Join the country’s largest and oldest recycled art market
The numerous ways that artists can participate in the Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival are featured below. All work displayed must be original, at least 75% recycled/re-used, and produced by the exhibitor. Our criteria for recycled is using elements that were originally manufactured and would be thrown away or recycled, if it were not for your creativity to reformat it in a manner different from its intended original use. A good criterion is that the materials you use are considered junk, or would have ended up in the landfill or recycling center if you hadn’t rescued them for art. For our purposes, materials from nature such as rocks, sticks, leaves, bones, dirt, water, etc. are not recycled.
Art Market
The art market showcases nearly 100 artists each year from New Mexico and across the nation. The 2026 Art Market application process has ended and the art market is currently full. If you are interested in being an art market vendor this year, please add your name to the wait list and we will be in touch if a booth space opens up! Applications are submitted online, and paper applications are not accepted. Art market artists must be present during the entire art market. To learn more, scroll down and visit our FAQs and sign up for our email list.
Adult Juried Art Exhibit
Do you want to be an artist at the festival, but aren’t ready to have your own booth yet? The Adult Juried Art Exhibit is a great way to still be a part of the fun. This gallery-style exhibit is up throughout the weekend. Applications for the 2026 event are due October 9, 2026.
Student Juried Art Exhibit
Calling All Student Artists! The Student Juried Art Exhibit shows recycled art made by Santa Fe area preschoolers through high-schoolers and will be on exhibit in the main lobby of the Santa Fe Community Convention Center during the festival. It is free to enter, but classrooms and individuals must register in advance. Entries for the 2026 event are due October 30, 2026.
Trash Fashion Show
Join the fun! Walk down a real catwalk in complete trash fashion glory. This is a great opportunity for individuals and groups to create ensembles with high fashion and environmental messages in mind. Entries for the 2026 event are due October 30, 2026.
Frequently
Asked
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A full booth is a 10’ x 10’ space with carpet and power. Artists can request six foot and eight-foot banquet style tables during the application process. Artists create their entire booth space. This could mean a tent or panels or side walls, etc. Most booths back into the backside of another booth so we recommend that artists plan to have a wall or back panel to delineate their space. If art needs to be hung, artists need to bring a wall or panel from which they can hang their art. Walls and ceilings at the Convention Center cannot be used to hang art.
The cost for a full booth (10’ x 10’) on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday is $395. Corner booths are an additional $100.
A 10’ x 10’ Saturday and Sunday only booth is $295 (Corner booths are an additional $75). After the trash fashion show on Friday night, staff clear the catwalk, stage, runway and chairs late on Friday night. Early Saturday morning approximately 20 more art market vendors set up for the art market. Set up is from 7am to 9am on Saturday so this only works for booths that are relatively quick to set up. This is a great way for new or emerging artists to experience the art market.
- Apply online once applications open for the year.
- Submit your application and photos of your art with your online application
- Submit payment for your booth when you apply online (if you are not accepted into the show or need to cancel by the September deadline, your full payment will be refunded)
- All vendors that sell art must have a New Mexico Business Tax Identification Number and include this number in the online application. The application cannot be submitted without the New Mexico Business Tax Identification Number. To apply online to get your NM Business Tax Identification Number from the state, click HERE. If you already have a NM Business Tax Identification Number and don’t remember/know what it is, you need to contact NM Tax and Revenue to get the 11-digit number and include it on your application.
- Once you submit this information and are accepted into the show, Recycle Santa Fe will get the Special Event Vendor License for you through the City of Santa Fe.
- Corner booth fees – If you would like to ensure a corner booth as a vendor on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, you will need to select the corner booth option on the application and pay the $100 corner booth fee. For a Saturday/Sunday booth, the corner booth fee is $75. This fee is required for a corner booth.
- Half booths are no longer offered. You can still find a friend or partner and share a booth, but applications must be submitted as a “shared booth” application. One of the applicants will pay the full booth fee and the second applicant will pay the $50 shared booth fee.
- New this year! We are offering a limited number of 6′ Tabletop vendors spots during the art market on Saturday and Sunday for $150. Returning artists may apply to be tabletop vendors, but priority is given to new artists that have not been in the art market before.
- Apply early! We will send out our first round of art market acceptance details on August 7th. After that we will review all applications after the September 25th deadline and notify artists.
All vendors that sell art must have a New Mexico Business Tax Identification Number and include this number in the online application. The application cannot be submitted without the New Mexico Business Tax Identification Number. To apply online to get your NM Business Tax Identification Number from the state, click HERE. If you already have a NM Business Tax Identification Number and don’t remember/know what it is, you need to contact NM Tax and Revenue to get the 11-digit number and include it on your application.
Once you submit this information and are accepted into the show, Recycle Santa Fe will get the Special Event Vendor License for you through the City of Santa Fe.
For the 2026 festival we will send the first round of acceptance notices on August 7th and then wait until after the September 25th deadline to review all remaining applications and notify artists of acceptance by October 2nd. If you know you want to do the festival and are able to, please apply by the August 7th deadline.
Artists may submit up to three pieces to be considered for the art exhibit. The applications are all online, and paper applications are not accepted. Artists will submit details and images of the art via the online application process. The cost is $60 to submit one to three pieces of art to be considered. Artists do not have to be a part of the art market to be in the adult juried art exhibit.
- 2026 Art Market applications are due by Friday, September 25th. Don’t wait to apply! The art market often sells out and the first round of acceptance notices will go out on August 7, 2026 so if you know you’d like to submit an application, please apply before August 7th.
- Adult Juried Art Exhibit applications are due by October 9th, 2026.
- Student Juried Art Exhibit registrations/applications are due by October 30, 2026.
- Trash Fashion Show contestant entries are due by October 30, 2026.
- The 2026 festival will take place November 6-8, 2026
