FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Santa Fe, NM – After months of planning, and in light of the recent updated guidelines given by the State for large entertainment venues, the Spanish Colonial Arts Society (SCAS) announced today that it will proceed with plans for the annual Traditional Spanish Market. The Market is a beloved event that should have marked its 69th year in 2020 but was cancelled due to COVID-19. It will instead be celebrated this year, on July 24th and 25th on the plaza and surrounding downtown streets.
“We are committed to the goal of holding a celebratory but safe event for the artists and the public, even though precautions are not completely available at this time and undoubtedly will fluctuate as we proceed,” said Yvonne Gillespie, the newly appointed Market organizer and Finance Director of SCAS. “We are counting on promised support from the City to make this possible and based on this support we do not intend to charge entrance fees.”
Based on input from artists, it is estimated that 2/3rds will participate, of the almost 200 that juried in. The footprint of the event, as well as special events surrounding the Market, are still under consideration - most significant being the Preview Event. “Though the location is still to be decided, we plan to hold some kind of awards competition and preview,” said Gillespie.
Jennifer Berkley, who took the reins as Executive Director of SCAS in May 2020, is committed to seeing the organization come out on the other side of the pandemic by focusing on its core mission. “Traditional Spanish Market is a heritage event as much as it is an art market,” Berkley says. “This is one of the reasons we did not go virtual in 2020. What we want to do is bring back this heritage event in a manner in which all participants feel safe and comfortable.”
Planning is also underway for a series of “pop-up” art celebrations, including Traditional Spanish Market events to be held during Harvest Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas.
Press Contact:
Yvonne Gillespie
505-982-2226
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The Spanish Colonial Arts Society is a nearly 100-year-old 501c3 cultural heritage institution, founded to promote and preserve the traditional arts of this region and the Spanish Colonial world in general. The Society’s five pillars – Museum Campus, Spanish Markets, Permanent Collections, Educational Programs, and Reference Library – collectively reflect New Mexico as the historic birthplace of Hispanic art in the United States.
