Future Fair

A deep respect and appreciation for art galleries, and the work that dealers do to platform and push the careers of artists forward. Future Fair is built on a firm understanding of the art eco-system and what has come before us; coupled with a spirit of collaboration, a desire to experiment and to support the advancement and sustainability of art galleries.

We work with contemporary art galleries operating in the primary market who exhibit mostly emerging to mid-career artists. Each edition hosts dealers at various points in their careers on an equal playing field; dealers who have run galleries for 15+ years exhibiting alongside young, self-starters who established their first brick and mortar or a nomadic gallery program just in the past couple of years. We look for thoughtful presentation proposals, exhibitions that feel urgent or necessary, or work by artists that offer insights into unique experiences or perspectives. Art that captures our contemporary human experience. We encourage focused solo or 2-person shows and work closely with galleries to facilitate ambitious installs wherever possible. The intention is to create the best context for viewers at the fair to experience work by an artist that may be completely unknown to them.

Prices range from under $5k up to a maximum of around $50k. Our buyers are evenly split between the old guard, extremely engaged and knowledgeable collectors who have been cultivating relationships with galleries and artists for years, and a new generation of young professionals just beginning to acquire artworks who see the value in bringing unique pieces into their homes. The fair is also receiving a growing interest from institutions and major corporate collections.

We aspire to attract a broad range of visitors to the fair, and this expands from edition to edition. Last year, the show welcomed a strong cohort of New York’s loyal collector base; art aficionados who are highly engaged, frequent gallery and fair goers and care deeply about artists and the city’s art scene. It has also become a space for burgeoning collectors, as well as leaders of museums, corporate collections and local art institutions, and young professionals working in tech and the creative industries. Ultimately, our hope is that a wide range of audiences interested in art feel comfortable to visit, spend time at the show and make some fun discoveries.

When Future Fair co-founder, Rachel Mijares Fick and I first started working together in 2019, we were keenly interested in leveraging digital networks through social media, newsletters and web content to tell the stories of our artists and dealers. This culminated into intricate digital strategies during the pandemic and remains in the months leading up to our in-person fairs; image-heavy Q&As, short snippets of information that offer an insight into the voices of dealers and artists or editorial newsletters with guest-led introduction letters (coupled with innovative branding by our incredible design team, DoThings NYC). Especially with dealers and artists who have never exhibited in New York before, the idea is that our audience can get to know them online before opening day of the fair. Utilizing digital means to reach audiences outside of major art hubs also allows us to connect with collectors who may never have the opportunity to visit a physical fair — we’re always looking for ways to expand on our outreach strategies.

I’m lucky that I get to visit so many amazing fairs throughout the year — but some that I find particularly inspiring are: ZONAMACO, 1-54 and Paris Internationale.