It is Art Fair Week. Some call it Armory Week, and others call it New York Arts Week. Whatever you call it, with more than a dozen art fairs taking place in the city, it is a real happening that anyone can be a part of. NY1's Stephanie Simon takes us to some of her favorites.
Art Fair Week can be confusing. The Armory Show takes place at the piers, the Art Show takes place at the Park Avenue Armory, and to further complicate things, we asked Gracie Mansion to weigh in. Of course, that is Gracie Mansion the art expert, not the building!
“New York is a hub for everyone interested in arts this week,” said Artnet Senior Specialist, Gracie Mansion.
Intimidated? Don't be!
"Just walk around and see incredible things,” Mansion said. “I mean, you don't have to buy things to enjoy the art.”
“This is like 100 museum shows all at once," Mansion added.
"We bring together galleries from 36 different countries here in one place: 4,000 artists,” said The Armory Show’s Executive Director Benjamin Genocchio. “Close to 75,000 people come through the doors,"
Admission is $45.
The next stop was The Art Dealers Association of Americas Art Show on Park Avenue.
"You've got 70 odd booths with a mix of things to see, both three-dimensional and two,” said ADAA Art Show Chairperson Tony Meier Chairperson. “And it's a very, very welcoming environment that has a bit of a neighborhood flair and feel to it."
One of the best parts about coming to the fairs is if you see a work of art you like and you want to know more, just ask.
Admission is $25 dollars.
And to show you the range of what is happening, we headed to Moynihan Station for ‘SPRING/BREAK.’ There, it was edgy art shown in a fairly raw space.
"Because we appropriate non-traditional space and it has to be historic, we're usually not building booths or we’re not creating a trade show atmosphere," said SPRING/BREAK Art Fair Co-Founder Andrew Gori.
Most of the fairs run through Sunday. SPRING/BREAK runs through Monday.
Admission is $15 dollars.