ATW80F at The International Folk Art Market – Alyssa Gorman, BFA Textiles ’28
My internship with Around the World in 80 Fabrics began with a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This place is pure magic! For four days, I explored the city while volunteering at the International Folk Art Market. I had the chance to meet my supervisor, Carroll Dunham, in person after months of communicating online. This week was a beautiful introduction to my work with her.
Arriving at IFAM
I arrived in Santa Fe on Wednesday evening, and immediately met Carroll in the Santa Fe Plaza. She introduced me to the city center, explaining the layers of cultural history and architecture around us. From there, we went to the opening community celebration for the market. Despite a long day of travel, I was thrilled to see the artists arrive for IFAM. As volunteers, we guided artisans in the parade to the stage where they would be announced and celebrated! Afterwards, Carroll and I attended a dinner hosted by the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales de Cusco. The CTTC is a Peruvian nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing ancestral textile traditions in a variety of Cusco communities. I had the opportunity to meet Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez and her granddaughter Diana, two amazing women working to preserve Cusqueñan textile practices. It was incredible to admire the work of the CTTC and learn more about the weaver’s natural dye processes and backstrap weaving techniques. I only made one purchase at the market, a beautiful woven bag from Nilda’s booth.
My introduction to IFAM was rich and full of energy, and the following day was full of even more excitement. Carroll and I arrived at the market early to assist the artists in setting up prior to the opening night celebration. I was lucky enough to be assigned to Mexican designer Carla Fernández, a fashion house focused on preserving the textile legacy of indigenous and mestizo communities in Mexico. As a brand, Carla Fernández collaborates with artisans skilled in a variety of handmade textile techniques. I worked with creative director Carla Fernández and designer Carlos G. Velazquez as a volunteer, steaming pieces and assisting to organize the booth prior to the market opening. It was incredible to be paired with such a lively booth, and it was almost difficult to keep up with the number of purchases made on opening night. Carla has participated in IFAM several times, and many people at the market were familiar with her work. It was beautiful to see the collaboration between indigenous communities handicraft and innovative fashion design.
After my volunteer shift, I had the opportunity to wander the rest of the market. Let me explain a little further about what the International Folk Art Market is! Every year in Santa Fe, over 100 artists from more than 50 countries come to New Mexico to sell their work. The market’s mission is to create economic opportunities for folk artists around the globe, encouraging the preservation of traditional handmade methods of making. IFAM is a vibrant market full of color, rich folk art traditions, and beautiful storytelling; there is so much to be gained from speaking with the talented artists behind each booth. The future is handmade!
Pictured below: a selection of work from Somporn Intaraprayong (Thailand), Giovane Francisco de Oliveira Cardoso Nau Cultural (Brazil), Kavita Parmar — The IOU Project (India), Lidia Amanda Lopez de Lopez (Guatemala), Faustino Flores & Meche Yauri Hilos y Colores (Peru), Púrpura Tixinda (Mexico).
Santa Fe — The City Different
Along with spending time volunteering at IFAM, my time in Santa Fe was defined by meeting Carroll’s friends and community in the city. As a medical anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer with decades of fieldwork experience in Nepal, Carroll is connected with a variety of incredibly interesting people in Santa Fe! I am grateful that she was so willing to introduce me to her world in New Mexico, and I was able to have many engaging conversations. Santa Fe, often called “the city different,” is a city rich with Native American and hispanic storytelling, art, and culture. The central streets are lined with museums, galleries, jewelry, and western wear. The city is also surrounded by beautiful mountainous landscape, which I was able to spend time exploring too.
One evening resonated with me the most. After a day of volunteering at IFAM, Carroll and I attended two openings. We saw Nevada Wier’s Veiled Reveries showcasing a selection of her infrared photographs from remote regions around the world, and weaver Polly Barton’s Seduced. After engaging with the artists and the work, she suggested we go out to the badlands to catch the sunset over a picnic dinner. We walked through the desert landscape up to the perfect ledge for a good view. The sunset was unbelievable, and it might be my favorite part of the entire trip.
Next Steps for ATW80F
Of course, Carroll and I did also work on projects for Around the World in 80 Fabrics. We planned for the next steps of the Pop-Up Exhibition, and I gained more insight into what the nonprofit needs before the arrival of their upcoming book. With newly cemented details, I am extremely eager to get started designing a display for ATW80F to bring to book signings and events. The display will incorporate parts of the textile collection with accompanying storytelling and data, but remain transportable so that it is a mobile exhibit. One morning in Santa Fe, Carroll and I drove to pickup a trunk to transform into the exhibit… she’s beautiful and spacious. For the next month, I’ll be working to design the exhibit, curate the fabrics and their stories, and renovate the trunk into a beautiful traveling textile showcase.
My trip to Santa Fe was incredible– I learned so much about a variety of textile processes and the collaborations that exist to allow remote artisans to sell their work at wider markets. By volunteering at IFAM, my internship with ATW80F began with direct community engagement, allowing me to ground myself in a dialogue relevant to the nonprofit’s sustainable textile collection. Some of the pieces in Around the World in 80 Fabrics’ collection were even created by IFAM artisans. I feel even more excited to be working with Carroll to both promote ATW80F’s new book and organize the collection later this summer.
In August, I return to Santa Fe, and this time the collection will be present in New Mexico. I am beyond looking forward to seeing each piece while assisting with organization and documentation. Soon, I’ll create another blog outlining progresses on the mobile exhibition. More to come in a couple of weeks!!