Austin Nouveau

Gracelee Lawrence’s “Flora 3 (Cantelope)” (2023, 3D printed semi-crystalline polymer) will be floating in a bathtub during grayDUCK gallery’s premiere at Friends Fair. PHOTO COURTESY OF GREYDUCK

Homegrown Collective

In the early ‘90s, four New York art dealers created a low-cost, low-risk art fair, turning hotel rooms into exhibition spaces. Today that experiment is known as The Armory Show, and it is ranked among the top contemporary and modern art fairs worldwide. Not surprisingly, five local contemporary art galleries—greyDUCK, McLennon Pen Co., Ivester Contemporary, Martha’s and Northern-Southern—decided it was high time Austin made a similar effort.

“About a year and a half ago, we founded Friends of Galleries (FOG) to create an exclusive space for local collectors, strengthen the art community and promote the city’s creative scene,” explains Jill Schroeder, the director of grayDUCK. “The connections naturally led us to pursue something bigger.” The group named their forthcoming enterprise Friends Fair, and invited galleries from Dallas, Houston, New York and Los Angeles to participate. They also agreed to add spaces for independent curator Taylor Danielle Davis and Austin-based nonprofit SAGE Studio, representing artists with disabilities.

FOG approached The Loren at Lady Bird Lake, deeming it “the most art-centric hotel in Austin” for its impressive permanent collection and Paggi House exhibitions. The hotel agreed to rent out 12 rooms.

After invited VIPs descend on May 15 between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., the fair will be open to the public on May 16th and 17th from noon to 6 p.m. “We’re just trying to get more people interested in art,” says Kevin Ivester of Ivester Contemporary. “I hope more fairs decide to shoot up.” Jill McLennon, the owner of McLennon Pen Co. Gallery, adds: “The art scene in Austin has always been rich and on the brink of exploding into something larger. This is a new moment of opportunity.” The Loren, friendsfair.art

PHOTO COURTESY OF AFFORDABLE ART FAIR

Drawing the Line

Affordable Art Fair (AAF) returns May 15 to 18 for its second Austin show—one of only four hosted annually in the United States—offering works from 55 local and global galleries, along with performances, talks and tours. Galleries including Wally Workman, Yard Dog, Flatbed Press, Davis Gallery and Dimmitt Contemporary Art will represent the local scene. “Whether you are new to art or buying for your extensive collection, the fair offers something new in everyone’s journey with art,” explains Cristina Salmastrelli, AAF’s U.S. regional managing director. AAF, which has been around for more than a quarter of a century, offers paintings, photographs, sculptures and more, priced up to $10,000. For the best experience, purchase all-access passes or tickets for a private viewing on Thursday, May 15, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Palmer Events Center, affordableartfair.com

Weaving Magic

Anya Molyviatis spins sublimity inside her local studio.

Close inspection reveals color gradients created with mohair and hand-dyed cotton threads. PHOTO COURTESY OF SCAD AND ARTIST ANYA MOLYVIATIS

“I want my work to serve as a bridge between the visual and the experiential, engaging viewers in a dialogue about perception, materiality and space,” explains textile artist Anya Molyviatis, who creates soft sculptures with movement and depth from her North Lamar studio. (One indigo blue and lime green piece is on permanent display at Longchamp’s Milan boutique.)

Molyviatis sits for hours at one of two looms so large that she had to rent a house to accommodate them. “I almost feel like I’m a musician, mechanic and a spider at the same time,” she says. The artist, born in Geneva, attended New York’s School of Visual Arts. She then studied sustainable architecture and began researching materials before enrolling at Savannah College of Art and Design to learn about fibers and weaving. After graduating in 2021, she landed in Austin.

The artist in her studio with two recent works. corio eatemperem nusae. Nequo beat autatum voluptaectem que ratur, senda quundist. PHOTO COURTESY OF SCAD AND ARTIST ANYA MOLYVIATIS

Kevin Ivester of Ivester Contemporary met her shortly after when she visited his East Side Picture Framing business and asked to represent her. Molyviatis’s works have hung at his gallery since. “I only want to work with artists who are obsessed with what they’re doing,” he says. “She’s that.” Not surprisingly, one of Molyviatis’s works will be on display at his Friends Fair booth.

Someday the artist hopes to open a weaving innovation lab and she plans to design the world’s first 80-harness loom. “My goal is to continue expanding the boundaries of the medium, creating environments that immerse, communicate and connect,” she says. “I truly believe weaving has the power to change how we understand the world for the better.”