CONTRIBUTED BY TOM MAGUIRE
Some of Santa Fe’s largest and finest arts and cultural organizations presented workshops during the conference, including: an amulet making workshop held at the Museum of International Folk Art and watercolor and pastel workshops conducted at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. In a digital photography workshop, the world renowned Santa Fe Photographic Workshops showed why the visual appeal of Santa Fe cannot be overstated. From evocative landscapes to weathered architecture to the living faces of its cultures—Santa Fe has moved inhabitants and visitors alike to capture the depth and breadth of its beauty.
Many workshops focused on the indigenous cultures of Santa Fe and the northern New Mexico region. Native Americans were the first fiber artists in northern New Mexico, followed by the Spanish who introduced wool and looms to the area. Both cultures carry on rich traditions of fiber arts to this day with examples seen throughout the area. The Española Fiber Arts Center offered a Rio Grande weaving and Spanish Colonial Colcha embroidery workshop that brought these historic art forms to life. Conference attendees also participated in a straw appliqué workshop led by Lenise Martinez, award-winning Santa Fe Spanish Market artist; a traditional adobe oven building workshop, where attendees experienced the magic of turning earth, sand, water, and straw into architecture; and finally, Native American cooking in the oven they built.
