Visiting Santa Fe

For complete information about art galleries in Santa Fe, visit the Santa Fe Gallery Association website.

To watch Santa Fe Gallery Association members’ videos, visit www.santafeart.tv.

One of the world’s major art centers, Santa Fe is a place where artists are equally at home working with the traditions of their ancestors and experimenting with contemporary techniques.

But it’s not just the visual artists who find their muse in this capital city. Musicians, dancers, actors, writers and chefs tap into endless ways to express their creativity, too, contributing to a rich blend of artistic activity.

With more than 200 galleries and over a dozen museums, including the treasured collections on Museum Hill, Santa Fe is also home to annual world-famous art markets. The prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market, held every August, is Santa Fe’s largest event, with more than 1,200 artists from 100 tribes.

The July Spanish Market celebrates traditional handcrafted works by 250 Hispanic artists. The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market brings more than 100 folk artists from 40 countries to the world’s largest market of its kind, also in July.

ART Santa Fe is another standout, annual summer art market that brings the work of hundreds of contemporary artists to the city. International galleries, cutting-edge art installations, and emerging artists combine to create a distinctive art and cultural experience.

Santa Fe is best known for its exciting array of visual arts, but it’s also a thriving center for performing arts, with a steady offering of dance, music and theater events. Literary arts flourish here, too, with a large community of local and visiting writers as well as regional publishers who gather for readings, booksignings and inspirational support.

The city’s culinary arts scene is sizzling. We’re known for great restaurants, but we also have annual food and wine festivals and acclaimed chefs who share their enthusiasm for foods of the Southwest and of the world in cooking classes.

There’s no better place to appreciate Hispanic arts, rooted in New Mexico’s rich Spanish Colonial heritage but also flourishing as a contemporary scene. Native American arts are also deeply rooted in the region’s history. Artists from the pueblos and tribes of New Mexico produce highly prized works that reflect their ancestor’s traditions and also represent contemporary innovations.

Santa Fe is, without a doubt, one of the most artistic places on the planet.