Austin’s Friends Fair Returns for Second Edition in May

Friends Fair in Austin will host its second preview on May 7, with public days on May 8-9. Back at the Loren Hotel in Austin, the show will also increase the number of exhibitors from 10 to 17 and will take up an entire floor inside the Loren Hotel.

The first edition of the show was launched last year as a collaboration between five Austin-based galleries, four of which will return, including Martha’s and McLennon Pen Co. That boutique hotel show attracted more than 2,000 visitors.

“Being born and raised in Austin, the success of this event means a lot to me,” Ricky Morales, co-founder of the fair and co-owner of Martha’s, told us art news in an email. “Austin has an amazing arts community, and the fair getting the attention and attendance we saw in its first year really made us realize that Austin is and can continue to be an arts city.”

Four of the five galleries on the exhibitor list will also return: Half Gallery, Megan Mulrooney Gallery, Dutton and Inman Gallery. This year’s show will welcome several new galleries, including Nature of Things (Dallas), Seven Sisters Gallery (Houston), Tyler Park Presents (Los Angeles), KDR (Miami), and Ruiz-Healy Art (San Antonio and New York).

In addition, two of the rooms will be used for non-commercial presentations.

Co-Lab Projects, an artist-run traveling nonprofit founded in Austin, will take over one of the rooms, while the other will host an exhibition by second-year MFA students at The University of Texas at Austin, curated by their professors.

“As co-founders, our top priority is to ensure that visiting galleries have strong sales and truly enjoy their time in Austin,” said Jill MacLennon, founder of MacLennon Pens, in an email. “We’re delighted to see so many galleries expressing interest in returning. Expanding the show feels like a natural next step, adding more voices and cities without growing too fast.”

The complete list of exhibitors is below.