Santa Fe hosts winter art markets
Three major markets and numerous museum exhibitions open across the city this winter, featuring Indigenous and Spanish colonial arts alongside contemporary works.
By Aiko Petrov ·
Santa Fe’s cultural calendar shifts to winter this month with a series of high-profile art markets and extended museum exhibitions. The city is preparing to host three major commercial events this season, each drawing distinct artistic traditions from the region.
The Contemporary Clay Fair opens November 14 and runs through November 15. This cooperative event will showcase the work of more than two dozen ceramic artists. Admission to the fair is free, and the event takes place at the Santa Fe Women’s Club on Old Pecos Trail.
The SWAIA Winter Indian Market follows in late November. Scheduled for November 28 and 29, the holiday market features jewelry, pottery, paintings, and textiles from 150-plus Indigenous artists. Tickets cost $15 per day or $25 for a weekend pass. The market is located at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
The Winter Spanish Market begins December 5 and continues through December 6. This event focuses on traditional Spanish colonial arts, including jewelry and textiles created by modern masters. Admission is free, and the market will also be held at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
Museum exhibitions across the city will remain open or open new installations throughout the winter. The Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum opens Nuevos Dioses on November 13, an exhibition running through May 2027 that explores the intersection of heritage art and artificial intelligence. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum opens Spaces of Becoming on November 21, which runs through March 2028 and examines the influence of O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú home on her work.
The New Mexico Museum of Art hosts Paul Burlin: An American Modernist in the Southwest through November 29. This exhibition reintroduces Burlin as a foundational figure in American modernism, featuring early mural paintings such as Stone Age and Awakening. The Museum of International Folk Art continues I Am Clay through November, a community-curated project focusing on Acoma figurative pottery that marks the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Additional long-term exhibitions run through early 2027. SITE Santa Fe displays three concurrent shows through January 11, 2027: Larry Bell: Improvisations, Sara Genn: How to Build a Sky, and Sayre Gomez: Closed Forever. The New Mexico History Museum opens Americana at 250 through January 20, 2027, showcasing objects that evoke national identity to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
