This is what peace looks like.

Santa Fe International Folk Art Market founder Judith Espinar said that's how a friend of hers described the colorful, eclectic gathering of artisans on Museum Hill this weekend.

The event, now in its fifth year, is the world's largest folk art market, according to organizers. On Saturday, more than 10,000 guests strolled through open-air tents packed with art from around the globe.

Rick DeSaussure, a stay-at-home dad from Santa Fe, attended with his wife, Synth DeSaussure, and their 10-month-old son, Ben. The youngster gave up his place in a stroller so dad could cart around the boy's new drum.

"He loved the music, and all of the colors," Rick DeSaussure said. "He's young, but it seems a good time to introduce him to international culture."

Like most art markets, the two-day event serves two purposes — to bring art to art lovers, and to bring art buyers to artists. By either measure, the first day of this year's event was a grand success, organizers said.

"One vendor said she did as much today as she did during the entire weekend last year," said market executive director Charlene Cerny.

Espinar and Museum of New Mexico Foundation executive director Tom Aageson launched the market with the help of the city of Santa Fe and UNESCO in 2003 to show folk artists from around the world that their work is valued. Final numbers won't be available until Monday, but based on early reports Saturday, "I do know sales are up," said Melinne Owen, artist liaison and chairwoman of regional coordinators.

Early birds paid a premium — $50 — to get into the market at 7:30 a.m. for their pick of art. The sales help preserve ancient arts around the world, and let artists rebuild local economies with their handiwork.

Nearly 20 years after the dissolution of the Soviet empire, the now independent "stans" were well represented in Santa Fe Saturday, with artists from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and the still war-torn Afghanistan offering crafts, some of which until recently were not available on the world market.

Rustam Abdullaeu used his command of the English language to sell his wife's embroidery and rugs woven by his father-in-law's students at a UNESCO carpet-weaving school in Uzbekistan.

"This craft nearly died in Uzbekistan during the Soviet period," Abdullaeu said.

Abdullaeu said he was "volunteering" to help his wife and her father sell while they vacationed in the U.S. A bystander quipped that the job was obligatory.

The eclectic mix of world citizens presented an unusual close-up view of a rapidly changing world. Abdullaeu, who now works as a human-resources manager for the Chinese national petroleum company, said his fellow Uzbekistanis enjoy their newfound sovereignty. "To be back, considered as a nation, is always good," he said.

And yes, many Uzbekistanis these days have microwave ovens in their homes, he said.

Under another tent, one of China's leading paper-cut artists showed her craft half a world away from the home where she has gained fame. She has 28 pieces on display in the Chinese National Art Museum.

Hudie Zheng, whose first name means butterfly, said through an interpreter that she has displayed her craft many places including the home of the Chinese president, and often in Korea.

The mother of two children, Zheng, who is originally from Inner Mongolia, said she started making paper-cut art some 44 years ago, at the age of 8, and moved to Beijing 10 years ago to find a bigger audience for her work. She said she now earns a good income as one of her nation's leading folk artists.

Some 850 volunteers, from Santa Fe and beyond, help put on the event. Cerny said city officials estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people boarded the fleet of busses that ferried people from a parking lot at the state PERA building on Paseo de Peralta to the event on Museum Hill. Others walked in.

She said advance ticket sales were up 15 percent over last year's event, which attracted 17,000 guests and some $1.7 million in sales.

Espinar said the international event grew from a kind of personal effort people are now realizing is their best hope for world peace.

"I think there is a fairly universal thinking now, especially in this country, if you want something done you've got to do it. There is an attitude that people know now that big government and big organizations aren't going to solve the problems of the world, so each of us is taking on whatever little contribution we can make," Espinar said.

Espinar said organizers are talking to people around the world about how to replicate the market's success in their own regions.

Today's events include a "passport" program that will let youths document the nationality of artists they visit, an amulet-making class for children at the Museum of International Folk Art, and an afternoon appearance by the band Los Pinquos.

Admission today is $5, and free for children under 16. Organizers let artists reduce prices after 2 p.m., and some choose to sell their inventory at bargain prices rather than ship it back home, Cerny said. The market opens at 9 a.m. today and closes at 5 p.m.

Contact David Collins at 986-3064 or dcollins@sfnewmexican.com.