July 23, 2022
The 18th International Folk Art Market (IFAM) was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the weekend of July 8 – 10, with 164 artisans from 48 countries and thousands of visitors and buyers from far and wide. IFAM is a big deal, a tremendous opportunity for artisans to come and sell their work, in many cases providing the single biggest source of sales all year. Many members of WARP participate in IFAM as volunteers at all levels, and our July panel presented information that would-be IFAM participants would benefit from knowing.
Marilyn Murphy (ClothRoads.com) has served on the IFAM selection and standards committee for the past two years and will do so in 2023 as well. She knows intimately what the committee considers in selecting artisans as well as what has to be submitted, and by when.
Mary Anne Wise (CulturalCloth.com) is a retailer of artisan work from many countries, and has helped artisan groups apply to IFAM.
Maren Beck (HillTribeArt.com) spoke about the benefits and challenges of being an IFAM represented artisan.