Fifty years ago, when President John F. Kennedy announced that the third goal of the Peace Corps was to "strengthen Americans' understanding about the world and its peoples," he undoubtedly had in mind the kind of volunteer work done by Santa Feans Melinne Owen (Micronesia, 1968), John Vavruska (Nepal, 1983), Allan Burrus (Kingdom of Tonga, 1967-1970) and Judith Haden (El Salvador, 1966).

They are among more than 100 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who have been "bringing it home" year after year by helping the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market present its annual exhibition and sale of traditional arts and crafts — the largest event of its kind in the world.

The Peace Corps ethic was present in the market from the beginning. Judy Espinar (Peru, 1964) helped found the market and is now its creative director. Other RPCVs have done everything from helping artists fill out market applications to hosting them in their homes, assisting them in their booths — and sometimes serving as interpreters.

This year, the Peace Corps and the market are joining together to put on a joint birthday party for the agency and a kickoff for the 2011 market. The free family event will be held July 7 at the Railyard Park.

Santa Fe is one of nine locations for agency-supported anniversary events. (Others are in Sacramento, Calif., Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Miami.)

The World Expo begins at 5 p.m. with some opening remarks by agency officials, including Elise Montoya, a Peace Corps liaison to the White House who is originally from Santa Fe. The introductions will be followed by a procession of some 150 market artists, all in national dress, who will arrive at the Railyard aboard the Santa Fe Southern Railway. Hundreds of RPCVs carrying the flags of the countries in which they served will participate in the welcome.

Later in the evening, the West African Highlife Band, whose style is rooted in rhythms from Nigeria and Ghana, will be playing its mix of African and world music at a free concert in the park. Ethnic food will be available from at least a dozen food vendors. One tent will be devoted to storytelling. And under another, there will be a curated exhibit of photographs taken by local RPCVs during their service. Representatives from the Peace Corps will be on hand to answer questions about the program.

The evening will end in time for visitors to catch the last Rail Runner train back to Albuquerque.

Espinar said the event is a thank you to the community. "Santa Fe has embraced this idea (of the folk art market), and we want to communicate that we love them for it," she said.

The public welcome also is an opportunity to show the artists how much they are appreciated by treating them as international visitors, said market director and co-founder Charlene Cerny.

Cerny said four booths at this year's market were directly helped by Peace Corps volunteers: Association Sahalandy (Madagascar); Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation (China); Hovsgol Park Cooperative (Mongolia); and Jamaiate Tifawin (Morocco).

Natalie Mundy, a Peace Corps volunteer from Roanoke, Va., and friend of market board member Linda Marcus, spent nine months in Sandrandahy in the highlands of Madagascar, teaching weavers marketing, human resources, management, accounting and financing skills and helped bring them to the attention of the market. This year, Association Sahalandy, a group of seven weaving cooperatives, was accepted into the market for the first time.

The women make silk scarves, tablecloths, curtains and wall hangings in rich, natural colors from silkworm cocoons.

Owen, an artist, costume designer and even an election supervisor in Bosnia in the 1990s, shepherded the Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation, based in China's Tibetan Plateau, through the application process. In a tradition passed from father to son, the men spend up to a month creating each Nixi black pottery vessel decorated with Tibetan cultural symbols.

Owen and her family have also been involved in helping the Hovsgol Park Cooperative in Mongolia come to the market, starting in 2009. The cooperative specializes in garments, felt boots, purses and toy animals for children. In addition, one of the artists paints scenes from the daily lives of Mongolian nomadic herders.

"They've done better each year," Owen said of the group's success at market.

Owen has been regional coordinator for China and Mongolia and a member of the committee that selects market artists. This year, she is coordinating the work of some 2,000 market volunteers.

Meeting the artists when they arrive is a "such a warm experience," she said. "We help them unpack, display their work, find an Alka-Seltzer if someone needs one. It's a high."

Volunteer Vavruska said he's assisted artists from the Janakpur Women's Development Center, located near the border with India, who make paintings on paper. Representatives of the center have come to market since 2009. "In one weekend, 40 women make enough money to get them through the whole year," he said, adding that last year the women grossed $10,000.

Through their market experience, they also greatly increased their status in the village, he pointed out. "The men have more respect for them because they bring in more money. It's a huge boost to these ladies and their families."

Burrus, who helped establish the New Mexico Peace Corps Association (the state has about 2,000 RPCVs), has volunteered at the market since its second year, 2005, and is helping to organize the Railyard expo.

"The Peace Corps has been involved in the market since the get-go at every level," he said. "We feel that the market itself might be the pre-eminent example of the Peace Corps."

Haden, who has taken many of the official market photographs, will be helping to coordinate the July 7 Peace Corps photo show and assisting in a booth on market days this year. She said Peace Corps involvement in this enterprise is a natural for volunteer-oriented RPCVs.

"We understand and know and respect other cultures and recognize that the makers of those beautiful crafts are in the very lowest economic rung," she said. "We know what their life is like. And we know what $10,000 will do when they take it home to their villages."

Contact Anne Constable at 986-3022 or aconstable@sfnewmexican.com.

WORLD EXPO

• What: Peace Corps birthday, artists procession, free concert by West African Highlife Band

• When: 5 to 9 p.m. July 7

• Where: Railyard Park

• Who: Santa Fe International Folk Art Market/Peace Corps

SANTA FE INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MARKET

• When: July 8, 9, 10

• Where: Museum Hill

• Volunteer for the market: 476-1195

HOW TO BUY TICKETS

• Phone: 888-670-3655; 505-984-0799

• Online: www.folkartmarket.com

• In person: Museum of New Mexico Shops, Los Alamos National Bank branch locations

3 PEACE CORPS GOALS

• Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

• Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

• Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.