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Mentoring Artists At The International Folk Art Market

© Judith Haden
Pan Yuzhen of Minority People Textile Folk Artists Cooperative of Southwest China will bring embroidered textiles to the International Folk Art Market this year.

One hundred and fifty craftspeople from around the world will have an opportunity this month to show their work in a sort of microcosm of the global marketplace.  They've been selected from hundreds of applicants to be part of Santa Fe's annual International Folk Art Market, July 12-14 on Museum Hill.  To help ensure that this opportunity translates into ongoing success, IFAM, the non-profit behind the Market, provides the artists, many of whom live in developing countries, with training and mentorship.

"In the Mentor to Market Program that unfolds every year just before the Market, there are two days of training," explains Keith Recker, a board member of IFAM.  "How to greet, how to say hello, how to tell your story -- that's very important.  And we have experienced artists do seminars, do workshops and talks about various topics that are important for success."

In this extended version of the interview, Keith talks about the Folk Art Market's selection process, the impact the Market has on the artists, their families and their communities, and about the training IFAM provides for the participants.  Training is "part of our mission.  We work with and for artists from all over the world to create economic opportunities and social impact.  To give the tools to suceed is why we're there."

keith_recker_interview_long_version_final.mp3

Spencer Beckwith reports on the arts for KUNM. For ten years, until March of 2014, Spencer was the producer and host of KUNM's "Performance New Mexico," a weekday morning arts program that included interviews with musicians, writers and performers. Spencer is a graduate of the acting program at the Juilliard School, and, before moving to New Mexico in 2002, was for many years a professional actor based in New York City.
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