The Merchandise Mart, site of the popular One of a Kind Show and Sale, also has hosted the Chicago International Art Exposition, Next Art Chicago, what was once considered one of the world's most important art exhibitions. Recent years have shown a decline in sales and attendance (where have I heard that before?) and this week the event was cancelled for 2012. The article goes on to state that a new startup at Navy Pier named Expo Chicago may have helped pull the stuffing out of this 3 decade long event.
Why am I talking about this here? The nation's street art fairs appeal to much of the same demographic as these international events that host galleries, art dealers and museums. If you are at all interested in a larger picture the art business you will find many parallels with our business and that of these big events.
I found the dialogue interesting, dealers blaming the Merchandise Mart, the Chicago location, MM saying they had always taken a loss on the event, who the startup guy is, and who deserves to be in this marketplace opens another window on the art business.
From the Chicago Tribune:
"The buyers, the collectors are going to the coasts to purchase art, and they're not buying enough in Chicago to justify a fair here," said Mark Falanga, MMPI's president since July. "The effort to attract a dealer to Chicago is dramatically different than anywhere else."...
"It just seemed like a show whose time had passed," said Stephen Daiter of the Stephen Daiter Gallery, who plans to be at Expo Chicago. "I don't think the Mart was an ideal location, but they never quite got it totally together."
Repositioning Chicago for the art scene -- another sign of the times. Will people buy in Chicago or do they need to go to the coasts for validation of their collecting?
Visit for the rest of the story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-0209-art-expo-dead-20120208,0,4913976.story Read this AND don't miss the comments!
Does anyone else see parallels with the art fairs?
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