My fellow Bushwickians, there are a few times during the year that demand a trip into Manhattan. This week is indeed one of those weeks. Armory Arts Week descends upon the entire city, with events beginning as early as Tuesday and continuing through Sunday. While many of the events are reserved for the rich, the famous and the well-connected (i.e., the Vernissage, VIP collector’s tours, and THE Armory Party at MoMA with a live performance by Solange Knowles which boasts a $175 ticket price), there are a plethora of other events beyond the Armory that are sure to keep you entertained and satisfy your art fix! Here are a few events that you for sure do not want to miss!
The (un)fair Art Show (500 West 52nd Street)
Free Admission, 3/6—3/10, 11am – 8pm
Closing Party, 3/10, 8-10 pm
Responding to the concern that the Armory Show has become less accessible and too predictable – a veritable shopping mall where wealthy collectors have easy access to mostly already established blue-chip artists and galleries – the (un)fair strives to be a “break from the frenzy and rigidity of the cookie-cutter art fair booths [and] celebrates amazing art by a hand-picked group of prestigious artists,” according to their press release. If this isn’t enough to get us in the door, there will also be Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and gourmet popcorn from Popcorn Indiana – two of the event’s sponsors.
Fountain Art Fair, 69th Regiment Armory (25th Street & Lexington Ave)
$10 day pass
6/8—6/9, 12-7 pm, 6/10, 12-5pm
Opening Reception, 3/8, 7-Midnight
Fountain takes its name from Marcel Duchamp’s iconic Fountain readymade from 1917, which during its time challenged established artistic archetypes and transformed the New York art scene. It is in this spirit that Fountain Art Fair operates today. Fountain continues to push artistic boundaries through an innovative and avant-garde approach, often working with lesser known and emerging galleries and artists. If you go, make sure to check out Bushwick galleries Et Al Projects, The Parlour, Grace Exhibition Space and Fuchs Projects, which will be represented at the fair. Et Al Projects will showcase several editions and works on paper from a selection of their artists, as well as a special booth installation by artists Alli Miller + Trey Burns, a preview of their upcoming show in April. The Parlour Gallery will highlight several artists that they have shown throughout the past year. The opening reception on Friday night will include music from Lucas Walters, Musa and Spank Rock, and performances from Kamp!, NSR, and Nina Sky on Saturday Night.
Independent Art Fair, 548 West 22nd Street
Free Admission
3/7, 4-9pm
3/8—3/9, 11am – 8pm
3/10, 11am – 5pm
The fourth edition of the Independent Art Fair, which has always focused around independent international galleries and nonprofit institutions, will specifically be dedicated to New York institutions that were effected by Hurricane Sandy. In the multi-storied building, check out New York favorites like The Kitchen, Bureau, and Bortolami Gallery, and be sure not to miss stellar international galleries, like The Approach from London, Gaudel de Stampa from Paris, and KOW from Berlin. Weather permitting, give your feet a rest and grab a drink on the roof; it offers an incredible view of the Hudson.
VOLTA NY, 82Mercer (entrance at 76 Mercer Street)
$15 day pass
3/7, 2-8pm, 3/8—3/9, 11am—8pm, 3/10, 11am—6pm
Volta, The Armory’s younger, hipper sister, will most likely be the fair that all the cool kids will go to. While the clientele and the represented galleries more closely resemble The Armory Show than the other fairs, Volta is all about the artist and presenting solo projects, with the intention of enabling fair-goers to explore an artist and their work in greater depth. Swing by Bushwick’s Robert Henry Gallery, which will be showing the work of Richard Garrison, an artist who takes materials from our contemporary commercial culture and transforms them into stunning geometrically abstractions. Also 56 Bogart’s Slag Gallery will be gracing the fair with stunning mixed media works by artist Naomi Safran-Hon. Safran-Hon’s brave utilization of cement with paint in her compositions takes the traditional medium to an unexpected place.
SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Old School (233 Mott Street)
$5 day pass
3/7—3/10, noon—9pm
True to its name, SPRING/BREAK strives to “break” from its Armory Arts Week contemporaries and offer a cohesive and finely curated experience. The 20+ participating emerging and established curators have taken advantage of their nontraditional venue, utilizing the hallways and classrooms to present the work of the participating artists. Take a break by going back to school!
Once you make it back to the neighborhood, don’t miss out on our local Bushwick/Ridgewood Galleries Late Night for Armory Week! Enjoy!