The religious folk art known as santo – Spanish for saint – has become tremendously popular over the past decade, driven by renewed interest in the culture of New Mexico and Colorado.
The colonial Spanish used these sacred images to convert indigenous people to Catholicism In New Mexico in the late 1700s.
Santos sold in New Mexico at the Santa Fe market strictly adhere to traditional methods, but Colorado santos are gaining a reputation for their fresh, original style – like Saint Francis of Assisi painted on a wooden skateboard, now on view at “Santos: Sacred Art of Colorado” at O’Sullivan Art Gallery at Regis University through Dec. 8.
Three artists in the show received the Heritage Award from the Colorado Council on the Arts. All 12 artists in this show – including Jerry Vigil, Jose Raul Esquibel, Carlos Santistevan, and Catherine Robles-Shaw – will sell their colorful religious icons at the Santos Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 9 at the O’Sullivan Gallery, Regis University, West 50th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard, Denver.
