WHAT'S ON
Features and programming at the Affordable Art Fair New York Spring 2018
WORKSHOPS
Affordable Art Fair NYC’s Official Nonprofit Partner, The Art Therapy Project, will host a series of interactive workshops at the fair on Level 2 in our Programming Lounge.
The family focused Paint & Pastries workshops will encourage little ones to get creative. Enjoy complimentary pastries and coffee at every workshop from 11:30am-12:30pm.
For our happy hour crowd, enjoy a glass of complimentary wine at our Paint & Pinot workshops every evening at the fair from 5:30pm-6:30pm.
Choose from 7 different workshops running daily, Thursday, March 22 through Sunday, March 25, including a variety of art-making experiences!
All proceeds from The Art Therapy Project's workshops will be donated to at-risk youth programs and survivors of sexual assault.
Paint & Pastries: Superhero Collages with Lindsay Lederman
Thursday, March 22, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Who’s your Superhero and what’s your Super Power? Kids of all ages will enjoy creating their own Superhero Collage. Materials included are magazines, fabric, paint markers, glitter pens, glue, scissors, superhero forms.
Paint & Pinot: Create Your Own Dreamscape with Christie’s Education Staff
Thursday, March 22, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Workshop participants will be treated to a brief tour of Fair galleries led by experts in the art field to view various styles of landscapes. Inspired by what they see, participants will create their very own dreamscape. Materials included are watercolor paper, watercolor pencils.
Paint & Pastries: Exploring Shape and Color with Ahn Hee Strain
Friday, March 23, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Be inspired by artists like Wassily Kandinsky and others from the Bauhaus Movement! Create your own abstract composition using shape stencils and 2D materials. Fun for all ages! Materials included are paper, stencils, paint markers, color pencils.
Paint & Pinot: Soft Sculptures with Hanna Washburn
Friday, March 23, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Beginners and experts are welcome at this introductory workshop in soft sculpture. Using a variety of fabrics, participants will construct small sculptural forms, sewing by hand and stuffing to create volume. In this workshop, Hanna will share her process and the spontaneity of the medium, and participants will be encouraged to improvise and respond to forms as they emerge. Everyone will leave with their own soft sculpture! Materials included are fabric, needles, poly fill, embroidery floss, scissors.
Paint & Pastries: Paint & Collage Critters with Izzy Spada
Saturday, March 24, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Using an assortment of pictures, paint markers, pencils, crayons AND imagination, participants will be encouraged to think up their own animal. Materials included are card stock, magazines, watercolor pencils, paint markers, glue, tape, scissors.
Paint & Pinot: Pop-Art Party with Lisa Wang
Saturday, March 24, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Andy Warhol said, “Don't think about making art, just get it done.” In this workshop participants will create their own pop art using black & white Warhol images and the color palette of their choosing. Materials included are pre-scanned images on stock, paint markers, tape.
Paint & Pastries: DIY Coloring Books with Kelly Anne Sherlock
Sunday, March 25, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Regardless of age, the benefits of coloring include lowering stress and anxiety levels; it can be done by anyone and it’s a hobby that can be taken with you wherever you go. In this workshop, create your own coloring book images and start coloring! Images will range from simple to complex. Materials included are image outlines and templates, colored pencils, markers.
Workshops are $30 each. Book your ticket here before spots fill up!
YOUNG TALENT EXHIBITION
BODIES FORTH
Featuring the work of Hanna Washburn
This body of work is made of my own clothing, cut up and recombined. The pieces are stretched, sewn, and stuffed, sometimes stained, dyed, or painted. The parts are sewn back together by hand, and the stitches act as a form of mark-making that showcases the artist’s hand. Certain patterns in the clothing, particularly floral patterns, are familiar as styles worn by women in all stages of life, or present in the domestic sphere. These ready-made colors and patterns are at times subverted by large painted areas that cover the fabric, or carefully painted patterns that imitate the found ones. The resulting forms are organic and body-sized, with a presence that suggests the human figure.
These surrogate bodies occupy the space between painting and sculpture. The liminality of these forms is essential, because I intend the work to be difficult to categorize. Just as they are neither painting nor sculpture, I want my pieces to be challenging for viewers to place. Moments of familiarity provided by the details and patterns of the clothing are distorted and complicated by the construction of unusual forms. They provide the presence of a body, but it is unclear whose or what kind of body it is. They sometimes appear grotesque, but this is undercut by their apparent feminine sweetness. By imitating certain kinds of femininity, repeating pink and floral motifs, in this complex bodily context, it calls the feminine into question. The work is ambiguous and challenging to classify to reflect my experience and understanding of the body. The restriction and categorization of bodies is so prevalent in our culture. When it comes to issues of gender, body type, and sexuality, there is immense pressure to conform to an identity that is easy to understand. I intend to deconstruct the basic dichotomies between normal and abnormal bodies with my expansive, unruly forms. I want to communicate an honesty about the body, shedding light on the lumps, ripples, and crevices that highlight the reality of the human bodily experience.
Hanna Washburn was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and is currently living and working in New York City. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Kenyon College with a BA in English and Fine Art. She is presently pursuing an MFA in Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her fiber works are made entirely from her own, worn clothing, which she uses to investigate issues of the body, memory, intimacy, and femininity.
TALKS AND TOURS
Affordable Art Fair NYC is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to expand your knowledge of contemporary art and help our visitors gain an insider’s perspective that will inform their next art purchase.
This season, hear from art industry professionals in two complimentary talks presented by Tang Art Advisory or learn more about our featured galleries on a guided tour with our spring Fair Director, Cristina Salmastrelli!
Director's Tour with Cristina Salmastrelli
Thursday, March 22, 3pm - 4pm
Preview Affordable Art Fair NYC with our spring Fair Director, Cristina Salmastrelli as your guide! Explore fair highlights and our international roster of galleries.
Art Conservation Explained presented by Tang Art Advisory
Saturday, March 24, 2pm – 3pm
It’s the best feeling in the world when you purchase a piece of art, but how do you look after it once you get it home? In a Q&A session, CEO of Tang Art Advisory Annelien Bruins is joined by conservator Batyah Shtrum of SBE Conservation LLC in New York to explore potential conservation issues that come up when considering an art purchase: inherent vice as a result of the materials used, when to engage a conservator (and what questions to ask before hiring a conservator) and easy steps you can take to protect your treasured possessions.
Batyah Shtrum owner of SBE Conservation LLC and an associate member of the American Institute of Conservation which promotes best practice in the conservation field.
Art Collecting 101 presented by Tang Art Advisory
Sunday, March 25, 2pm – 3pm
Buying your first piece of art can be an exciting experience, but overwhelming if you don’t know where to start! For first-time buyers looking for tips on starting a collection, join Annelien Bruins, CEO of Tang Art Advisory, as she shares her expert advice when it comes to assessing quality and understanding condition issues and pricing of primary market artworks. She will also explore how to form a collection plan (including shopping on a budget!) and what to expect from working with an art advisor.
Annelien Bruins is the CEO of Tang Art Advisory and has operated in the international art world for 20 years.
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Talks will take place on the Level 2 / PINK Level, adjacent to the café and will last approximately 45 – 60 minutes.
Tour will meet by the box office on Thursday, March 22 at 3pm.
Both talks are complimentary with the purchase of a General Admission ticket. Click here to purchase your Director’s Tour ticket »
PERSONAL SHOPPING SESSIONS
Looking to buy that perfect painting to fill empty space in your dining room, but feeling a little intimidated by all that Affordable Art Fair NYC has to offer? Don’t worry! We offer an insider’s look by providing professional art-buying advice! Let Fall Fair Director and art expert Vanessa Seis assist you in an exclusive Personal Shopping Session!
In these intimate one-on-one sessions, she will take you to several, carefully selected booths, steering you in the right direction and allowing your confidence to grow in purchasing the perfect piece for your home or office.
Limited appointments are available Thursday through Saturday, March 22 - 24. If you are interested in a Personal Shopping Session at the Spring Affordable Art Fair NYC, purchase your ticket here and we will be in touch within 48 hours to personalize your tour.
FEATURES
In 2002, Affordable Art Fair expanded from London to NYC where the brand was quickly loved by New Yorkers. Since the first fair in the big apple, Affordable Art Fair NYC has dedicated fair features and programs to educational platforms and causes that are near and dear to the city in which it resides. From art therapy services for New York’s courageous survivors of trauma to championing the education of young creatives, Affordable Art Fair strives to give back to NYC.
Now in its 25th edition, Affordable Art Fair NYC is determined to bring awareness to consumption, waste, and the impact of both on New York City, and the world.
TRASH project
At the Spring 2018 Edition of Affordable Art Fair NYC, visitors will discover TRASH project, an artwork that inspires mindfulness about waste creation, founded by artist and activist Adrian Kondratowicz. The TRASH project’s mission is urban beautification and environmental awareness. The project aims to raise eco-literacy through community events, including clean-ups, that are free and open to the public.
The TRASH project is funded through the sale of TRASH bags which will be available for purchase at the fair in the café the PINK Level.
Café by Herb-n-Peach
Affordable Art Fair NYC features a fully functioning café to ensure our visitors can stay energized throughout their visit to the fair! This year, we’ll welcome Herb-n-Peach, a boutique catering & special events company based out of New York City.
To reduce the total amount of harmful waste produced by our fair, all food containers and wraps used in the fair café will be made from biodegradable material. The fair has also taken a no straw pledge to #stopsucking. Plastic-straw alternatives will be available. Learn more at strawlessocean.org/stopsucking.