As a bittersweet reminder that our scalding summer is coming to a close, the fall art fair season is turning the corner shortly in New York City, with a steady lineup of 12 shows from Labor Day through November 2. With more time than ever to plan your trajectory, we’ve made it even easier for you to coordinate your schedule with a handy-dandy guide featuring the Armory Show, the Spring Break Art Show, the Brooklyn Art Book Fair, the debut of Latinx Project NYU’s La Feria, and many more. Don’t forget to check out the map at the end of the list so you can figure out where you’re supposed to be!
Armory Week
The Armory Show
September 6–8 | thearmoryshow.com
Javits Center, 429 Eleventh Avenue, Midtown West, Manhattan
The Armory Show has all the bells and whistles you could ask for, packaged neatly in white-walled booths lining the gargantuan Javits Center. Growing at a steady rate year after year, the Armory is celebrating its 30th anniversary with over 235 participating galleries representing 35 different countries. Site-specific works by Sanford Biggers, Dominique Fung, Nicholas Galanin, and Joyce J. Scott convene at the center of the fair through the Platforms program, while queer and postcolonial narratives dominate the Focus section.
Salon Zürcher
September 2–8 | galeriezurcher.com
Gallery Zürcher, 33 Bleecker Street, Noho, Manhattan
With its signature electric-green branding, it’s possible that Salon Zürcher may have preceded Charli XCX’s “brat summer” in its continued mission to spotlight underrepresented women artists. In 100 Women of Spirit +, the title of its 31st edition, the satellite fair offers a more intimate art viewing experience featuring the work of Mary Tooley Parker, Brigid Kennedy, Tracy Morgan, and eight other artists who will be onsite and in conversation with visitors.
Spring Break Art Show
September 4–9 | springbreakartshow.com
625 Madison Avenue, Floors 10 and 11, Midtown East, Manhattan
Commemorating the lucky 13th edition in NYC, Spring Break returns to the checkered floors and abandoned office fixtures of the former Ralph Lauren headquarters to present INT./EXT. (interior/exterior) — a call for artists to externalize what lives within them, explore how parallels become intersections, and transform boundaries into gray areas, especially acknowledging the “perpetual and unconscionable wartime in our country.” As it is with Spring Break, kitsch, quirk, humor, arbitrary color, and intimacy will take center stage during this time of processing and reflection.
Volta Art Fair
Chelsea Industrial, 535–551 West 28th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
September 4–8 | voltaartfairs.com
Volta returns to Manhattan for its 16th iteration, taking place this year in a new venue at Chelsea Industrial located between Chelsea and Hudson Yards. The four-day fair will feature over 45 exhibitors from five continents, with an emphasis on voices from Ukraine, where artists have been unable to showcase their work in their home country due to Russia’s ongoing assault. Alongside a town square space for emerging galleries, there will also be a special spotlight on the US nonprofit Creative Growth Art Center, which promotes the work of artists with disabilities.
Independent 20th Century
September 5–8 | independenthq.com
Battery Maritime Building at Cipriani South Street, 10 South Street, Financial District, Manhattan
Bridging the gaps between renowned and less-explored narratives and identities from the 20th-century art canon, the third edition of Independent’s focused show highlights 32 exhibitors — 15 of which are first-timers at the fair — back in Cipriani South Street. Sarah Schumann, Lenore Tawney, Sol LeWitt, and Raoul Dufy will have solo presentations on view through their respective galleries, and the fair also has devoted sections to women artists, Black and Indigenous voices, and selections from the 1990s, among other categories.
Art on Paper
September 5–8 | ny.thepaperfair.com
Pier 36, 299 South Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
The East River breeze carries Art on Paper back to Pier 36 for its 10th year with over 65 local, domestic, and international participants. As its name would suggest, the fair engages primarily with paper-based art, from prints and drawings to cutouts and photography, with a few large-scale dimensional installations commanding attention between booths. You’re most likely going to find mature, accessible, and palatable artwork to accent your living spaces, but be on the lookout for the zany outliers devoted to pushing the boundaries of paper as a medium. This year, Art on Paper has also partnered with the Center for Book Arts to present the Booksmart Fair, a meta-event dedicated to exciting, unusual, and thought-provoking artist books.
Clio Art Fair
September 5–8 | clioartfair.com
456 West Broadway, Soho, Manhattan,
For its 10-year anniversary, Clio Art Fair will debut a new setting in Soho at 456 West Broadway. Positioning itself “in opposition to the infinite isles of blue-chip fairs,” Clio presents work primarily by independent artists without exclusive gallery representation. In addition to some 180 pieces by 30 artists, the self-described anti-fair also boasts a performance program slated for the evening of September 6.
Late September and Beyond
Brooklyn Art Book Fair
September 20–22 | bkabf.info
Recess Art, 46 Washington Ave and 6 Waverly Ave, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
In its eighth year, the Brooklyn Art Book Fair remains committed to its mission of being an accessible and affordable event for uplifting underrepresented and emerging artists and writers. A whopping 63 exhibitors are included this year, among them the Palestinian Youth Movement, South Asian Avant-Garde (SAAG), and Youth Against Displacement. Reminder: Don’t forget your PPE, as this is a fully masked, indoor event.
La Feria: Print Media Fair
September 21 | latinxproject.nyu.edu
20 Cooper Square, 3rd Floor, Noho, Manhattan
The Latinx Project at New York University premieres its daylong fair lined up with zines, published works, editioned prints, and other works on paper by US Latinx artists selected via an open call. In addition to the creative offerings, La Feria will also host an academic book showcase as well as a launch party for the third volume of its online publication Intervenxions, centering new text, criticism, and interviews exploring the contemporary art and culture of a diverse and growing demographic.
Affordable Art Fair
September 25–29 | affordableartfair.com
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Billing itself as the more budget-friendly option of NYC’s art week, the Affordable Art Fair will return to the Metropolitan Pavilion with a lineup of 77 exhibitors, several of whom will be running all-women booths, offering a plethora of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints ranging from $100 to $12,000. This year’s fall fair will spotlight the New York City-based Harsh Collective and three emerging painters — Uzo Njoku, Johanna Kestilä, and Gabriela Kramer.
The Other Art Fair
October 17–20 | theotherartfair.com
ZeroSpace, 337-345 Butler Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn
Like Clio, the Other Art Fair prizes originality, affordability, and independent creators for its Brooklyn-based event. With a DJ, performance programming, and an interactive, note-driven apothecary called “The Karmacy,” the Other Art Fair aims to create an intimate and social experience beyond arts commerce.
The Art Show (ADAA)
October 30–November 2 | theartshow.org
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Returning to its home at the Park Avenue Armory in Lenox Hill, the Art Dealers Association of America’s (ADAA) long-running Art Show marks its 36th annual edition by welcoming 75 galleries, more than half of which will present solo exhibitions. With all admission proceeds going toward the Henry Street Settlement, a nonprofit that helps Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers in need, the fair will also debut its “Spotlight On…” program highlighting the geographic diversity of ADAA’s membership. Focusing on the Houston arts community, the program will include a panel discussion with collectors and cultural institution leaders and a video interview series with five art dealers from the city who are participating in the event.