Super Bowl XLVIII...the much hated Seattle Seahawks smoked my beloved Broncos, 43 - 8. That was years ago. Paul Allen, the owner of the Seahawks, knows how to win, and based on that ass-kicking a few years back, knows how to win BIG. It is no doubt that Allen would settle for anything less than a winning strategy.
Billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft, business magnate, Paul Allen, has quite the investment portfolio. He owns sports teams, stakes in media holdings, real estate and philanthropic ventures. But lets focus on the arts: Allen has established the Museum of Pop Culture which houses the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. The Flying Heritage Collection. STARTUP Gallery, a permanent exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque. and the Living Computer Museum. Then in 2015, Allen founded the Seattle Art Fair, which I had the opportunity to attend the third edition in 2017. August 3-6, 2017. CenturyLink Field Event Center, Seattle.
I’ve been to many world class art fairs, Miami Basel, Frieze, Art Market, ALAC, NADA, Art Miami, Untitled....but Seattle may be the best yet. It was there that I finally discovered the perfect formula for the BEST art fair experience.
1. HOST THE FAIR IN A GREAT CITY! (Seattle, Puget Sound, Pikes Place, lots of hungry rich people).
2. SURROUND THE CITY WITH COFFEE! (Starbucks, Starbucks, did I say Starbucks? think of the ubiquitous Cuban expressos in Miami during Basel week)
...and finally...now that everyone is hopping around a great city coked-out on caffeine, I present number
3. FEED THE DEALERS!!! What set the Seattle Art Fair apart from any fair I’ve ever been to was how well the dealers were treated with complimentary VIP food. Oysters on ice, artisan foods galore, exotic ice creams and cookies, adult beverages, oh....and did I mention Starbucks?! What i sight of well-fed dealers not cranky from the overpriced food fare at the usual art markets. No long lines. No sending the do-boy or gallerina to fetch food across town or bringing in your own lunch.
Then there was the layout of the fair. Simple and elegant. Easy to navigate. Wide aisles. No claustrophobia or vomiting of art. This fair, by far, wins the award of easiest to navigate and comprehend. Jeffrey Wainhause and Max Fishko at Art Market Productions deserve high kudos in this regard.
Per website : The Seattle Art Fair is a one-of-a-kind destination for the best in modern and contemporary art and a showcase for the vibrant arts community of the Pacific Northwest. Based in Seattle, a city as renowned for its natural beauty as its cultural landscape, the fair brings together the region’s strong collector base; local, national, and international galleries; area museums and institutions; and an array of innovative public programming. Founded in 2015 by Paul G. Allen, the Seattle Art Fair is produced by Vulcan Inc. and Art Market Productions.
Seattle Art Fair Leadership TeamMax Fishko, DirectorLaura Fried, Artistic DirectorSophie Brougham, Sr. Project Manager at Vulcan Inc.Jeffrey Wainhause, Managing Partner at Art Market ProductionsKira Burge, Sr. Project Specialist at Vulcan Inc.Dave Aust, Partnership Development at Vulcan Inc.Anna Imperati, Manager, Corporate Communications at Vulcan Inc.Kelly Freeman, Director at Art Market ProductionsTanja Baumann, VIP Program Coordinator
Contactinfo@seattleartfair.comp. 212 518 6912f. 212 518 7142
Press Inquiriespress@vulcan.com
ABOUT PAUL G. ALLEN’S VULCAN INC.Vulcan Inc. creates and advances a variety of world-class endeavors and high-impact initiatives that change and improve the way people live, learn, do business and experience the world. Founded in 1986 by philanthropist and entrepreneur Paul G. Allen, Vulcan oversees various business and charitable projects including real estate holdings, investments in dozens of companies, including the Seattle Seahawks NFL, Seattle Sounders FC Major League Soccer, and Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchises, First & Goal Inc., the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, Museum of Pop Culture, the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Allen Institute for Cell Science and The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Paul and Vulcan’s commitment to arts and culture includes exploring different models for elevating and enriching the arts. Recent examples include the Seattle Art Fair, a traveling exhibition, Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection, a public art projection to light St. Peter's Basilica and inspire action around the climate crisis and the public art installations throughout the city of Seattle.For more information, visit vulcan.com.
ART MARKET PRODUCTIONSArt Market Productions is a partnership between Jeffrey Wainhause, Max Fishko and the dealers they work with. Since 2011 Art Market Productions has produced a different type of art fair that focuses on creating the highest quality fair experience by connecting collectors with dealers in the most optimal settings and contexts. Art Market Productions is dedicated to improving the art world by creating platforms and expanding networks of connection. Art Market Productions currently produces six art fairs: Art on Paper, Art Market San Francisco, Market Art + Design, Seattle Art Fair, Texas Contemporary, and Miami Project.For more information, visit artmarketproductions.com
This article is part of an ongoing photojournalism survey of art exhibition openings titled EMS N(art)rative. Through my lens I document a photographic essay or visual “N(art)rative” that captures the happenings, personalities, collectors, gallerists, artists and the art itself; all elements that form the richly varied and textured fabric of the SoCal art world. This reconnaissance offers a unique view for serious art world players to obtain news and information on the current pulse of what’s in the now, yet capturing timeless indelible images for posterity and legacy. Here is EMS N(art)rative Fifty-Four.
EMS can be reached at victorpond@msn.com and Instagram @ericminhswenson
See the full slideshow on Youtube: