The Bobcat Paw

Everyone needs a getaway every once in a while. If you’re hoping to add a dash of art and culture to your upcoming vacation, one of the best places to find this is Santa Fe, New Mexico. This family-friendly and art-filled destination is historically known as the hot spot to discover art of all shapes and sizes including art shows, performances, fiestas and more. Before you get your travel agent on the phone, check out these recurring events happening in Santa Fe to see which one sounds like the best option for you to visit. Art Festivals and Markets Native Treasures: Indian Arts Festival If you’re hoping to witness high-quality and professional art featured from a variety of artists far and wide, then this is a must-see. The Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival not only showcases art to look at but features pieces that can also be purchased. Each contributing artist has been hand-selected and invited by the members of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC). Once...

Summertime in Santa Fe is a wonderful time to enjoy the full beauty of the Southwest with mountains, valleys, rivers, and prairies. Enjoy outdoor activities before coming back into town for local attractions. Here are some of our favorite things to do in and around Santa Fe in the summertime: photo courtesy of  santafe.org Santa Fe Plaza Ever since the city's 1610 founding, the Santa Fe Plaza has served as the focal point for city life, offering shops and restaurants, bullfights and fandangos, and a gathering place for both locals and visitors. There are still many of the old buildings standing, which act as reminders of the city's rich history and you can still attend Spanish and Indian markets, just like in older times. The Plaza is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and is something that should be on every summertime itinerary. Santa Fe Farmers Market Only about a mile away from Santa Fe Plaza, the Farmers Market is open all year round to offer loca...

There are so many great outdoor activities to do in Santa Fe that it's impossible to list them all in any single article. This is just a brief sampling of our favorites to get you started. Most of these activities are open all year round, thanks to our beautiful weather. image courtesy of SantaFe.org Pueblo Feast Days There are nearly 20 pueblos in the northern region of New Mexico, and each one of these communities has its own annual Feast Days and Religious Events. Most of them allow respectful visitors to observe and partake in the fun so that an understanding can be gained of traditional tribal culture and history. This is a wonderful way to learn about the area natives, and how they have lived for centuries before the arrival of others. Ski Santa Fe Our area provides challenges for experienced skiers as well as great introductions for newcomers. Offering some of the highest elevations for skiing in the United States, Ski Santa Fe has a base elevation of 10,350 f...

Whatever kind of shopping you enjoy most, you're sure to find something for you in the Santa Fe area and you'll not only come away with some terrific purchases, but you will also have loved the shopping experience you had in the process. image courtesy of Keshi - The Zuni Connection Prairie Dog Glass Come to this shop and enjoy browsing through all the wonderful hand-crafted glass creations, then take a class yourself and produce your very own glass art that will be a lifetime reminder of your experience in Santa Fe. Keshi - The Zuni Connection Keshi is the shop to go for authentic and beautifully hand-crafted Zuni crafts and the owners are extremely knowledgeable about all things to do with the Zuni peoples. The owners work very closely with the actual Zuni pueblo today, and sell their products at prices set by the artists themselves. image courtesy of Seret & Sons Origins This is one of the oldest shops in Santa Fe, NM, and it still has an atmosphe...

At the start of the new year, this is the best time to think about travel plans. Santa Fe offers events and festivals all year ‘round. Some of these festivals are related to art, some to celebrations of food and drink, some to music, and some are staged to celebrate Native culture or other ethnic cultures. In truth, there are so many Santa Fe, New Mexico activities and festivals offered, that it might be hard to choose which sounds most appealing, but a few of the most popular are described below. Santa Fe Indian Market For almost 100 years, this festival has been staged as a celebration of Native artists from around the region, from other parts of the U.S., and even from Canada. The works of more than 1,000 artists are on display at this festival, which routinely attracts at least 150,000 visitors from all around the globe. A particular highlight of this festival is that visitors have the opportunity to mingle and converse with the actual artists and make all purchases direct...

The Bobcat Inn        New World Cuisine is the new exhibit coming to the International Folk Art Museum in December. It will feature the histories of Chocolate,Mate,y Mas. (and more). The exhibit will run from December 9 through January 3rd,closing on the 4th. The museum is closed on Mondays and also Christmas Day and New  Years day.         This exhibit will show the earliest cultural mestizaje (mixing) of foods to take place in the Americas.This will highlight foods that were brought over from Europe via Spain and Asia via the Spanish.Chocolate and Mate are the two foods that are being featured and will trace the history of these two drinks and show how they became so popular during the colonial period as well as today.Mate is prepared by heating water and adding mate powder or leaves  and then straining it. It is drunk from a shared gourd or vessel with a silver straw. Sharing mate is a ritual and has it's o...

The Bobcat Inn      I had the wonderful opportunity to witness two unique artist Andrew Garcia ,Silversmith and jeweler and Manuel Chavez , a very talented leather moccasin artist this week. Robbie O'Neill has started a new business called Cultural Treasurers here in Santa Fe. She organizes small groups to visit and talk with Native Americans about their art, history, culture, food and family in their home setting at different pueblos.      We met Robbie at the Ohkay Owingeh Hotel and then followed her to the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo where we first visited with Andrew Garcia who is a fifth generation artist in this pueblo. He said he watched his grandmother make pottery and learned the art of being a silversmith on his own. He taught classes at the Institute of Indian Arts on Cerrillos Road and has a very facinating story. We watched him intricately cut out a deer pendant and use natural stones to ornate the pendant and then buff and polish it. ...

If you are familiar with Santa Fe at all, you know of our Native American, Mexican, and Spanish roots.  Designated as a Creative City by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Santa Fe is recognized as a cultural melting-pot that supports and promotes our residents' creative art products, and hosts a variety of events to showcase this very creative side of our city.  In this spirit, we invite you to be our guests between August 13-19, 2012 during this year's Santa Fe Indian Market ! Hosted by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) at the downtown Santa Fe plaza, this prestigious Native arts market and festival is now in its 91st year.  This event is technically much more than a "simple" crafts and folk art fair:  this week-long series of events includes programs, lectures, films , readings, book signings, art awards, live performances, auction gala, and more are all part of one big celebration culminating in the Market...

It was so much fun taking a country drive and heading to the small village of Galisteo last weekend. The weather unlike today was gorgeous. This morning it snowed and then turned very cold and damp. The cottonwood trees were at their peak of changing to gold. The art in this small village is incredible. There were 36 artist showing their work and there was all different mediums of art. I bought a retablo of San Pasqual from artist, Catherine Ferguson. I have it hanging in the kitchen at The Bobcat Inn. This artist had even painted her propane tank with ravens and a dark New Mexico blue sky background. Another well known artist , Priscilla Hoback had murals, monotypes and pottery sculptures. There are several other art studio tours happening this fall. La Cienega hosts theirs after Thanksgiving and Dixon will host theirs on November 7 & 8th. It is a great way to meet the artist and contribute to your local economy while getting some fresh air. The Bobcat Inn