The Affordable Art Fair Names Brooklyn’s Established Gallery as Its First Fellowship Recipient

Established Gallery will receive a free-of-charge booth for at the fair for three editions.

Established Gallery co-owners Hally and Johnny Thornton.

The Affordable Art Fair is celebrating a banner year when it returns to Chelsea’s Metropolitan Pavilion next week (September 22–25). The beloved fair, which was founded in London in 1999, made its New York debut in 2002, bringing with it the mission of democratizing art collecting across income brackets. 

Now, 20 years later, the fair has expanded its goal of economic inclusivity to galleries with the recently introduced Fellowship Program, which will grant upstart organizations across the tristate area an opportunity to showcase work by their pools of artists. The program was conceived to fortify the long-term commercial viability of each year’s fellows by providing resources, underwriting, and a platform for commerce, marketing, and community-building. The inaugural awardee for the 2022 edition of the fair is Brooklyn-based Established Gallery.  

Operated by co-owners Hally and Johnny Thornton, Established Gallery focuses on building a sustainable business model that nurtures emerging artists and their careers while connecting these artists to a network of peers, colleagues, and contemporaries who are passionate about supporting the arts.

At the fair this year, Established Gallery will present the work of four dynamic artists—Liza Domingues, Traci Johnson, Sean Qualls, and Rick Secen—all of whom live and work in Brooklyn. These artists work across a variety of styles and media, from bright textiles and wood assemblages to impactful collages and luminous oils. These artists, like Established Gallery itself, are focused on forming sustainable relationships with like-minded creators and collectors. 

As a fellowship recipient, Established Gallery will be invited to participate in the fair free of charge for three consecutive editions, beginning, this year, with a 100-square-foot booth ($6,100+ value), followed by a 120-square-foot booth in their second edition ($7,320+ value), and finally a 150-square-foot booth ($9,150+ value) in the third and final edition. Applications for the next AAF Fellowship Program will open in the spring of 2023. 

Below, take a sneak peek of some of the works that will be on view in Established Gallery’s upcoming booth at the Affordable Art Fair.

Sean Qualls, One Of Three Muses (2021). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

Sean Qualls, One Of Three Muses (2021). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

Liza Domingues, Dimensions#01 (2021). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

Liza Domingues, Dimensions #01 (2021). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

Rick Secen, Traffic Light In The Clouds (2021). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

Rick Secen, Traffic Light In The Clouds (2021). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

 Traci Johnson, Don’tLookBack (2022). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

Traci Johnson, Don’t Look Back (2022). Courtesy of Established Gallery.

 

The Affordable Art Fair will take place at New York’s Metropolitan Pavilion from Thursday, September 22 through Sunday, September 25th. Click here for more information on the fair. Purchase tickets here. 


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