celebrate folk art and new docs in Santa Fe

Posted by:  Cathy

The eighth Santa Fe International Folk Art Market starts July 8, and International Folk Arts Week has been in full swing since July 3.

The Market is an opportunity for craftspeople from around the world to showcase their work and expand their markets.  “Folk artists preserve cultures and create opportunities,” one of the Market’s press releases notes, something I could not agree with more.  The experience of seeing how women in Bangladesh have been able to not just survive, but thrive, as a result of the work provided by Surayia’s nakshi kantha tapestries has made me more certain than ever that we need to do as much as we can to make people aware of the art being created in developing countries and to support the people who make it.  That’s one of the goals of Threads.

Four documentary films relating to folk art and folk artists will be shown during the week, including Mary Lance’s Blue Alchemy, which I wrote about recently.

It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since my previous post on the Market, but work on the film has kept Len and me busy over the last 12 months.  Time has flown, but we are making good progress: we have located nearly 100 of Surayia’s paintings and tapestry designs  around the world, finished a trailer and are working hard to raise funds for the next round of filming in Bangladesh, as well as editing a rough cut of the film.  Hopefully we will soon be able to show Threads at International Folk Art Week!