Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

Santa Fe: City of Art Markets
2010 markets feature finest in local, regional, and international art

2010 marks Santa Fe's 400th Anniversary, making it the second oldest city and the oldest capital in the U.S. The Native Americans first called this spot by a river home thousands of years before the Spanish discovered the area. America's expansion west brought more influences as East-Coast artists came to town in search of new inspiration. Today the city is an international art market filled with the work of artists of every type including American Indian, Spanish Colonial, and contemporary.

New shows have come to Santa Fe recently, contrasting with some of the oldest markets of their kind. For 2010, SOFA West's second annual expo of contemporary decorative arts and design in Santa Fe takes place on the same weekend as the seventh annual Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, the largest folk art market in the world. SOFA begins July 8 and the Folk Art Market starts on July 9 then, on the following weekend, ART Santa Fe celebrates its 10th Anniversary, July 15-18, making for one remarkable time to be in Santa Fe.

May 22-23, 2010: Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival – Presented by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Native Treasures now features over 180 Native American artists who are specially invited by the museum to represent the best and brightest of the Indian art world. At the Santa Fe Convention Center. www.nativetreasuressantafe.org

July 8-11, 2010: SOFA West: Santa Fe –

Prominent international galleries and dealers present masterworks bridging the worlds of design, decorative, and fine arts, showcasing the rich visual heritage of the decorative arts alongside new, innovative expressions. Long heralded as the nation’s premier fair for outstanding contemporary decorative arts and design, this is the second year for SOFA West: Santa Fe after a very successful start in 2009. At the Santa Fe Convention Center. www.sofaexpo.com

July 9-11, 2010: Santa Fe International Folk Art Market – The largest international folk art market in the world, this annual two-day event connects international cultures as folk

artists from across the globe come together for a 2 day show and sale of remarkable art plus international music, food, and community. This market makes a true difference as sales from the show positively affect thousands of lives in dozens of countries. It is also one of the key reasons Santa Fe was designated a UNESCO Creative City in Folk Art. On Museum Hill. www.folkartmarket.org

July 15-18, 2010: 10th Annual Art Santa Fe –

International galleries mix with U.S. galleries to create a powerful collection of art from around the world featuring the work of hundreds of artists. The salon-booth format, artist-styled VIP lounge, grand concourse, prestigious ART Santa Fe presents lecture series, and numerous cultural and educational events make the annual fair a highlight of the summer arts calendar. For 2010 the fair moves back to the Santa Fe Convention Center and will feature more galleries and cutting edge installations. www.artsantafe.com

July 24-25, 2010: Traditional Spanish Market – This popular annual event includes handmade traditional, Spanish Colonial arts made by over 200 local and regional artists. It is the most significant market of its kind in the country and a cultural immersion with continuous live music and dance, art demonstrations, and regional foods. A contemporary Hispanic Market is held during the same weekend. On the Santa Fe Plaza. www.spanishmarket.org

August 12-14, 2010: Whitehawk Ethnographic Art Show – An annual show with over 150 dealers, featuring Oceanic, Pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial, African, Oriental, Indonesian, and other ethnographic art from around the world. At the Santa Fe Convention Center. http://www.whitehawkshows.com

August 15-17, 2010: 32nd Annual Whitehawk Invitational Antique Indian Art Show – One of the largest and longest running shows for historic antique Indian art, featuring a wide range of indigenous art treasures. At the Santa Fe Convention Center. http://www.whitehawkshows.com

2010 MIAMI DANCE FESTIVAL TO FEATURE DIVERSE INTERNATIONAL DANCE STYLES AND ENCORE OF LAST YEAR’S HIT, OBAMANOMICS

The Momentum Dance company is hosting the 7th annual Miami Dance Festival from 4/9 through 5/29 featuring performances by seven dance companies and special guests displaying diverse international dance styles, all sharing a common passion for the art. Returning to the festival this year is a performance of Obamanomics, an encore of last year’s popular contemporary dance work satirizing the economic crisis. The festival will also feature awards, lectures, film, parties and social events.

The festival is set to begin with a performance of Ori by Brazz Dance Theatre, on 4/9 and 4/10 at the Byron Carlyle Theater. Blending Afro-Brazilian, modern dance and folkloric dance styles with astonishing imagery; Brazz Dance Theatre presents a contemporary interpretation of various aspects of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion with origins in West African culture.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.momentumdance.com.
creations. They initially earned their reputation by designing jewellery for famous courtesans (including the Comtesse de Castiglione) before becoming purveyors to crowned heads, wealthy Americans like Consuelo and Gertrude Vanderbilt), maharajahs, czars and actresses like Loïe Fuller and Sarah Bernhardt. The technical virtuosity of their jewellery, the outstanding quality of their gemstones and their constant pursuit of innovative styles continue to this day. For some years, the firm has established ground-breaking partnerships with renowned creators, most recently with Australian designer Marc Newson and the late English fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

Inspiria collection, each one based on a Cirque du Soleil show and executed by the craftsmen of the French jewellers Boucheron, will feature in an exclusive presentation at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from April 1 to August 29, 2010. Nathalie Bondil, the Museum’s Director, explains: "As in the case of high fashion, so often seen in the media but rarely accessible, the world of fine jewellery is still a mystery. Here we go backstage into the creative sphere in which craftsmen and women work on projects like this one, continuing a centuries-old skill that is here, for once, made public." This exhibition, the first devoted to fine French jewellery at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, echoes the Museum’s own impressive holdings in modern and contemporary jewellery, much of it forming part of the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection. Admission to this show is free of charge. creations. They initially earned their reputation by designing jewellery for famous courtesans (including the Comtesse de Castiglione) before becoming purveyors to crowned heads, wealthy Americans like Consuelo and Gertrude Vanderbilt), maharajahs, czars and actresses like Loïe Fuller and Sarah Bernhardt. The technical virtuosity of their jewellery, the outstanding quality of their gemstones and their constant pursuit of innovative styles continue to this day. For some years, the firm has established ground-breaking partnerships with renowned creators, most recently with Australian designer Marc Newson and the late English fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

This outstanding group of works is the outcome of a partnership between two visionaries: Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil, and Jean-Christophe Bédos, CEO of Boucheron. The presentation of these necklaces, set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other gemstones that create exquisite harmonies of colours and shapes, provides a rare opportunity for the public to discover the creative process of fine jewellery. The display will include the original gouache drawings used for the execution of each piece, with explanations of the sources of the imagery and of the techniques employed.

Founded in Paris in 1858 by Frédéric Boucheron (1830-1902), the eponymous company enjoys an unequalled reputation among connoisseurs of precious stones. The first jewellers to set up shop in the Place Vendôme in Paris, in 1893, Boucheron soon became a byword for French skill and luxury with their bold and sophisticated