It's a wrap!

Strong sales, stellar reviews: Texas Contemporary plans to go national as itlooks to next year's art fair

Work by artist Gregory Scott at Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Agnes Denes, Pyramids of Conscience, 2005, crude oil, water from the HoustonShip Channel, Houston tap water, mirror, 51x51x56", courtesy of Ballroom Marfa.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Robb Putnam, Rat #4 and Rat #5, 2012, fabric, plastic, leather, thread and mixedmedia, 8 by 10 by 5 inches, courtesy of Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Monir Farmanfarmaian, Octagon, 2011, mirror and reverse glass painting onplaster and wood, 44 by 44 by 4.5 inches, courtesy of Haines Gallery, SanFrancisco.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Joan Mitchell, Untitled, c. 1960, oil on canvas, 31.5 by 23.5 inches, courtesyof Lennon Weinberg Gallery, New York.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Work by Houston artist Rachel Hecker at Texas Gallery, Houston.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Eric Daigh, My scissors aren't meant for this [detail], pushpins on board, 50 by35 inches, courtesy of Pentimenti, Philadelphia.
Photo by Julie Knutson
Travis Sommerville, Installation, courtesy of Catharine Clark Gallery, SanFransisco.
Photo by Julie Knutson

After a rockin' opening night party and overwhelmingly positive reviews from gallerists and collectors alike, the second annual Texas Contemporary show certainly made its mark on the city's fall art scene.

To get a sense of how this year's event compared to the 2011 inaugural effort, CultureMap caught up with Jeffery Wainhause of artMRKT, the production company behind the recent Houston fair as well as major shows in San Francisco, the Hamptons and Miami.

"Judging from what we've heard from gallery owners, we really hit it out of the park this time," said fair organizer Jeffery Wainhause. "People were extremely enthusiastic and sales appeared strong."

"With more than 10,000 visitors, it looks like we had a slightly larger crowd than the first show," he reported during a phone interview from Brooklyn, where artMRKT has been based since it was founded in early 2011.

"In the last two years, though, we've learned that attendance numbers are not the most important factor. They're a great sign, but we usually gauge the overall success of a fair by the happiness of our constituents. Judging from what we've heard from gallery owners, we really hit it out of the park this time. People were extremely enthusiastic and sales appeared strong."

Wainhause said his team concentrated on the overall feel of the show, searching for ways to maintain a flexible and friendly open space capable of handling regular bursts of heavy traffic. Co-organizer Max Fishko, meanwhile, focused on vetting the fair's 65 galleries.

"Max did a wonderful job juxtaposing galleries that show newer and older examples of contemporary art. When the level and quality of the artwork is so high, the fair is easy after that."

Having a better sense of the city's collectors and art institutions was paramount to the success of this year's show, explained Wainhause.

"Houston's collector base is broad and very sophisticated. Gallerists across the nation are starting to take note of the city."

"Houston's collector base is broad and very sophisticated," he said. "Gallerists across the nation are starting to take note of the city, because dealers are able to bring some of their more challenging work here."

To avoid scheduling the fair during the Dallas Museum of Art's annual TWO x TWO art auction, artMRKT will stage Texas Contemporary a weekend earlier in 2013 to better reach its north Texas audience.

"We're not looking to get bigger next year, but we are hoping to make the show even stronger. We're also going to expand our national marketing campaign for Texas Contemporary. It's time to let the rest of the country know about what we're doing in Houston."

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No strings

And the winners are . . . New York group hands out big money to artists at TexasContemporary

Artadia executive director Carolyn Ramo, left, and artist Jillian Conrad
photo by Tyler Rudick
Jillian Conrad, Sites and Settlements:G [detail], 2011, Courtesy of the artistand Devin Borden Gallery, Houston.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Jang Soon Im, Convention, 2012, digital print. 23 x 13"
Carl Suddath, untitled, 2012, ink, dye and pencil on paper, 18.5 x 18.5";Courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery, Houston.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Don't miss the Artadia winners at booth SP19 inside the Texas Contemporary ArtFair.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Rosine Kouamen, from the Allons-y Chez series, 2011
Seth Mittag, We're Still Here, 2011, mixed media.
Photo by Karen Burd

After vetting more than 200 applicants from Harris County, the New York arts foundation Artadia announced five winners for its 2012 Houston award at the Texas Contemporary Art Fair.

Artists Jillian Conrad and Carl Suddath walked away with top prizes worth $15,000 each, while Francesca Fuchs, Seth Mittag and Jang soon Im all received $5,000 awards. Also honored were the five remaining shortlisted finalists Michael Bise, Bill Davenport, Rosine Kouamen, Linda Post and Kaneem Smith.

"It's wonderful to be recognized amongst a group of artists I know and respect so much," Conrad tells CultureMap. "It makes being singled out mean all the more to me, while being a little bittersweet too. I know how hard everyone works and how hard we struggle."

"It's wonderful to be recognized amongst a group of artists I know and respect so much."

A panel of three judges — Menil curator Michelle White, curator Naima Keith from the Studio Museum Harlem and Patrick Charpenel of the Mexico City's Jumex Foundation — spent Tuesday and Wednesday circling Houston conducting 45-minute studio visits with each of the 10 finalists.

"We were focused on how artists were engaging in a larger contemporary art dialogue," White says during panel discussion following the announcement. "I have to say that every one of these nominees could've made the top two positions.

"It was a really hard decision because I was in awe of every artist we talked to in the studio."

While most art world grant money is doled out for specific projects, Artadia prides itself as being one of the few national organizations to offer unrestricted cash awards that allow artists to use their funds for anything ranging from supplies and studio space to travel and living costs.

"The history of grant-writing has created a type of artist that has to make certain projects that can get funded . . . and, I'll be honest, I've never been that artist," laughs Houston artist Dav id Aylsworth, one of three former Artadia recipients on the panel. "To receive a grant that's unrestricted was so important to me in that it supported my regular studio practice rather than specific project."

Once an artist receives an Artadia Award, the nonprofit foundation promises lifetime support from its extensive network of art affiliates.

"What's so amazing about Artadia is that it allows artists to keep working in Houston," White says. "They can sustain their practice here while still having a chance to have a more national and international profile in the art world."

The Texas Contemporary Art Fair runs through Sunday at the George R. Brown.