April showers do bring May flowers, but spring itself brings so much more to the City Different. The weather is beautifully breezy and the city is blooming with the bounty of events this season brings. If you’ve got spring fever, Santa Fe has the cure––and I’ve got the remedies for you to plant in your mind.

Santa Fe Shapes Inspiration

Shaping beauty is a Santa Fe specialty and if your taste for beauty runs to form and function, rest assured you’ll find both on April 25-26 at the Santa Fe Contemporary Clay Fair. This stunning array of work by the area’s best clay artists showcases functional artworks for daily use along with a bevy of clay whimsies guaranteed to make you smile.

Cheryl Hoagland’s handcrafted ceramic mug decorates your morning cuppa with Santa Fe color! (Photo Credit: Santa Fe Contemporary Clay Fair) Cheryl Hoagland’s handcrafted ceramic mug decorates your morning cuppa with Santa Fe color! (Photo Credit: Santa Fe Contemporary Clay Fair)

The Clay Fair is conveniently located on the same street as the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, which means the kiddos can enjoy themselves at an Arbor Day celebration on Saturday, April 24. An all-day scavenger hunt is only part of the adventure. Budding gardeners can help plant fruit trees in the Earthworks Garden and aspiring young craftsmen get hands-on artistic experience making outdoor bird feeders.

Make May Your Artistic Adventure

The Clay Fair only lasts a weekend, but the Santa Fe Artists Market blossoms every Saturday (April through November under the Park Ramada; March and December on the Plaza by the Water Tower) at the Santa Fe Railyard. As you stroll though the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, leave a space in your basket for an artful treasure or two. The market has a little bit of everything––you’ll find handspun wool and weavings, silver jewelry, paintings, prints, and who knows what else!

The sky’s the limit on creative ideas when SFUAD’s Vision Fest lights the way to May. (Photo Credit: Santa Fe University of Art and Design) The sky’s the limit on creative ideas when SFUAD’s Vision Fest lights the way to May. (Photo Credit: Santa Fe University of Art and Design)

The merry month of May literally starts with the Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s annual Outdoor Vision Fest. Since May 1st is a Friday, this will be a don’t-miss TGIF! From 8:45 to 10:35 p.m., impressive outdoor installations and interactive multimedia creations by SFUAD students will light up the night at this free event. The 50-plus installations include a selection of guest artists––upping the ante on talent. The promise of food trucks onsite definitely adds to the City Different flavor.

Marshall Noice of Waxlander Gallery gets his teeth into the art experience on Canyon Road! (Photo Credit: visitcanyonroad.com)

Marshall Noice of Waxlander Gallery gets his teeth into the art experience on Canyon Road! (Photo Credit: visitcanyonroad.com)

May continues with more creative adventures that should find a home on any art lover’s calendar. May 8–9 sees the return of the wildly popular Passport to the Arts. That Friday night is a gallery-goer’s dream, with openings up and down historic Canyon Road. When Saturday dawns, artists line the street in choice spots for plying their brushes, cameras or sculpting tools. The following weekend, May 16–17, welcomes the annual Eldorado Studio Tour in Santa Fe’s “solar suburb.” When you see the work, you’ll understand why so many artists choose to live in this expansive enclave outside the city limits.

Native Treasures Festival’s 2015 Living Treasures are sisters Keri Ataumbi and Teri Greeves – and there’s even a breakfast with these talented artists on Wed. May 20! (Photo Credit: Native Treasures Indian Arts festival) Native Treasures Festival’s 2015 Living Treasures are sisters Keri Ataumbi and Teri Greeves – and there’s even a breakfast with these talented artists on Wed. May 20! (Photo Credit: Native Treasures Indian Arts festival)

May 24–25 is another artistic bonanza, with not one but two events! Those who can’t wait for SWAIA’s August Indian Market get their satisfaction via the Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival. With more than 200 talents on display, this invitation-only exhibit at the Convention Center hosts the best of the best in indigenous arts––traditional to contemporary. Cathedral Park, on the north side of––you guessed it––our gorgeous Cathedral Basilica, is home to the Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild over the same weekend. That Northern New Mexico moniker is the clue; the artists and craftsmen come from both Santa Fe and serene villages scattered throughout our scenic countryside.

Birds will chirp overhead as you view Mario Hinoso’s fanciful gourd sculptures down below at the Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild Show. (Photo Credit: Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild) Birds will chirp overhead as you view Mario Hinoso’s fanciful gourd sculptures down below at the Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild Show. (Photo Credit: Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild)

Ride Into A Panoramic View (With A Cold One Waiting)

I got your attention with that “scenic countryside,” didn’t I? Since spring does make a gal want to get out and take a ride, the Outside Bike & Brew Festival is a must-do. This full week of two-wheeling adventure runs from May 13–17 and it’s a party-pack of fun, with a guided trail rides, clinics, the Santa Fe Century and leisurely culinary rides. Also on tap are three nights of beer festivals and nine bands including the hot, hot Reverend Horton Heat. The extremely refreshing and very popular Tour de Brewer rides from brewery to brewery anchors the ride schedule on Friday and Saturday, and bike clinics presented by professionals like pro mountain biker Rebecca Rusch are sure to please the pedal-happy.

Santa Fe is all ready to Bike and Brew and you’re invited to come along for the ride! (Photo Credit: Michael Clark; Rider: Mickey Fong) Santa Fe is all ready to Bike and Brew and you’re invited to come along for the ride! (Photo Credit: Michael Clark; Rider: Mickey Fong)

Bring Your Spring Fling to Santa Fe

I won’t apologize for making your spring fever go up a few degrees––after all, that was the plan. Ideas and inspiration both await you, and all you have to do is spring into action by planning that Santa Fe getaway. You already know how to spring forward, so go ahead and take the leap into spring excitement City Different style.