Market Art And Design Fair Continues To Grow

It seems that every year, organizers from Market Art and Design, one of the South Fork’s most established art fairs, announce at the start of the summer that the show will be bigger and better than ever before. Accommodating 80 top galleries and designers, this year’s four-day event will be no exception.

Market Art and Design will return to the Bridgehampton Museum grounds to display its largest show yet from Thursday, July 5, through Sunday, July 8, marking the organization’s eighth visit to the Hamptons. The show is produced by Art Market Productions, the Brooklyn-based company founded in 2011 by Jeffrey Wainhause and Max Fishko. The company also generates Art on Paper NY, Art Market San Francisco, Seattle Art Fair, Texas Contemporary and Miami Project.

The 50,000-square-foot pavilion in Bridgehampton will host local galleries including Janet Lehr Fine Arts and Roman Fine Art of East Hampton, Chase Edwards Contemporary and RJD Gallery of Bridgehampton and Tripoli Gallery and Noted Gallery of Southampton, as well as galleries from across the United States and international galleries from countries such as Canada, South Korea, France and Sweden.

Besides the addition of more galleries and designers, organizers are working with interior designer Wesley Moon and Venture Projects to curate an object-oriented design presentation, according to Art Market Productions director Kelly Freeman. There will be several special installations from designers and artists, such as sculptors Steve Keltner and Elaine Lorenz, contemporary painter McKay Otto and visual artist Françoise Issaly. These are just some of the changes that will keep the fair surprising and updated for attendees.

Tripoli Gallery, a staple on the East End arts scene since 2009, will be returning to Market Art and Design this year for the first time since the gallery’s debut at the show in 2013. The contemporary gallery will display a solo booth of new emoji portraits by Los Angeles creator Yung Jake, following the digital artist’s sold out exhibition at Tripoli last summer.

“After running into Max in New York City who is a follower of Yung Jake’s work, he broke down some of the changes he had made to the fair, such as shifting it to art and design, and gave me a little more insight into what he wanted to achieve this year, associating the fair with the local community as well, and a solo booth for Yung Jake seemed like the perfect fit,” curator Tripoli Patterson said. “It gives me the perfect way to follow up with Jake’s sold-out show last year, while also allowing me to keep the schedule at the gallery fresh and not repetitious.”

Mr. Patterson, who is Yung Jake’s brother, said that he enjoys participating in art fairs because they challenge him to branch out from his gallery on Jobs Lane.

“I really enjoy working on shows outside of the Tripoli Gallery and dealing with new spaces that force me away from the comfort I have attained from hanging exhibitions at my location in Southampton over the last 10 years,” he explained.

Even far away venues like Jean Albano Gallery in Chicago have roots on the East End, and will be featured in the fair. The contemporary gallery will include works by John Torreano of Sag Harbor and New York City, as well as Donna Rosenthal of East Hampton and New York City.

“We are delighted that we will be a part of Market Art and Design, as they are the exciting show in the Hamptons,” said curator Jean Albano, whose gallery will be included in the show for the first time this year. “We are looking forward to seeing old friends, making new friends and enjoying the beauty and the wonder of the Hamptons.”

The event has been known to attract a younger crowd in the past, and Ms. Freeman said that while this is true, this year’s fair will appeal to all art enthusiasts.

“We expect the quality of our exhibitors to attract a serious, collecting audience,” she explained. “I think the younger-end collector will also find the fair appealing and accessible.”​

The event’s opening night preview on Thursday is highly anticipated, Ms. Freeman said, and ticket sales will benefit the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, a longtime cultural partner of Market Art and Design.

Market Art and Design will be held on the Bridgehampton Museum grounds on Friday, July 6, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. , Saturday, July 7, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, July 8, from noon to 6 p.m. The preview will be Thursday, July 5, from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is $25 for one public day; $35 for all public days; and $50 for the preview including all public days. For tickets and more information, visit artmarkethamptons.com.