This colorful exhibit features 12 dramatic quilts created by Mary Lee Bendolph and her family members from the tiny but celebrated quilting community of Gee's Bend, Ala. The exhibit also includes found object sculptures by self-taught artist Thornton Dial and visionary "yard art" artist Lonnie Holley.

WHEN: Nov. 16, 2007 through May 11.

Native Couture explores the history of Santa Fe style, showcasing jewelry and clothing made during the 1880s through today. Built around the collection of Santa Fe style-setter Dicky Pfaelzer, whose children donated her collection to the museum in 2005, Native Couture explores how Native American, Hispano and Western Frontier aesthetic traditions influenced the evolution of Santa Fe style in fashion and jewelry design.

WHEN: Dec. 16, 2007 through Sept. 1

Learn how the daisy, the flower that served as an icon for the peace movement during the 1960s, has bloomed into a symbol of artistic expression during tumultuous times of social change. Work from the 1960s by Warhol and the Marimekko design group, for example, joins pieces by Takashi Murakami, Erika Wanenmacher and other contemporary artists to explore this flower's power in the 20th and 21st centuries.

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 1 through Sunday, May 11

The first in-depth retrospective of Icelandic native Steina, a pioneer in the field of new media art, features 25 single-channel videos and six multi-screen installations using analog and digital technologies to create kinetic sculptures, innovative videotapes and immersive projection environments. Steina, who lives in Santa Fe, has spent more than three decades expanding the boundaries of video technology and electronic imaging. This chronological exhibition includes three versions of one of her most significant works, Violin Power and Steina performs her new version of this work at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 at SITE Santa Fe.

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 15. through Sunday, May 11.

This exhibit features artwork produced in New Mexico by Native American, Hispanic and European American artists during the 1930s and 1940s as part of the New Deal art programs. The exhibit marks the 75th anniversary of the federal Works Progress Administration, which helped struggling workers during the Great Depression. The works on view are from the New Mexico Museum of Arts Collection.

WHEN: Friday, March 7 through Sunday, May 18

This exhibit explores how storytelling through comics and comic-inspired art expresses the contemporary Native American experience. Examples of rock art, ledger art and ceramics link early Native American narrative art forms to 20th-century comic strips and comic books. This early work is paired with contemporary Native American work to reveal new ways in which native artists are working with comic art to express life in the 21st century.

WHEN: Sunday, May 11 through Sunday, January 4, 2009

The 6th Annual African Effect film festival features films, discussions and presentations that offer a rare opportunity to view an array of perspectives on African culture. Co-curated by African cinema scholar Samba Gadjigo, the festival screens new movies from Mali, South Africa, the Congo, Chad, Tunisia and Rwanda.

WHEN: Thursday, May 15 through Sunday, May 18

An evening with this Portland, Oregon-based "little orchestra" is like a globe-trotting tour of cool cocktail lounges. Led by singer China Forbes and pianist Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini blends lounge sounds with Latin, jazz, classical and cinematic music and they've garnered fans around the world.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15

When the railroad began serving New Mexico in 1880, it brought a steady stream of tourists eager to purchase an array of items invented purely for them by Pueblo and Navajo artisans collaborating with non-Indian dealers. Thus did the curio trade begin, expanding to include a network of cottage industries, retail venues and a booming mail order business that all had far-reaching consequences into the 20th century. This exhibit examines the artists and their artifacts, as well as the innovations and traditions that contributed to New Mexico's complex and controversial curio trade.

WHEN: Sunday, May 18 through Sunday, April 19, 2009

One hundred miles of intriguing history and breathtaking scenery make this bicycle ride through northern New Mexico a favorite with cyclists. The 23rd annual Santa Fe Century draws more than 2,500 bicyclists for a trip along the historic Turquoise Trail, across the Ortiz and San Pedro Mountains, into sleepy Galisteo and then back to Santa Fe. Riders can opt for "out and back" journeys of 25, 50 and 75 miles, too.

WHEN: Sunday, May 18

The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture's fourth annual outdoor art show and sale features work by more than 130 established and emerging Native American artists. Meet the artists, enjoy live music and entertainment and grab a bite from the local food booths.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 24; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 25

When Hispanic traders forged the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles in 1829, they created the first successful Hispano trading effort to connect the Mexican frontier provinces of New Mexico and California. The trail evolved from a series of routes used earlier by indigenous people that crossed what are now the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. Through artifacts and illustrated wall panels, this exhibit traces the fascinating history of one of the country's least known trails, which once served as one of the region's most important pack mule trading trails.

WHEN: Sunday, May 25 through Sunday, October 26

The second annual Women's Celebration, presented by Southwest Roots Music, features a day devoted to women's creativity with musicians, performers, cottage industry artisans, educational demonstrations, kid's programming and more. The evening part of the program includes a concert by folk music legend Odetta at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Canadian traditional music group, the Be Good Tanyas, at 8:30 p.m.

WHEN: Starting at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 31

This popular, annual self-guided tour of four private gardens in Tesuque showcases what you can accomplish in the high desert with a gifted green thumb. You'll see magnificent fruit trees, weeping willows, meandering acequias, ornamental roses and other jewels of nature.

WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 1

From barrel racing to bareback and bull riding, this rodeo has it all and it's been roping the hearts of cowboys and rodeo fans since it began in 1949. Don't forget to wear your ten-gallon hats and custom cowboy boots. Aimed at families, there's also a calf scramble and other kid's events, a carnival midway, a parade and plenty of food and souvenirs. (You can purchase and print your tickets this year from the rodeo website.)

WHEN: Wednesday, June 25 through Saturday, June 28
(Parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16)

Set amid the dramatic backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Santa Fe Opera has drawn devoted fans from around the globe since it first opened on the grounds of a former ranch in 1957. Each year, the repertoire features world-renowned singers and directors. This season, the opera stages Verdi's Falstaff, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Britten's Billy Budd, Handel's Radamisto and the American premiere of Saariaho's Adriana Mater.

WHEN: Friday, June 27 through Saturday, August 23

100 chairs, benches and stools made around the world are displayed in this exhibit, celebrating the genius of Alexander Girard's designs and the Girard 25th Anniversary Year. This homage to the many ways we sit includes an African throne, a pair of German wedding chairs and a Mirra office chair designed by Herman Miller. This show should enthrall even the most avid couch potatoes.

WHEN: Sunday, June 29 through early January, 2009

ART Santa Fe, the prestigious annual contemporary art fair, brings together collectors, artists and representatives from more than 55 galleries around the world. The fair showcases work by acclaimed masters and cutting-edge artists. The weekend includes an opening gala, a rotating exhibit of solo installations, and a keynote lecture.

WHEN: Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, July 13

More than 100 artists from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe trek to Santa Fe to sell their weaving, pottery, bead work and so much more at the world's largest international folk art market. Enjoy music, entertainment and food while you shop, knowing that every purchase supports cultural traditions and helps to improve the quality of life in towns and villages around the globe. Whatever language you speak, this extraordinary event will move you to marvel at the range of ingenious creativity at work in the world. There's no better city to host the market than Santa Fe, the only place in the U.S. designated by UNESCO as a Creative City of Design & Folk Art.

WHEN: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 12; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 13

Don't know the difference between a bulto and a retablo? See for yourself at the 57th Annual Traditional Spanish Market, featuring more than 250 acclaimed Hispanic artists whose hand-carved figures of saints (bultos), painted images of saints on wood panels (retablos), tinwork, weavings, straw appliqué, furniture and other items reflect northern New Mexico's fascinating Spanish heritage. Learn more by watching the artists demonstrate their work and sampling the regional foods and live music. (The Contemporary Spanish Market, devoted to work by contemporary Hispanic artists, takes place concurrently on nearby streets.)

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 26; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 27

Don't miss this world-famous market if you're a fan of Native American art and culture. More than 1,000 artists sell their pottery, weaving, jewelry, basketry and other traditional work and demonstrate their time-honored techniques. Fill up on fry bread, roasted corn and Navajo tacos as well as other foods of the Southwest as you shop and enjoy Pueblo dances, live music and other entertainment. Get there early because this market typically draws 100,000 visitors from around the globe. Check out the related events held during this weekend in Santa Fe galleries and other venues.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 23; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 24

Visit the famous Santa Fe Farmers Market for a celebration of northern New Mexico's unique culture, history and foodways. You'll find delicious locally grown fruits and vegetables, organic chicken, lamb and beef, handmade jams, herbal products, and other items. Enjoy live music, kids activities and special events throughout the year. Savor a hot cup of coffee, breakfast burrito and pastries at our concession stand as you experience this 40-year-old local institution.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Starting May 13, Tuesday market runs from 7 a.m. to noon at the Armory for the Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail. Look for the market at the new Farmers Market Pavilion and Railyard building at 1607 Paseo de Peralta starting August 2. (Map shows Saturday market location.)

Some of the world's leading thinkers in creativity and tourism gather in Santa Fe---the first U.S. city designated a Creative City by UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization)---for this ground-breaking conference on creative tourism, which engages travelers in a community's culture and heritage through active participation. Presenters include founders of the creative tourism movement and leaders in creativity, geotourism, creative industries and urban and rural development. Key leaders from other UNESCO Creative Cities are also participating, including Aswan, Egypt; Berlin, Germany; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montreal, Canada; Popayan, Colombia; Edinburgh, Scotlandl; Bologna, Italy; and Seville; Spain. The conference provides a forum for learning skills, identifying economic opportunities and developing best practices for creative tourism programs.

WHEN: Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, 2008