05 Sep A Reason to Celebrate – 5 Years of Seattle’s Art Fair
The Seattle Art Fair invites people from all around the world to view modern and contemporary pieces. This past August was a big milestone for the fair – it turned five! There were over 100 galleries from around the world showcasing their art.
New this year was artist and musician exhibitions. Musicians from Pearl Jam and The Red Hot Chili Peppers teamed up with artists to create a moving visual and musical experience.
The social media star Bread Face brought her videos to life by performing her bread smashing routine throughout every day of the fair.
One of the popular exhibits was Incubator for Earthquakes. This was a sculpture that replicated an earthquake and even included shaking and rattling dinnerware.
There are many galleries that have been coming to the fair since its inception and have established relationships with buyers and collectors. With that being said, the sales for 2019 were said to be strong and a date for 2020 has already been set.
The fair was founded in 2015 in order to showcase the art scene of Seattle and surrounding communities. Founder Paul Allen, a Microsoft cofounder, had been to many international art fairs and wished to create one for his own community. While the first year or two saw a modest turnout, Allen was able to use his connections to get big name galleries to show up.
His death last October elicited some concern regarding the future state of the fair. When some of the larger galleries pulled out it seemed like the fair may not continue. However without some big names on the scene many more local dealers were able to present their work.
An idea to showcase regional art has grown into an international affair. The 2019 art fair drew out many from the art world and there’s no telling where it may go from here.