The “expo experiment” that brought three international art expositions to town late last week has proved surprisingly successful and will be repeated next year, according to each of the organizers.
All claimed their participants were happy with sales, and the prospect of cooperation among the fairs or future merging can at this point be ruled out.
Art 1993 Chicago: The New Pier Show, in a tent at Cityfront Center, and Art Chicago International, at the Merchandise Mart Expocenter, scored the clearest gains by delivering on their respective promises to show newer, more “cutting-edge” art and present a greater uniformity of high-end dealers.
The six-day attendance at Art 1993 Chicago was estimated close to 14,000, with the greatest number of sales in the $2,000 to $6,000 price range.
“Everybody loved the (natural) light in the tent, and we have a mandate to make next year’s fair larger, perhaps increasing to 100 galleries,” said director Ilana Vardy.
“We knew we wouldn’t make money this time because of particularly heavy investments in advertising and so on, but by next year we will recoup everything. It is now clear the city can easily support two first-rate fairs.”
Attendance figures of Art Chicago International was about 23,000, with the largest number of sales in the $20,000 to $25,000 bracket.
“Collectors were extremely comfortable at the Expocenter, and next year’s event will be at the same location but with a few more galleries, between 90 and 100,” said the fair’s public relations representative, Cathy Bisbing.
“Sales were brisk, and everyone was very pleased, considering the poor showing at contemporary art auctions in New York last week.”
The Chicago International Art Exposition, at Donnelley International Hall, was a shadow of its former self in size, attendance and quality, reflecting considerable dealer disaffection with the pioneering organization of art expositions in Chicago, the Lakeside Group.
Nevertheless, the fair also will be mounted next year, despite a drop in attendance that this time gave a five-day figure of 6,000 visitors.
“Sales were great, and the galleries were real happy,” said director Lori Wilson. “Sunday I passed out the new contracts, and quite a few dealers said, `See you next year.’ Nobody handed me a signed contact, but I wasn’t pushing.
“Next year we’ll be back at (the east-end complex of) Navy Pier, where we’ll be looking at between 75 and 80 galleries. It will be our 15th anniversary, and we are going to do it up right.”
At present, Art 1994 Chicago and Art Chicago International are scheduled to open at the end of the first week in May, with the Chicago International Art Exposition reverting to its traditional opening date one week later.
The confusion that each organization claimed this year over names, places, and much, much else will thereby assuredly continue.
– Sir Roy Shaw, former secretary-general of the Arts Council of Great Britain, will give a free talk on “Government, Business and the Arts: The British Experience” at 1:30 p.m. Friday in Collins Theatre of Columbia College, 624 S. Michigan Ave.
– The 1993 Drive to Success dinner-dance to benefit the School of the Art Institute of Chicago will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Drive. Tickets: $250. For reservations, call 312-899-1435.
– The Bruyere Chamber Players will present “Impressionism in Art and Music,” a concert, slide presentation and discussion, at 2 p.m. Sunday in Fullerton Hall of the Art Institute of Chicago, Michigan Avenue at Adams Street. Tickets: $12.50 at the Orchestra Hall box office, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
