5 Ways the Emerge Art Fair Can Save Itself
Last weekend was the fourth year of (e)merge, D.C.'s homegrown art fair. I've been to each of its manifestations, and every year there are artists and experiences to appreciate, admire and even in some cases, swoon over. But every year, the quality of the fair seems to diminish, and it feels more out of sync with the D.C. arts community.
D.C.'s artists and local arts community have some incredible things going for them, and we need a mirror to the rest of the world that reflects the ethos, practice and possibilities within our community. If Emerge is trying to be that mirror, then it is failing.
I have 5 suggestions for the organizers of Emerge if they intend to continue holding their annual art fair:
1. Get a New Location - The Capitol Skyline hotel isn't working...for anyone. Whether it's the unworkability of the rooms/spaces for artists and gallerists (think about how much better the art installations in the garage tend to be), the isolated location, or the lack of foot traffic---it's clear that the location is holding the event back from being accessible to a larger audience and a better version of itself.
2. Focus on Local Artists - Emerge should be about D.C. artists, or artists with ties to D.C....forget about bringing in random galleries from abroad or the rest of the U.S. (unless there's a true D.C. connection). Also, give artists their own spaces (independent and represented) instead of galleries---I'm envisioning something akin to VOLTA, where galleries feature a single artist per space. Let galleries have multiple spaces that can be dedicated to each artist they want to feature at the fair---or give gallerists more freedom to curate their spaces.
3. Bridge the D.C. Museum Gap - Yes, Emerge called 5 local museums "Cultural Partners" this year, but other than the Phillips Collection, these partnerships appeared largely cosmetic. With the loss of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the need for D.C.'s national and federal museums to interact and partner with the local arts community is more crucial than ever. Emerge could try to be the catalyst for that change.
4. Choose Curatorial Depth Over Cash - Every year the number of crappy exhibitors at Emerge seems to increase and the number of patrons seems to decrease. I think there's a correlation. The really good non-local galleries haven't seem to come back---certainly, the local galleries have almost completely stopped participating partly due to price and local politics---but the cost of putting on an art fair remains, and my guess is that crappy gallerists are being allowed to participate to make up the cost. It's been mostly downhill in quality since Emerge's first year.
5. Put the "e" in (e)merge - This is 2014 and some of the most exciting things happening in contemporary society and the art world are happening in technology, telecommunication and social media. Why not try giving us a plugged-in, online and virtual experience to magnify the physical art fair? Emerge primarily exists in a material world; a Twitter and Instagram account just aren't enough.
D.C.'s local arts community has undergone so much upheaval in the last two years, but there is still so much interesting work happening here. It's a shame to me that after 4 years, Emerge still hasn't figured out how to effectively showcase our artists or our community to the world at large. I hope that if Emerge returns for a fifth year (which I think is questionable given Connersmith's creeping extraction from D.C.) the fair's organizers will rethink the current model and really give D.C. artists and gallerists the platform they deserve.
