Art Rx: Armory Week

Happy Armory Week, New York! It’s that time again — time to get your fair on.

With ten fairs spread out around Manhattan, there should easily be something for everyone, whether blue-chip is your style (Armory, ADAA), or you’re more alternative (Independent, Moving Image), or you want to try something a little wacky (the [Un]fair). But if you’re really resistant to all the fair fuss, don’t worry! There’s so much else going on this week.

Starting today and running through Sunday, Armory Arts Week has events planned in all of the city’s major art neighborhoods. There’s a Bronx day, a Long Island City night, and much more — including Brooklyn night on Saturday. And what coincides with Brooklyn night? Why, it’s our Word’s First Tumblr Art Symposium! If you get to Bushwick early, you can visit galleries, many of which will have extended hours. Then come to our symposium, which will feature talks, panels, an exhibition, and a party.

A handy map showing the locations of all the fairs

JiaJia Fei’s handy map showing the locations of all the fairs

ADAA Art Show

When: March 6–10 / Wednesday–Saturday: 12–8 pm; Sunday, 12–6 pm ($25)
Where: Park Avenue Armory (643 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan)

High quality and higher prices. ADAA brings all the A-listers to town, with brand new works from the likes of Kiki Smith to old-school favorites like Rosenquist and Picasso. —AW

The Armory Show

When: March 7–10 / Thursday–Sunday, 12–7 pm ($30)
Where: Piers 92 & 94 (12th Avenue at West 55th Street, Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Not only is it the big kahuna of the week, but the Armory Show is also celebrating its centennial this year! Eric Shiner, director of the Andy Warhol Museum, is curating the fair’s special Armory Focus section, which will spotlight the US through the works of both American artists and others who take the country as a subject. Don’t miss the Armory Film program and the Open Forum talks and panels, too.

Fountain

When: March 8–10 / Friday & Saturday, 12–7 pm, Sunday, 12–5 pm ($10)
Where: 69th Regiment Armory (68 Lexington Avenue, Kips Bay, Manhattan)

The renegade of the Armory art fairs, Fountain is bringing a giant, site-specific installation of twenty canvases hung from the ceiling, along with works by popular street artists like Apolo Torres, Dark Clouds, and more. Musical lineups on opening night should go over well with arty hipsters. —AW

Independent

When: March 7–10 / Thursday, 4–9 pm; Friday & Saturday, 11 am–8 pm; Sunday, 11 am–4 pm (FREE)
Where: 548 West 22nd Street (Chelsea, Manhattan)

A highbrow yet alternative art fair, Independent has a beefed up program this year, with over 40 galleries and nonprofits. The Kitchen and Printed Matter will also take part for the first time, in conjunction with the fair’s honoring of local nonprofits that were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. And there’s a new award, the Privatus Prize, which will give $10,000 to a gallery or institution that shows “outstanding curatorial work” at the fair. No audience voting on that one, though.

Moving Image

When: March 7–10 / Thursday–Saturday, 11 am–8 pm; Sunday, 11 am–4 pm (FREE)
Where: Waterfront New York Tunnel (269 Eleventh Avenue, Chelsea, Manhattan)

As the only fair dedicated to showing moving-image and video work, the Moving Image fair offered a pocket of inspired relief when it first opened three years ago. Not much has changed. This year, in addition to the international lineup of exhibitors, there will be a $1,000 prize for an emerging artist showing at the fair and a Vine video project curated by Animal’s art editor, Marina Galperina, and Hyperallergic’s Kyle Chayka.

Seen at last year’s Armory Show (image via Flickr/j-No)

New City

When: March 7–10 / Thursday, 12–9 pm; Friday, 12–6 pm; Saturday, 11 am–6 pm; Sunday, 11 am–5 pm (FREE)
Where: 529 West 20th Street, 2W (Chelsea, Manhattan)

The New City art fair is comprised of 11 Japanese galleries with the mission of exhibiting original works by contemporary Japanese artists. This is the third iteration of the fair, following editions in Taipei and New York in 2012. —JDS

Pool

When: March 8–10 / Friday–Sunday 3–10 pm ($10 suggested donation)
Where: Flatiron Hotel (9 West 26th Street, Flatiron, Manhattan)

Pool is dedicated to showcasing the work of unrepresented artists. A project of Frère Independent, it brings artists and art professionals together and lets buyers support artists directly. —JDS

Scope

When: March 6–10 / Thursday–Saturday, 11 am–7 pm; Sunday, 11 am–6 pm ($20)
Where: Skylight at Moynihan Station (312 West 33rd Street, Penn Station, Manhattan)

Scope returns in an unusual venue, Skylight at Moynihan Station, a historic and iconic post office in Chelsea. This year’s fair features 55 international galleries, plus 20 more that are part of Scope’s unfortunately named “Breeder Program,” which introduces emerging galleries to the contemporary market. —KP

Spring/Break

When: March 7–10 / Thursday–Sunday, 12–9 pm ($5)
Where: Old School (233 Mott Street, Nolita, Manhattan)

Offering a refreshing break from typical art fairs, the second Spring/Break will feature the projects of twenty talented, young curators using the classrooms of an old schoolhouse. This year’s theme is “New Mysticism,” which the curators semi-coherently explain as “examin[ing] how digital semiotics, the Internet, and technology at large, along with the old relics of 20th century visual culture together all provoke a new formal intuition within the aesthetic incantations of formal expression today — often more human than our advancements would have us know.” —KP

The (Un)fair

When: March 6–10 / Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am–8 pm (FREE)
Where: 500 West 52nd Street (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

This one’s not on the official Armory Week list, but with the conspicuous absence of the Dependent art fair, we’ve been searching for something to fill the void. Billed as “a guerilla-style art show,” this newbie will have a photo booth, performances, elevator comedians (who we assume are what they sound like), and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (Oh! It’s also sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s.) Free stretch-limo shuttles are promised between the (Un)fair and the Armory Show.

Volta

When: March 7–10 / Thursday, 2–8 pm; Friday & Saturday, 11 am–8 pm; Sunday, 11 am–6 pm ($15)
Where: 82 Mercer Street (82 Mercer Street, Soho, Manhattan)

Volta is an invite-only fair that presents all solo projects. The art tends to have a lower price tag than at the blue-chip Armory Show, which can make for more interesting and experimental work. Good for those who like to linger.

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With listings by Kyle Petreycik, JD Siazon, and Arianne Wack