Museum of International Folk Art

The Museum of International Folk Art was about 30 minutes’ walk from our house, on Santa Fe’s Museum Hill. It’s the world’s largest collection of its kind. Folk art is hand-made, often informally taught or self-taught, traditional, and reflective of a shared culture. I LOVED this museum, which has both global and personal scale. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in art, tradition, and culture.

There are several large and expertly-curated galleries. It was interesting (and nice) to see the use of the label “Artist once known” instead of “Artist unknown.”

Here’s just a taste of the wonderful folk art that I saw. (View this on desktop if you want to see the captions.)

Staff Picks: Favorites from the Collection

Carved birds, late 20th century

Ben Ortega, New Mexico

9/11 Altar Screen, 2002-2005

Pine, acrylic paint, metal

Roberto Gonzales and Ralph Sena, New Mexico

San Lazaro (Saint Lazarus), 2014

Oil on canvas

Luis Rodriguez Ricardo, Cuba

BoBo bu Ko, ca. 1994

tramp art (reused metal and plastic)

James Bauer, California

Esperanza - Maravillosa Jarabe para la Tos (Hope - Marvelous Cough Syrup)

handmade waterlily paper, ink

Esteban Silva, Mexico

Chinese zodiac animals, ca. 1848

Porcelain, glaze

Artist once known, China

Coat, late 19th-20th century

Indigo-dyed cotton with white sashiko embroidery

Artist once known, Japan

La Cartonería Mexicana / The Mexican Art of Paper and Paste

Papel Picado

Decorative flags made from cut paper

Judas Figures

Effigies that are burned or destroyed with fireworks on Holy Saturday

Feria Nacional de la Pirotecnia (National Pyrotechnic Festival)

Annual event in Tultepec, Mexico featuring a parade of toritos - bull-shaped frames with fireworks attached to them

Dia de Muertos dolls

Frida Kahlo piñata

Alebrijes (fantastical creatures)

Originally created by Mexico City artist Pedro Linares. While very ill, he fell unconscious and dreamed of a forest with strange animals shouting "Alebrijes!"