PULSE New York Moves to Armory Week for 2015

Simón Vega, The Whitney Museum of Central American Art, A Post-Apocalyptic Dream (2014). Photo: Benjamin Sutton.

As New York’s satellite art fairs continue to jockey for position amid the city’s two major fair weeks—Armory Week in early March and Frieze Week in early May—PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, one of the early adopters of Frieze Week, has opted to move back to March for its 2015 edition. PULSE, whose new director Helen Toomer took over in early 2014, announced the change of schedule on June 2.

“Frieze is a fantastic fair, loved by collectors, exhibitors, visitors, and myself!” Toomer told artnet News over email. “But due to geographic realities, and perhaps a little fair fatigue by that time of year, we’ve heard that some of our long-time collectors are unable to visit PULSE. In moving the fair, we are honoring the requests of our valued exhibitors and visitors.”

The decision to move to March next year may also have been informed by the art world-wide logjam of fairs and exhibitions already slated for May 2015 because of the Venice Biennale’s early preview dates. For Toomer, though, the decision had more to do with appeasing dealers and collectors.

“Since I re-joined PULSE, I have been listening to our exhibitors and trying to understand their needs and thoughts about what PULSE is now and what it can and should be in the near future,” Toomer said. “I knew changes needed to be made in order to address these issues and show a commitment to their needs, which is why I moved location to Miami Beach this December and the dates in New York next March. Armory Arts Week seems to be exactly that—a week for exhibitors, collectors, curators and press to connect with all of the cultural offerings as the city awakens from the winter.”

Next year’s PULSE New York fair will take place March 5–8.


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