for the screening of MINIATURES and a discussion with individuals interviewed in the episode: Laura Addison, Museum of International Folk Art; Stuart Ashman, Artes de Cuba Gallery; Nadia Hamid, International Folk Art Market; Thomas Leech, retired, New Mexico History Museum; and Maureen Russell, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Patricia Bischetti, executive producer and director of “Craft in America,” will facilitate the panel discussion.

To request ASL Interpretation for this event, contact Patricia Sigala by December 4th at: patricia.sigala@dca.nm.gov

MINIATURES explores the world of tiny objects and the artists who make them. From folk art to marionettes to tiny furniture, the artists of MINIATURES reveal what motivates them to work at a scale that demands a masterful attention to detail.

New Mexico artists and organizations figure prominently in MINIATURES, which includes segments on Alexander Girard’s spectacular invented world housed in the Museum of International Folk Art’s Girard Wing; beloved New Mexico artist Gustave Baumann’s marionettes from the collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art; and International Folk Art Market artists who work at a diminutive scale, including Cuban artist Leandro Gómez Quintero, who creates small-scale, painstakingly detailed re-creations of vehicles using found materials.

“Craft in America” is the Peabody Award–winning and Emmy-nominated documentary series that discovers the beauty, significance and relevance of handmade objects and the artists who make them. “Craft in America” staff and film crew traveled to New Mexico twice, in 2022, for filming of the MINIATURES episode. The public broadcast of MINIATURES on PBS will take place on December 29, 2023 (check local listings). All episodes are available for streaming on the PBS App, craftinamerica.org, and pbs.org/craftinamerica.

ARTISTS & INSTITUTIONS FEATURED IN MINIATURES

Alexander Girard and the Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, NM

International Folk Art Market, Santa Fe, NM

Gustave Baumann and the New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM

Leandro Gómez Quintero, Baracoa, Cuba

Mark Murphy, Astoria, OR

Caption: Craft in America crew filming the “Miniatures” episode in the Girard Wing. Photo: Laura Addison

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Winter Glow Holiday Stroll on Museum Hill
Performance Holiday Family

Winter Glow Holiday Stroll on Museum Hill

December 15, 2023
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Join us for a delightful winter celebration at the Museum of International Folk and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

Admission to both museums will be free from 4 pm - 7 pm.

Join us for a short play La Pastorela Cómica at 5pm in the Vernick Auditorium. 

From 4:30- 6:30 visitors can create their own holiday cards and enjoy hot cider and ginger cookies in the Atrium.

Los Pastores o Pastorelas, is a popular holiday drama that has survived the ages. Nearly every cultural group in Santa Fe has performed the holiday rite at one time or another. Community groups gather each year to perform renditions of Los Pastores. The holiday drama came to the New World in the late 16th century with the Spanish missionaries. It carried on primarily through oral tradition among families in Mexico and the American Southwest.

Audiences laugh and clap during a traditional holiday play known as a pastorela, a retelling of the birth of Christ with a comic slant complete with mariachi music and elaborate costumes. Although pastorelas depict the Christian nativity, they include the perils of a group of shepherds, the devil, and angels in a scene of satirical twist.

Directed and produced by Thelma Arguello, Grupo Coreográfico Leyendas. Dance choreography by Xóchitl Ehrl’s Ballet Folklorico de mi Pueblo and Antonina Romp’s Los Niños de Santa Fe.  Staging, light, and sound by Teatro Paraguas.

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MAKE & TAKE @ MOIFA
Family

MAKE & TAKE @ MOIFA

December 17, 2023
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Join us for art in the atrium on Sundays with art projects, coloring sheets, and self-guided treasure hunts. Add to your explorations at MOIFA with fun collection-inspired bilingual art kits, facilitated by our fantastic MOIFA docents. Our projects are always changing with changing gallery treasure hunts for the whole family.  

Dates & Themes:

      • December 3 - Make a Tin Ornament!
      • December 17 - Make a Tin Ornament!

The program time is from 10 am - 4 pm, and the program is free with museum admission. Museum admission is always free for Kids and Members, program is included with admission.

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Lunar New Year Celebration
Family Performance

Lunar New Year Celebration

February 4, 2024
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon and Asian New Year traditions  from 1-4 pm.

FREE Admission All Day!

1:00- 4:00 pm   All ages art activities

1:30 and 3:30 pm Quang Minh Temple Lion Dance Group Parade

2:00 and 3:00 pm  Taiko Drumming performance by Santa Fe Wadaiko *

*Provided with ASL Interpretation

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Friends of Folk Art Trip To Chiapas, Mexico
Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) Members-only Travel and Tours Featured Event

Friends of Folk Art Trip To Chiapas, Mexico

March 15, 2024 through March 23, 2024
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The Friends of Folk Art invite you to join us for a magical trip to Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico.

The focus of this trip is to explore the wondrous state of Chiapas, understand its splendid past, honor and appreciate its present, and make a cultural connection from the past to the present.  We are going to use different approaches to understand Chiapas-- from archaeology to folk art, traditional medicine, and popular religiosity.   This trip experience will take you through 3000 years of history.

The trip itinerary includes:  nine days and eight nights.  We will visit four archaeological sites: La Venta, Palenque, Bonampak and Yaxchilan.  Enjoy three indigenous villages: Zinacantan, Tenejapa, San Juan Chamula. Visit museums specializing in textiles, traditional medicine, archaeology, and history.  Stay in the beautiful colonial city of San Cristobal de las Casas for four days.  Share with a local family at the Lacandona jungle.  Tour the Sumidero Canyon by boat and enjoy a private concert with the Nandayapa family.  Enjoy a gastronomical experience with the indigenous chef, Claudia Santiz, exploring the flavors of traditional regional cuisine, which differs from other parts of Mexico.

This trip is for FOFA members ONLY.  FOFA members will receive an invitation by email which will include all of the details and the price. A single membership allows access to one ticket. A dual membership allows for two tickets.

For information on joining FOFA, a membership group of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, please click here.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!
Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) Members

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

April 6, 2024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

DONATE FOLK ART ANYTIME TO THE FOLK ART FLEA!

Give your beloved folk art a new home by donating to the fabulous Folk Art Flea.  Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) are accepting donations of gently used decorative art, ethnic clothing, and jewelry throughout the year. Please call the Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) information line at 505-476-1201 or send an email to friendsoffolkart@gmail.com to arrange a pick-up or delivery time. Donations are tax deductible and benefit educational programs and exhibitions at the Museum of International Folk Art.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

Drive-thru donation days will be Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 and Saturday, April 20 & Sunday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop off is located behind the Museum of International Folk Art. FOFA volunteers will accept your folk art and present you with a tax deductible receipt.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!
Members Friends of Folk Art (FOFA)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

April 7, 2024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

DONATE FOLK ART ANYTIME TO THE FOLK ART FLEA!

Give your beloved folk art a new home by donating to the fabulous Folk Art Flea.  Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) are accepting donations of gently used decorative art, ethnic clothing, and jewelry throughout the year. Please call the Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) information line at 505-476-1201 or send an email to friendsoffolkart@gmail.com to arrange a pick-up or delivery time. Donations are tax deductible and benefit educational programs and exhibitions at the Museum of International Folk Art.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

Drive-thru donation days will be Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 and Saturday, April 20 & Sunday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop off is located behind the Museum of International Folk Art. FOFA volunteers will accept your folk art and present you with a tax deductible receipt.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!
Members Friends of Folk Art (FOFA)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

April 20, 2024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

DONATE FOLK ART ANYTIME TO THE FOLK ART FLEA!

Give your beloved folk art a new home by donating to the fabulous Folk Art Flea.  Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) are accepting donations of gently used decorative art, ethnic clothing, and jewelry throughout the year. Please call the Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) information line at 505-476-1201 or send an email to friendsoffolkart@gmail.com to arrange a pick-up or delivery time. Donations are tax deductible and benefit educational programs and exhibitions at the Museum of International Folk Art.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

Drive-thru donation days will be Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 and Saturday, April 20 & Sunday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop off is located behind the Museum of International Folk Art. FOFA volunteers will accept your folk art and present you with a tax deductible receipt.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!
Members Friends of Folk Art (FOFA)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

April 21, 2024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

DONATE FOLK ART ANYTIME TO THE FOLK ART FLEA!

Give your beloved folk art a new home by donating to the fabulous Folk Art Flea.  Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) are accepting donations of gently used decorative art, ethnic clothing, and jewelry throughout the year. Please call the Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) information line at 505-476-1201 or send an email to friendsoffolkart@gmail.com to arrange a pick-up or delivery time. Donations are tax deductible and benefit educational programs and exhibitions at the Museum of International Folk Art.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR DRIVE-THRU FOLK ART DONATION DAYS!

Drive-thru donation days will be Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 and Saturday, April 20 & Sunday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop off is located behind the Museum of International Folk Art. FOFA volunteers will accept your folk art and present you with a tax deductible receipt.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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Folk Art Donation Days for the Folk Art Flea
Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) Shop Event Featured Event

Folk Art Donation Days for the Folk Art Flea

April 22, 2024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Donate Folk Art Saturday, April 22nd 11 am – 2 pm

Bring your gently-used folk art donations to the Museum of International Folk Art at 706 Camino Lejo (back parking lot) or call 505-476-1201 for other arrangements.

All donations are tax deductible

To become a sponsor of the Flea, please call 505-216-0829 or visit museumfoundation.org/flea-sponsors

For more information, please visit museumfoundation.org/flea

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The Fabulous Folk Art Flea is coming Saturday, May 4, 2024!
Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) Members-only Shop Event Family

The Fabulous Folk Art Flea is coming Saturday, May 4, 2024!

May 4, 2024
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

The fabulous Folk Art Flea is back!  Once again, the much beloved and anticipated Flea will be at the Rodeo Fairgrounds featuring hundreds of curated folk art pieces from collectors and artists around the world.  The donated art benefits educational programs and exhibitions at the Museum of International Folk Art, through the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, a private nonprofit organization.

Admission is free and members of Friends of Folk Art (FOFA) enjoy early admission to the Flea from 9 to 10 a.m. Public admission is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For information on joining FOFA, a membership group of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, please click here.

For questions, please email friendsoffolkart@gmail.com

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