Welcome to alt_break art fair's inaugural theme: SHIFT_
SHIFT_ points to a new spin on the contemporary art fair, occurring during the Armory Art Fair week (March 3-6) and taking as its focus the meaningful impact of social justice and community building nonprofits located in the vicinity of existing fairs such as the Armory, Art on Paper, Scope, and Spring/Break. Proving that relevant contemporary art transcends the boundaries of traditional art fair spaces, alt_break 2016: SHIFT_ presents site-activated exhibits incorporating paintings, sound installation, performance, and mixed media art. Curator-driven, alt_break's team of 4 seasoned curators align their exhibits with the mission of the host site of their partner nonprofit organization, working with artists whose work resonates these values. This multi-site fair deftly expands to incorporate nonprofit sites as vital centers of creative impetus while inviting the view to shift their perspective while physically shifting from one site to another.
SHIFT_ indicates alt_break's position as a newly-created art fair standing apart from the traditional art fair model, dedicating resources to expanding audiences and funding models: 25% of income from fair activities are donated equally to our partner sites. Equal rights, social justice, opportunities for minorities and empowerment for marginalized communities are some of the values our partner nonprofits fight to preserve. Contemporary art is harnessed here as a powerful agent of social change: and socially focused nonprofits and the art world, communities existing in parallel but traditionally separate, are both served and invited to contemplate and activate these sites in their own ways. SHIFT_ allows new streams of dialogue on what art can mean as a catalyst for change. With our first iteration of alt_break art fair, we are inviting new considerations of human rights by situating art within a space that can, and is, inhabited by all who seek it.