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MARCH ART-FAIR MADNESS IN NYC

March is high season for the art world in New York. Or one of the high seasons, anyway. The museums are all set, with John Chamberlain at the Guggenheim Museum, Cindy Sherman at the Museum of Modern Art, “The Steins Collect” at the Metropolitan Museum, the 2012 Whitney Biennial at the Whitney, and “The Ungovernables” at the New Museum.

Now all the city needs is 10 art fairs. They open next week. 

* ADAA: The Art Show, Mar. 7-11, 2012, brings 72 galleries to the Park Avenue Armory in the 24th annual edition of the show organized by the illustrious Art Dealers Association of America, currently headed by Lucy Mitchell-Innes. Highlights include Cindy Sherman’s unique 1976 “Murder Mystery” collage series at Metro Pictures and an all-women booth at Galerie LeLong, featuring works by Louise Bourgeois, Petah Coyne, Jane Hammond, Ana Mendieta, Yoko Ono, Nancy Spero, Ursula von Rydingsvard and others. The hot panel is a two-part examination of catalogues raisonnés, more important than ever in this time of authenticity disputes (Mar. 9 at 6 pm and Mar. 10 at 10:30 am). The gala preview on Mar. 6 benefits the Henry Street Settlement, as usual. General admission to the show is $20.

* The Armory Show, Mar. 8-11, 2012, now in its 14th year, brings approximately 220 exhibitors to Piers 92 and 94, split once again into modern and contemporary sections. The Armory Show-Contemporary, which has been scaled down in an attempt to make the event less of a madhouse, boasts 120 top dealers, plus a “Nordic Focus” section of 19 exhibitors and a new “Solo Projects” section of 11 exhibitors. In all, 30 countries are represented. The Armory Show-Modern presents 71 dealers from nine countries. The official Armory Show artist is Chicago art star Theaster Gates. The hot-ticket panel is “What is Art Worth Now?” featuring Alexandra Peers, Victor Wiener, Dorit Straus, Adam Lindemann and Todd Levin, held on Mar. 10 at 3:30 p.m. General admission is $30.

* Volta NY, Mar. 8-11, 2012, the eclectic cousin of the Armory Show, brings 80 galleries from 25 countries to the skyscraper space at 7 West 34th Street. Now in its fifth year, Volta NY is focusing once again on solo exhibitions. Participants include Ana Cristea Gallery, Blythe Projects, Livingstone Gallery and Tyler Rollins Fine Art. A shuttle service between Volta and the Armory Show is available every 20 minutes. Admission is $15.

* Scope New York, Mar. 7-11, 2012, celebrates its 11th anniversary at a new location, the so-called Scope Pavilion at 57th Street and 12th Avenue, across the street from the Armory Show on the West Side Highway. Scope brings together 55 galleries from 16 countries, with Zurich’s Kashya Hildebrand, New York’s Artists Wanted, Krause Gallery and Center Space among them. The VIP “first view” takes place on Mar. 7, 3-9 pm, with the $100 donation benefiting Chashama Foundation, a nonprofit that converts vacant properties into art spaces. Admission is $20.

* Independent New York, Mar. 8-11, 2012, everybody’s favorite non-fair art fair -- it describes itself as lying “somewhere between a collective exhibition and a reexamination of the art fair model” -- takes place once again at the former Dia Center for the Arts space at 548 West 22nd Street. Launched by dealers Elizabeth Dee and Darren Flook, along with creative advisor Matthew Higgs and co-directors Jayne Drost and Laura Mitterrand, the latest edition has 50 exhibitors, including 47 Canal, The Approach, VeneKlasen Werner, White Columns and Galerie Susanne Zander. There’s a café, bookstore and exhibition spaces designed by Christian Wassmann. Admission is free.

* Fountain Art Fair, Mar. 9-11, 2012, a fair with “roots deep within the independent Williamsburg art scene,” takes place this year at the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington Avenue and 25th Street. Founded in 2006 by David Kesting and John Leo, Fountain works with more than 30 international avant-garde galleries and projects, including Bushwick Gallery, KESTING/RAY, Lambert Fine Arts, Microscope Gallery and Station 16. Always a party, the opening night reception on Mar. 9, 7-11 pm, features Fab 5 Freddy as guest DJ. On Saturday, Fountain extends its hours until 11 p.m. for a party curated by the nonprofit Art for Progress. Admission is $10.

* Moving Image: Contemporary Video Art Fair, Mar. 8-11, 2012, organized by dealers Ed Winkleman and Murat Orozobekov, takes place once again at the Waterfront New York Tunnel at 269 11th Avenue in Chelsea. Launched only last year, the show is partnering this year with the Armory Show. More than 30 artists and exhibitors are participating, including Josh Azzarella with DCKT Contemporary, Janet Biggs with Winkleman Gallery, Valie Export with Galerie Charim Wien, Kate Gilmore with Braverman Gallery, Julia Kul with Postmasters, Martha Wilson with P.P.O.W. Gallery and Alex Prager with Yancey Richardson Gallery. Admission is free.

* PooL Art Fair New York 2012, Mar. 9-11, 2012, brings 60-plus artists to four floors of rooms at the Flatiron Hotel at 9 W. 26th Street. Artist and founder Thierry Alet calls PooL the first fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to artists without gallery representation. On Mar. 9, PooL hosts a benefit for 100-year-old Amelia B. Robinson, the oldest living leader of the civil rights movement. Admission is free.

* Korean Art Show, Mar. 8-11, 2012, brings more than 100 artists and 16 contemporary galleries to 82 Mercer Street in SoHo. Participants in the now-three-year-old event include Pyo Gallery, Keumsan Gallery and Kips Gallery. For an event titled “K-Artists in New York,” the fair has invited seven influential contemporary Korean artists to show their work in a special exhibition. Admission is free.

* New City Art Fair, Mar. 7-11, 2012, devoted to contemporary Japanese art, takes place at hpgrp Gallery at 529 W. 20th Street in New York’s Chelsea art district. Organized by H.P. France Inc., the 2012 edition is highlighting work that deals with the nuclear disaster at Fukushima. Eleven galleries from Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are participating, as are a group of artists who are to lead a tour of studio visits on Mar. 10 and a consortium of Japanese art specialists holding a panel later that day on “Contemporary Japanese Art: Finding its Voice in Japan and Abroad.” Admission is free.

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