Bringing together people from across the corners of the art market, art fairs often offer opportunities for deal making and trade fodder but rarely evoke feelings of community and collective support. Last week’s Frieze LA seamlessly coalesced industry success with a buoyant showing of support for an LA arts community reeling after the destructive wildfires that devastated the city earlier this year.
Recap
In addition to boasting sold out booths and lofty sales from established names, inside and outside the fair, many players were elevating voices of Angelenos and supporting the arts through benefits and donated sales across the city. Under the tent, the Black Trustee Alliance’s Land Memories was a poignant audio journey narrated by Altadena residents reminiscing in the fires’ aftermath. Shutting out the noise and diving into the evocative chronicles as fairgoers shuffled past was a fittingly charged and insulating respite, heightening the moving experience.
Everywhere one went, people seemed particularly jubilant and joyful. Strong sales always send up a communal sigh of relief as a positive bellwether for the market, and when that success simultaneously lifts up such a vibrant and vital community in its time of need it is a win-win. The art world at its best was truly on display in LA.
If you’d like to learn more about Heather James Art Advisory and our holistic approach to collecting and managing art, visit us at https://www.heatherjames.com/advisory/ or email us at [email protected].
