There’s always something exciting happening at the Museum of International Folk Art! Join us for our many programs listed below.

Join us for art in the atrium on Sundays with art projects, coloring sheets, and self-guided treasure hunts. Add to your explorations at MOIFA with fun collection-inspired bilingual art kits, facilitated by our fantastic MOIFA docents. Our projects are always changing with changing gallery treasure hunts for the whole family.
Dates & Themes:
June 11 - Uchiwa, Japanese Hand Fans!
June 25 - Uchiwa, Japanese Hand Fans!
The program time is from 10 am - 4 pm, and the program is free with museum admission. Museum admission is always free for Kids and Members, program is included with admission.
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Awa Ningyo Joruri Performance: Japanese Drama performed by professional puppeteers from Tokushima Prefecture
June 24, 2023 through June 25, 20231:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Join us for this 90 minute program including an explanation and a video of Awa Ningyo Joruri, a demonstration and hands-ons experience of how to operate the large puppets, and the performance of "Keisei Awa no Naruto, The Scene of the Pilgrim’s Song"
The same program will be presented on Saturday June 24, and repeated again on Sunday June 25.
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Awa Ningyo Joruri Performance: Japanese Drama performed by professional puppeteers from Tokushima Prefecture
June 25, 20231:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Join us for this 90 minute program including an explanation and a video of Awa Ningyo Joruri, a demonstration and hands-ons experience of how to operate the large puppets, and the performance of "Keisei Awa no Naruto, The Scene of the Pilgrim’s Song"
Ningyo / Narutoza Puppet Theater
Narutoza Puppet Theater was formed in 1980, when its founding director Kobayashi Shunsei, his family, and six other friends joined together to create the troupe, occasioned by the receipt of two puppet heads that had been carved by the master Oe Minosuke IV, a native of Naruto City who had created most of the puppet heads that were used by the Osaka Bunraku Puppet Theater after their puppets and equipment had been destroyed during the War. The two puppets that Narutoza received were Oyumi and Otsuru, the mother and daughter characters in the play Keisei Awa no Naruto. Starting with performances at local schools in Naruto, the troupe collaborated with children’s organizations to produce pieces that were performed at the Otsuka Art Museum. They also performed at the grand opening of the outdoor stage at the Bart Garden theme park and at Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture, among others, always seeking to convey the charm of traditional Awa puppetry to audiences within and without Tokushima Prefecture. Currently, puppeteers ranging in age from their 30s through their 70s perform with Naruto Puppet Theater under the leadership of the third director, Murakami Kyoko.
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Puppeteers from Tokushima, Japan will lead a one-hour demonstration on Japanese Ningyo Joruri puppet production. Learn about the elaborate puppets used in Ningyo Joruri performances and assemble a puppet head made with a 3D printer. The workshop is limited to 10 participants and will include:
- Overview of Awa Ningyo Joruri: 5 minutes
- Production demonstration and commentary by the puppeteer: 15 minutes
- Kiyohime’s head assembly experience: 40 minutes
To register for the FREE workshop email: kemely.gomez@dca.nm.gov and include your name, and email if you wish to attend: June 25 from 11 am – 12 pm. The puppet heads in the workshop will remain with the puppeteers (participants will not receive a puppet head to take home.)
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Join us on Museum Hill for FREE Hands-on Workshops for Ages 3-103
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
- Tues, 6/6 | Recycle T-Shirt Printing with Jacob Meders (Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria Maidu) *Bring a T-shirt*
- Thurs, 6/15 | Painting Workshop with Diné Artist Peterson Yazzie
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
- Tues, 6/13 | Pottery
- Tues, 6/20 | Summer Solstice Activity
- Tues, 6/27 | Weaving
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
- Sun, 6/18 | International Mud Day
- Tues, 7/4 | Plant Art
- Thurs, 8/3 | National Honey Bee Day
Museum of International Folk Art
- Wed, 7/12 | Japanese Masks
- Wed, 7/19 | Papier Mâché
- Wed, 7/26 | Dolls
- Wed, 8/2 | Recycled Piñatas
All art making activities are from 10am to 2pm. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Museum and Garden entrance free for Arts Alive! participants during workshop hours. Groups of 6 or more, please call or email to guarantee free admission to the museum or garden.
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