This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Aside from signature public buildings designed by international architects and highly ranked sports teams in every major sport, having a bona fide international art fair is another sign that a city has arrived among global players. To that end, the inaugural Atlanta Art Fair is scheduled to take place at Pullman Yards from Oct. 3-6.
Organizers expect 60 exhibitors from around Atlanta, the Southeast and the world to descend upon the city, displaying modern and contemporary work in a wide variety of media and tastes. Many exhibitors will be exhibiting for the first time, demonstrating the fair’s commitment to contributing to the development of the region’s art ecology.
The fair is produced by Art Market Productions, best known for producing the San Francisco Art Fair, Seattle Art Fair and Art on Paper. The fair will also include extensive public programming supported by artistic director Nato Thompson with guest curators Karen Comer Lowe and ArtsATL writer Lauren Jackson Harris.
Here are the galleries slated to exhibit and what they will be exhibiting — as of press time. Organizers anticipate that additional galleries will sign on as the event approaches.
Day & Night Projects, Atlanta
Courtesy of Day and Night Projects
Courtesy of Day and Night Projects
Artist-run Day & Night Projects is devoted to providing opportunities for artists to show work in a noncommercial space. The jewel-box space in Southwest Atlanta has shown work by Danielle Deadwyler, Antonio Darden and Sergio Suárez. Under the moniker of “Light Gets in Your Eyes,” the gallery will feature three Atlanta artists who work with the idea of light: Jackson Markovic, Jane Foley and Timothy Short.
Dunwoody Gallery, Atlanta
Photo courtesy of Dunwoody Gallery
Photo courtesy of Dunwoody Gallery
Dunwoody Gallery sits in the heart of Dunwoody Village and aims to provide a place for emerging and metro artists to share their perspectives and creativity with the community. The gallery will feature four artists in a collection it is calling “ephemeral memories”: Dawn Knauer, Manty Dey, Kira Wong and Kate Burke.
Galerie Fledermaus, Chicago
Lauren Herrmann
Lauren Herrmann
Self-consciously retro and unapologetically romantic, Galerie Fledermaus seeks to bridge past and present in a continuum of craft and content. The gallery excels in the Viennese Secessionists and Art Nouveau.
Gallery Anderson Smith, Peachtree Corners
Photo courtesy of Anderson Smith
Photo courtesy of Anderson Smith
The eponymous Gallery Anderson Smith features the work of the self-taught artist, as well as a full roster of emerging and undiscovered artists. The gallery takes pride in embracing digital media, virtual exhibitions and emerging technologies. In addition to Smith, artists shown will include Vando Davis.
Hawkins Headquarters, Atlanta
In the red-hot Hapeville neighborhood, tucked away down a small back street, Hawkins Headquarters has been showing some of the city’s most daring and innovative work in its matchbox-sized space. The gallery specializes in showing work in installation environments. For the Fair, Hawkins will present six Canadian and Atlanta-based artists in its program titled “Night’s Veil.” Artists shown will include: Yan Wen Chang, Marni Marriott, Alic Brock, Kole Nichols, Scott Keightley and Sergio Suarez.
House of Friends, Savannah
Photo courtesy of House of Friends
Photo courtesy of House of Friends
With no physical space, House of Friends is a virtual network of art- and design-focused creatives who work at the intersection of design, fashion, art, music and more. House of Friends “emphasizes connection, encourages collaboration, ensures interconnected contemporary conversations as if in a viewing room at a global scale,” according to its website.
Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta
Courtesy of Jackson Fine Art
Courtesy of Jackson Fine Art
Jackson Fine Art is one of the premier purveyors of fine art photography internationally. Founded in 1990, the gallery deals in works by masters such as Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin and Gordon Parks, as well as contemporary artists such as Christopher Bucklow, Mona Kuhn and Angela West. Artists shown will include: Saïdou Dicko, Shanequa Gay, Sheila Pree Bright and Mark Steinmetz.
Lucky Fish Gallery, Greensboro, North Carolina
Photo courtesy of Lucky Fish Gallery
Photo courtesy of Lucky Fish Gallery
Lucky Fish Gallery shows work by North Carolina artists locally and nationally. Its stable of artists work in a variety of media, including painting, ceramics, tapestry and sculpture.
M. David & Co., Brooklyn, New York
Courtesy of M. David & Co.
Courtesy of M. David & Co.
M. David & Co., located in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, is the successor to the short-lived David & Schweitzer Gallery, which itself was the successor to the famed Life on Mars Gallery. The through line has been the leadership of curator Michael David, himself a practicing artist who has shuttled back and forth between New York and Atlanta. M. David & Co. is devoted to the handmade in a world of the virtual and the digital.
Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta
Photo courtesy of Marcia Wood Gallery
Photo courtesy of Marcia Wood Gallery
One of the longtime stalwart institutions of Atlanta, Marcia Wood Gallery has been operating since 1995 to highlight artists making a significant contribution to contemporary art. In an ongoing dialogue with painting, the gallery also presents diverse media, including video, installation, digital media, sculpture and photography. For the fair, the gallery will focus on women artists, including Deborah Dancy, Maria Korol, Mie Yim and Kim Ouellette.
Maune Contemporary, Atlanta and Santa Barbara, California
Photo by Chris Richardson via Forbes
Photo by Chris Richardson via Forbes
Maune Contemporary, whose Atlanta location is tucked into the tony Miami Circle district of Buckhead, specializes in paintings and fine art prints by international artists whose work is collected by premier museums and private collectors. Maune will be representing three artists: Julie Torres, Khalilah Birdsong and Guy Stanley Philoche.
Poem 88, Atlanta
Photo courtesy of Poem 88
Photo courtesy of Poem 88
Poem 88 has the unique mission of combining a rigorous sense of the avant-garde with a commitment to fairness as a concept. Whether it comes to ensuring representation of women and older artists or challenging institutions to serve as a model of fairness for the community, Poem 88 has been at the forefront of ensuring that art is about more than commerce. The gallery will present four artists who all explore nature through landscape, light effects and biological processes, including Susan Seydel Cofer, Brendan John Carroll, Phyllis Alterman Franco and Elizabeth K. Porcel.
Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Richard Levy Gallery has represented a large roster of cutting-edge artists in its downtown Albuquerque space since 1991. A staple in the Southwest art scene, Levy is also becoming a player on the national art fair circuit. Artists shown will include Derrick Adams, Jeffrey Gibson, Alex Katz, Mickalene Thomas and Justin Kim.
Sandler Hudson Gallery, Atlanta
Photo courtesy of Sandler Hudson Gallery
Photo courtesy of Sandler Hudson Gallery
Choosing a streamlined approach to its Atlanta Art Fair debut, Sandler Hudson Gallery will be showing new works by a single artist. Krista Clark is a graduate of Atlanta School of Art and Georgia State University. The abstract painter is an assistant professor of visual arts at Emory University and has shown work nationally.
Spalding Nix Fine Art, Atlanta
Photo courtesy of Spalding Nix Fine Art
Photo courtesy of Spalding Nix Fine Art
Although it highlights a wide variety of styles and media, Spalding Nix Fine Art focuses on artists from the Southeast. The cozy, almost homelike space typically features shows of three to four artists each, most often showing contrasts that demonstrate the full range of creative approaches taken by the gallery artists. Artists shown will include Katherine Sandoz, Caroline Bullock, Jerushia Graham and Corrina Sephora.
Steidel Contemporary, Palm Beach, Florida
Photo courtesy of Steidel Contemporary
Photo courtesy of Steidel Contemporary
Steidel Contemporary emphasizes its presence at a wide variety of art fairs. And given its South Florida location, the gallery has more than enough opportunities. Works range from abstract to figurative, traditional to new media. Steidel Contemporary seeks to cover multiple corners of the contemporary art world with its international roster of artists. Artists shown will include Debra Steidel, Didem Yağcı, Emre Namyeter, Julia Johnson and Valerie Rey.
The Object Space, Atlanta
Photo courtesy of the Object Space
Photo courtesy of the Object Space
Although very new on the contemporary art scene, the Object Space is quickly establishing itself as a premier venue for fine art objects in the craft tradition. Encompassing ceramics, textiles and all manner of small furnishings, the gallery routinely displays exquisite one-of-a-kind artifacts by an international roster of artists. Founder Jane Jackson has a storied career in Atlanta, having been a renowned photography dealer before this current venture. The gallery will show numerous artists, including Sophie Cook, Lee Jong Min, Jane Yang-D’Haene and Yinka Shonibare.
Var Gallery, Milwaukee
Photo courtesy of Var Gallery
Photo courtesy of Var Gallery
Var Gallery’s two converted industrial spaces in Milwaukee host some of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking contemporary exhibitions in the region. The gallery also presents a full program of music, workshops, drag performances and other activities. The Var empire is rounded out by a studio complex that supports 72 studio artists with affordable work space and a maintained collection of 1,250 small works by an enormous stable of artists. Var Gallery’s exhibiting artists will include Brian Schneider, David Najib Kasir and Jill Sebastian.
Whitespace, Atlanta
Whitespace is active in Atlanta and across the Southeast as a purveyor of thought-provoking contemporary art. Its flagship gallery in Inman Park is dedicated to fostering free expression, intimacy and dialogue. The space houses three spaces in one, as artists exploit the architectural nooks and crannies of this converted coach house and backyard space. The gallery will highlight two artists at the Fair: Sonya Yong James and Amy Pleasant.
Other Atlanta galleries
Galleries whose materials have not been received as of press time include the following.
Alan Avery Art Company: An Atlanta institution for 43 years.
Fay Gold Gallery: One of the nation’s most sought-after art dealers.
Johnson Lowe Gallery: A gallery of international reputation specializing in midcareer and established artists.
Other national and international galleries
Casterline|Goodman Gallery (Aspen, Colorado): Fotovat Atelier (Fort Lauderdale, Florida): Galeria Baobab (Bogotá, Colombia); Gallery Tableau (Seoul, South Korea); Luis De Jesus (Los Angeles); Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland); Mitochondria Gallery (Houston); Modfellows Art Gallery (Nashville, Tennessee); Residency Art Gallery (Inglewood, California); Scott Miller Projects (Birmingham, Alabama); Sheet Cake Gallery (Memphis, Tennessee); Spanierman Modern (New York); Spence Gallery (Toronto, Canada); Stoney Road Press (Dublin, Ireland); Urevbu Contemporary (Memphis, Tennessee); Ziehersmith (Nashville, Tennessee)
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