Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1529936
OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. Houston gets an Art Fair! W hat Houston has long needed is a f a i r t o p u t our significant scene back in the national cultural conversation. After two previous competing fairs came and went, Houston was left with a void, and our collecting community seemed to plateau. Now our city seems poised for visual liftoff. Enter Untitled Art, Houston, a much-anticipated edition of the respected and buzzy Untitled Art, Miami Beach, held every December to align with Art Basel fair time in Florida. For the Houston edition — Untitled's only location outside of Miami — expect 50 to 60 galleries, from Texas dealers to internationals, showcased in a four-day fair. It unfurls with a VIP preview on Thursday, September 18, followed by fair days Friday through Sunday, September 19 through 21, at the George R. Brown From top: Piper Bangs' Harvesting, 2024, at Megan Mulrooney. Beverly Fishman's Pleasure, Liberation, Clarity, Choice, Ease, Self-Determination, 2024, at Jessica Silverman Gallery. Convention Center. A prominent architect, still to be announced, will be commissioned to design the boutique fair experience, and culinary activations at the GRB with F&B service from noted Houston chefs will add local flavor. The driving forces are Untitled founder Jeffrey Lawson and fair director M i c h a e l S l e n s k e . Lawson, a collector and entrepreneur, began the Miami Beach edition 12 years ago. His vision reimagined rigid booth layouts, incorporated cool programming including podcasts, and created an avant-garde VIP lounge with a side of performance art. Slenske, an L.A.-based writer and curator, is conversant with Houston's cultural scene: He's been traveling here for 15 years, thanks to assignments for W and Architectural Digest. The pair are on the ground planning the inaugural edition of Untitled Art, Houston. Lawson says, "We've been working on this project for two years now, and the further we get, the more we realize that Houston — which many predict will be the third largest in the country by the end of the decade — is firing on all cylinders. The timing seems perfect for this event. It's a blank-canvas moment in a world-class arts community that you don't find too often these days." B reak out the linen and caftans, it's Palm Beach Design Days Tuesday through Friday, January 28 through 31, 2025 — and this year's edition is packed with famous faces. It might be easier to name who's not appearing at this stellar confab of design, architecture, and creative innovation. Just cherry-picking, but standouts teed up to talk include: Aerin Lauder, Charlotte Moss, David Netto, Billy Cotton, Corey Damen Jenkins, Douglas Friedman, David Kleinberg, Cathy Kincaid, Gil Schafer, Mark D. Sikes, Robert Rufino, Stellene Volandes, and Veere Grenney. Produced by Chesie Breen and Ellen Niven of Niven Breen, Palm Beach Design Days offer four days of design talks, panel discussions, book signings, cocktails, and dinners. VIP All Access ticket $400, Pink Paradise Ticket $150, individual tickets $25 - $50; follow @palmbeachdesigndays for updates; go to palmbeachdesigndays.com for schedule and tickets. Slenske adds, "Houston spends the most money in Texas on the arts per year (more than $1 billion), and you've got all these recent or ongoing museum expansions … not to mention real growth in the local gallery scene. Add to that a very robust collector community, and we thought it was a good time to make this happen." At press time, confirmed exhibitors for the Houston fair are Texas dealers Seven Sisters (Houston) and 12.26 (Dallas), joined by nationals Jessica Silverman Gallery (San Francisco), Various Small Fires (L.A, Seoul, Dallas), Megan Mulrooney (Los Angeles), and Half Gallery (NYC, L.A.). untitledartfairs.com. Catherine D. Anspon TIMOTHY JOHNSON © PIPER BANGS. PHOTO BY PAUL SALVESON. 22