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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Visual Art The Great New Seattle Art Fair With the Bad Name, This Weekend

Posted by Jen Graves on Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 10:55 AM

Anna Fidler, Stevie. Fidlers showing now at Prole Drift, one of the Seattle galleries thatll be at Affordable Art Fair this weekend. The rest of her show, called Cherry Bomb, can be seen here.

Courtesy the artist and Prole Drift
Anna Fidler, Stevie. Fidler's showing now at Prole Drift, one of the Seattle galleries that'll be at Affordable Art Fair this weekend. The rest of her show, called Cherry Bomb, can be seen here.

"Will you be at the fair?" That's the question everybody in Seattle art is asking this week. You hear this same question every November—usually it means "Are you flying to Art Basel Miami Beach [held in early December]?" But now it means "Are you going to Seattle Center?" Easier commute.

You should definitely check it out. Ever been to an art fair before? Here's a taste of the madness that transpires in Miami.

This is the first art fair in Seattle since the late '90s, when a locally run outfit ran a fair for six years—it arguably gave great exposure to local artists, drawing dealers from far and wide, including New York powerhouse Gagosian (imagine them setting up a booth in Seattle today).

This new fair is called (unfortunately) the Affordable Art Fair, it includes around 50 galleries featuring the most prominent Seattle players—with notable boycotters—and the rule is that none of the art can cost more than $10,000, and the majority has to be priced between $100 and $5,000.

Why are some dealers sitting it out? How come nobody likes the name? Who's going to be there and what's it all about? WHAT CAN YOU BUY?

Read the whole story, then go. The fair opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday; admission is $12. Early word is that the setup is attractive, with spacious booths showcasing the art well.