Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for Armory Arts Week

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

The absolute mayhem of Armory Arts Week is upon us once again, with the international art world descending upon our fair city. The Armory Show leads the way once again, taking over the West Side’s Piers 92 and 94, with a scattering of satellite fairs rounding out Manhattan. VOLTA takes on a new location at Pier 90, while SCOPE Art Show continues to impress with cutting edge leaders. Further downtown, PULSE hits up the Metropolitan Pavilion once again, and curator-led SPRING/BREAK takes residence at the former post office across from Penn Station. Newcomer Art on Paper impresses for a second year (and will feature a booth co-curated by yours truly) on the shores of the East River at Pier 36. The Art Show by the ADAA sticks with the traditional at the Park Avenue Armory, while Clio reigns supreme as the anti-fair, nestled in Chelsea right next to the High Line. If you’re up for it, there is something for every sort of art lover and collector this week, including the bevy of highly anticipated parties and events.

SPRING/BREAK Art Show ↑
Skylight at Moynihan Station, 421 Eighth Avenue
Tuesday March 1 – Monday March 7
For the past five years, SPRING/BREAK has shaken up Armory Arts Week. Unlike other fairs, it’s completely curator-driven, meaning the brains behind the art world can show off their visions alongside talented artists. The fair is also at the easy-to-get-to (and beautiful) former post office across from Penn Station, making for a more relaxed and immersive visit. Be sure not to miss The Midnight Society, featuring work by the incredible Drew Conrad.

The Art Show by the Art Dealers Association of America ↑
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue
Wednesday March 2 – Sunday March 6
The more serious ADAA Art Show features a carefully curated selection of artworks from the late 19th century through today, from the perspective of leading art dealers, rather than from the vision of an art fair. This year’s fair will feature not-to-miss exhibitions of early work by Marilyn Minter and a joint presentation of multi media works by Frank Stella from Marianne Boesky Gallery and Dominique Lévy Gallery.

VOLTA NY ↑
PIER 90, West 50th Street and 12th Avenue
Wednesday March 2 – Sunday March 6
The Armory Show affiliate features booths of emerging international art focusing primarily on solo projects, rather than the group show style of other art fairs. Notable this year is “Something I Can Feel,” an eight artist dialogue/exhibition curated by Derrick Adams, as well as incredible new paintings by ex-Elastica front woman Justine Frischmann, who has remade herself as a visual artist who somehow captures the aura of the limelight with her mixed media pieces. She is also featured in their video interview series.

The Armory Show ↑
PIERS 92 & 94, West 55th Street at 12th Avenue
Thursday, March 3 – Sunday, March 6
The art fair of all art fairs, the Armory Show is the reason that the international art world descends upon New York this week, with the world’s leading galleries in Modern and Contemporary art. Dictating the week, the highly anticipated fair kicks off with an epic party at the Museum of Modern Art on March 2nd, which this year also features a focus on African Perspectives and an array of special projects including Kapwani Kiwanga’s intimate installation, “The Secretary’s Suite.”

Clio Art Fair Anti-Fair ↑
508 West 26th Street
Thursday March 3 – Sunday March 6
Clio is an art fair that calls itself the anti-fair. Although still in art fair format, the difference with Clio is that they highlight artists who do not have gallery representation or affiliation, fostering the independent, rather than giving into the art world hierarchy. Whether or not the unrepresented artist is any different from the gallery-linked one remains to be seen.

Art on Paper ↑
Pier 36, 299 South Street on the East River
Thursday March 3 – Sunday March 6
The second year of the sleek new fair by Art Markt features an interesting curatorial slant, focusing entirely on works made ON paper WITH paper and FROM paper. Their opening night party gets an extra splash by being co-hosted by the Brooklyn Museum, and the fair features a booth co-curated by me…with artists from my book “The Art of Cardboard” appearing at the Joseph Gross Gallery booth. Laurence Vallieres from the book will also be featured as an Art on Paper special project, and he’ll live sculpt an oversized animal throughout the duration of the fair.

PULSE New York ↑
The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street
Thursday, March 3 – Sunday, March 6
The impeccable curatorial eye of Pulse director Helen Toomer can be felt throughout each artwork in the long-running fair. Once again its entices with four “P”s: Projects engage with large scale, interactive installations; Perspectives pique interest with a series of pane discussions; Play showcases video art and new media; and Prize awards a solo exhibition to a host of distinctive artists chosen by a panel.

SCOPE Art Show ↑
639 West 46th Street
Thursday March 3rd – Sunday March 6
Known for being the fun little sister of the Armory Show, SCOPE’s 16th New York show will once again take place conveniently across from the Armory Show Piers. In addition to a roster of innovative international galleries, this year the fair celebrate’s the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s 20th anniversary. A limited edition portfolio of 21 prints will be available an on display in the VIP lounge, including pieces by Derrick Adams, Kehinde Wiley, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, and more.

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Lori Zimmer is a writer, curator and founder of Art Nerd New York, an off-beat art history guide to the city. Lori also recently released her first book through Rockport Publishers, The Art of Cardboard: Big Ideas for Creativity, Collaboration, Storytelling, and Reuse. Follow her on Twitter @LoriZimmer.