Mayor Bloomberg inaugurated the 2013 Armory Show with an 11 am press conference March 6, using the occasion to stress how vital the art scene is to New York’s economy- especially in thaftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Armory Show is celebrating it’s centennial this year, and is New York’s leading fair for contemporary and modern art, bringing over 66,000 attendees and a five million dollars worth of revenue. As Bloomberg described it, it’s “a lot of fun and great for the economy.”
– Executive Director of the Armory Show, Noah
Horowitz, opened the press conference with a statement about how on The Armory Show’s centennial year, the committee was focussed on “rebranding” the show. He says this is being done with “less galleries, new galleries, and repositioned galleries” as well as “embracing the urbanism” of the show’s Pier 94 location. Over 200 specially selected galleries will present key historic and contemporary works from approximately 1,000 artists, with many participating exhibitors honouring the legacy of the original Armory Show of 1913, which is widely credited with introducing the European avant-garde to the United States. “This is an important year for The Armory Show,” Horowitz says, “both in New York and as an international Fair.”
Under the curatorial vision of Eric Shiner, director of the Andy Warhol Museum of Pittsburgh, the Armory Focus section will approach the nebulous topic of “America.” Shiner says, “The artists do so directly or discreetly, humorously or with a bone to pick. They are insiders and outsiders, Americans or not.”h Horowitz, opened the press conference with a statement about how on The Armory Show’s centennial year, the committee was focussed on “rebranding” the show. He says this is being done with “less galleries, new galleries, and repositioned galleries” as well as “embracing the urbanism” of the show’s Pier 94 location. Over 200 specially selected galleries will present key historic and contemporary works from approximately 1,000 artists, with many participating exhibitors honouring the legacy of the original Armory Show of 1913, which is widely credited with introducing the European avant-garde to the United States. “This is an important year for The Armory Show,” Horowitz says, “both in New York and as an international Fair.”
This year’s commissioned artist is Liz Magic Laser (which is her real name, she says), internationally acclaimed for her often-provocative performance, theatre, and installation work. She directed the show to assume a corporate identity reminiscent of a bank, seeking to “expose its internal information.” For instance, the Jack Spade tote announces, “An average size booth at The Armory Show costs $24,000.”
As 2013 also marks the 50th anniversary of the ADAA, the Art Dealers Association of America, a chuckling Mayor Bloomberg made sure to clear one thing up to the press: “Remember! The Armory Show is not at the armory. The ADAA show is. When you figure that one out, give me a call.”
-Erika Broad for The Untitled Magazine
