Join us for The Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area’s Cultures & Creators Visual Arts Festival. An exciting community event at the Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde, New Mexico.
This local arts festival promotes artists in the area who practice traditional and contemporary art forms. It celebrates the rich culture and heritage of the area and fosters the participation and support of local artists. Artists from across the region will be showcasing their work as well as demonstrating traditional art methods.
By connecting diverse communities and serving as a cohesive voice for all, we are proud to bring together our many partners, grant recipients, and smaller non-profits in a celebration as diverse as our heritage and culture.
Local residents and tourists alike who are interested in the arts are invited to experience something new and exciting in the community. Admission on Saturday is $7 and Harvest Festival admission on Sunday is $10 for adults. Children 16 and under are free!
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
8:00 AM – Gates Open
8:00–11:00 AM – Live Sheep Shearing Demonstration
8:00 AM onward – Food Trucks Open
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Art Demonstrations & Vendor Market
Featured Demonstrations:
Basket Weaving with Jilli
Traditional Woodcarving with Joseph López & Family
Handmade Paper Making with Chantel & Chauncey
Loom Weaving & Mug Rug Demonstration with Joyce Trainor
Experience a vibrant marketplace, traditional fiber arts, and hands-on cultural demonstrations throughout the day.
Special programming for regional schools, featuring interactive art projects, exhibit tours, nature walks, and cultural learning experiences.
(Limited to registered school groups)
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
A celebration of traditional foodways centered around the adobe horno.
Enjoy fresh-baked goods, cultural storytelling, and the revival of traditional cooking techniques.
Close out the week with stories, history, and reflections rooted in the landscapes and cultures of Northern New Mexico.
Byron Martínez was raised in a family steeped in artistic tradition. His parents worked across multiple art forms — painting, small sculptures, straw appliqué, and tin work — and as a child, he spent time at his grandparents’ home watching his grandfather, Apolonio, carve santos.
Today, Byron carries that legacy forward through his own finely crafted santos and sculptures. His unpainted bultos are particularly distinctive, showcasing the natural grain of a diverse selection of hardwoods. Many of his pieces are deeply personal in origin, inspired by the individuals who commission his work — through visits to their homes, conversations about their collections, or simply through meaningful personal exchange.
His sculptures speak to the struggles and triumphs of everyday life, with particular resonance for his community in Chimayó. Byron draws spiritual grounding from regular time spent at El Santuario de Chimayó, where he gives thanks and seeks guidance.
He credits his greatest inspirations as his parents, Jane and Ascensión, for their belief in him; his wife Felicia, for her steadfast support; and his faith in Jesus Christ, for the gifts he has been given.
Born and raised in Northern New Mexico, Joseph has been creating Spanish Colonial Art for most of his life—working alongside his father Felix and sister Krissa Maria. With extensive world travel and a deep-rooted connection to his cultural heritage, Joseph has honed his skills as a Santero over the years, mastering the techniques and symbolism associated with these art forms. Dedicating himself to these traditional arts when he was only seven years old, Joseph has been fresco painting for the last five years. Through meticulously crafted Santos, Joseph brings to life the rich spiritual traditions of Northern New Mexico.
For thousands of years, people have touched this land, each adding to its story in its own way. Los Luceros is a place where the memories of the past have been preserved on the landscape and its story shared for generations – and in that spirit, we contribute the Cultures & Creators Visual Arts Festival.
The picturesque 148-acre ranch located north of Alcalde on the east bank of the Río Grande, is one of New Mexico’s most scenic and historically rich properties, and as an officially designated New Mexico Historic Site – the perfect location for the Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area’s first annual signature event – Cultures & Creators Visual Arts Festival.
The Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area has always served as a responsible steward and advocate for the preservation of the culture, heritage, language, and environment in Northern New Mexico, and through an increase in efforts we have been working collaboratively through outreach and continued cultural education to increase economic growth, awareness of our shared heritage, and community advancement.
As a proactive advocate for preserving the culture, heritage, and natural resources in the Northern Río Grande area, we are increasing awareness and working for economic expansion in the area to ensure that the culture, heritage and environment are preserved for future generations. As educators to the public on the cultures and heritage of Northern New Mexico, we provide grant opportunities for outreach and continued cultural community education.
A special thank you to our community partners, Los Luceros Historic Site and the Department of Cultural Affairs, for helping to make this event possible.