Spend a day with our associate, Hailey, at her first Armory Show.

September 7th, 2024, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY, 11:20 A.M.

Today is VIP Guest Saturday at the Armory Show—one of New York’s most anticipated art events in its 30th edition, and it will be my very first art fair experience. It’s a long walk down the runway that takes the art enthusiasts of NYC to Javits Center. Brushing by me are cooperate groups in stiff office attire, mixed with edgy Pratt and NYU kids, as well as the occasional Armory virtuoso sporting black shades and no games. Already, I am amazed by the magnitude of where the fair is taking place and wish I had selected a better shoe choice rather than my worn-down ballet flats.

11:30 A.M.

I make it into the building and am immediately met with large glass windows letting in an overwhelming amount of natural light, even with the grey clouds in the sky. The official Armory “Show Map” is handed to me by a greeter. It is a brochure-like device but opens to about the size of a full newspaper to reveal a map of the fair. The fair’s design resembles a labyrinth to me, and I am met with the realization that I will only get through, at most, half of the art today. I meet up with Devon Vander Voort and artist Jillian Hagadorn by the entrance. Devon will be showing me and Jillian around the fair today, as we are both Armory initiates. Looking around, I feel I am in a pristine and sterile airport food court. There is a crowd lining up in a frenzy at the Starbucks adjacent to us, and I ask Devon if food or drink is allowed inside. She explains not from the outside area, but there is plenty inside the fair. I fuel up on Devon’s other half of her bagel, and it’s time to hit the show.

11:45 A.M.

Thanks to Devon’s successful plotting, Jillian and I enter the Armoy with our VIP passes without a hitch. As I began taking in the never-ending array of booths, each with a gallerist dressed head-to-toe in black, I’m not sure where to look. Jillian and I’s heads both frantically whip around, trying to take in as much as we can, while Devon leads the way. As we make our way through the fair, I am struck by the “partners” area that surrounds the gargantuan Champagne Pommery Lounge. The jewelry brand Sauer has a space dedicated to their display of jewelry in case visitors want to browse for some diamonds in between their art buying.

12:00 P.M.

It is much quieter than I imagined, as the Saturday crowd saunters in later, I hear. We scan over a few booths, and my eyes lie on a Barbara Kruger-esque piece displayed next to a miniature collaged toilet. Booth #426—this is Blade Study: a daring gallery located on the Lower East Side that was founded in 2020. They focus more on experimental artists the gallerist explains. Blade Study’s booth titled “What is a meme” does nothing but display this attitude with a somewhat mocking Impact-type vinyl on the back wall saying, “WITH QUITE A BIT OF CONCERNING TEXT LAID OVER THE ARTWORK.” Artist Paige K. Bradley uses “Fools.doc” as a repetitive imagery in the exhibition, signifying Kruger’s document she created to address the company Supreme for stealing her designs. Bradley places “Fools.doc” on a giant iPhone case, demonstrating the mishap with Kruger is still more than relevant in today’s art world. Bradley is known to challenge viewers and create discourse from her works. “I would live in a cave if I could,” says the gallerist. “But I love showing this type of stuff.” I couldn’t agree more.

12:15 P.M.

I find myself later in the “Focus” section of the fair at booth F10 with Louis Osmosis and his flies on the wall. Represented by Kaap Kapp, Osmosis shares that his mediums are usually sculpture and installation, and creating the acrylic on drywall pieces exhibited was a new experience for him. The series of works are titled the deCan’t paintings and exude great purpose and craft, as well as dry humor surrounding the contemporary art world. One of the works gives a sardonic nod to Armory founder Pat Hearn. I ask him about the holes cut out on one side of the booth’s wall. “I wanted the whole booth to look like Swiss cheese, but I couldn’t do the other walls because we would have to pay to replace them,” he replies. In the middle of the booth are two large mixed media sculptures that are impossible to ignore. I question where Osmosis finds all the material to create such works, and he explains he picks up some promising items lying on the streets of Chinatown.

12:30 P.M.

We’re at booth F23: OCHI Gallery. Devon introduces me to gallery director Meghan Gordon and assistant director Katie Feldman. OCHI Gallery is based in Los Angeles and focuses on interdisciplinary artists. They are featuring a solo presentation of new work by b chehayeb. Her semi-abstract paintings explore adolescent memories of girlhood, and I become especially intrigued when I’m told the work also reflects her Texas roots. Now, I can make out certain images in the paintings I hadn’t noticed, such as horseshoes, cacti, and the lone star of the Texas flag. The longer I take in the paintings, the more meanings I find in them, and it is difficult for me to pull myself away. These figures seem to be floating through the canvas, as they would be in her own mind.

1:15 P.M.

Passing by the seemingly inescapable Champagne Pommery Lounge again. I feel self-conscious due to the tourist-like way I am holding the newspaper-sized map, as Jillian and I try to locate some new booths.

1:45 P.M.

We find a more convenient map at the entrance to try and locate the Armory Live Theater. While Jillian and I gesture to it, trying to a plan our route, a man slides in between us and points to the Champagne Pommery Lounge. “The only place you need to find,” he says, “is right there.”

2:00 P.M.

I am sat at the theater to hear from Armory Show director Kyla McMillan, who will be in conversation with Sarah Douglas, editor-in-chief of Artnews. Quite intimidated to see these two iconic women in person, I am relieved by how genuine and thoughtful they are to the audience. McMillan delves into her future endeavors as the recent director of the fair, and shares she understands people’s hesitation surrounding the art world. “I have had very successful people come to me and say they’re intimidated to set foot in an art gallery,” she says. McMillan’s goal is to tear down this perspective and create a welcoming environment for future fairs. Douglas and McMillan agree that there has been a slow shift when it comes to elitism in the art world, but improvement is being made.

4:00 P.M.

After tackling some more booths, it’s time for my first Armory Show adventure to come to an end. I am filled with passion and excitement for the future of galleries and upcoming artists. Among the extravagance at the Armory Show, are honest gallerists whose main objective is to share art to those who appreciate it and provide the best platforms for their artists. Before attending the Armory Show, there was the looming question of whether art fairs are still relevant and fresh. But from what I’ve seen and experienced, without a doubt, I’ll be back.

The New Kid in the Booth

Shining a Light on New York Art

Immersing Ourselves in “Byzantine Bembé: New York by Manny Vega”