Austin Hosts Two Art Fairs: Friends Fair and Affordable Art Fair
Austin, Texas, hosted two art fairs in May 2026: Friends Fair (May 7-9 at the Loren Hotel) and Affordable Art Fair (May 14-17 at the Palmer Events Center). Friends Fair, in its second year, featured avant-garde works, including a styling salon by Sean Ripple presented by Co-Lab Projects, and bathroom installations like Christos Pathiakis's cave photographs at Northern-Southern. Affordable Art Fair, in its third year, focused on Western-themed art, with highlights including B Shawn Cox's lenticular cowboys at Davis Gallery & Framing and Kelly Moran's resin-covered paper works at Koelsch Gallery. Both fairs reported steady sales, reflecting Austin's vibrant art market.
Key facts
- Friends Fair took place May 7-9 at the Loren Hotel in Austin.
- Affordable Art Fair took place May 14-17 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin.
- Friends Fair featured a styling salon by Sean Ripple presented by Co-Lab Projects.
- Christos Pathiakis exhibited cave photographs in a bathroom installation at Northern-Southern's booth.
- Affordable Art Fair had a heavy Western theme, with cow paintings from galleries as far as Australia and the UK.
- B Shawn Cox showed lenticular cowboys at Davis Gallery & Framing.
- Kelly Moran displayed Western-themed resin-covered paper works at Koelsch Gallery.
- Both fairs reported strong sales on their second day.
Entities
Artists
- Bill Withers
- Sophia Heymans
- Margot Becker
- Robert Rapson
- Sean Ripple
- Jo Kim
- Alicia Eggert
- Christos Pathiakis
- B Shawn Cox
- Kelly Moran
- Toyin Loye
- Soody Sharifi
Institutions
- Friends Fair
- Affordable Art Fair
- Loren Hotel
- Palmer Events Center
- Co-Lab Projects
- University of Texas (UT) MFA
- Nature of Things
- The Valley
- Seven Sisters
- Dutton
- Ivester Contemporary
- Northern-Southern
- Davis Gallery & Framing
- Koelsch Gallery
- Chiefs & Spirits
- Apama Strickland Gallery
- Commerce Gallery
- The Independence Gallery
- Wally Workman
- Canopy Collective
- Glasstire
Locations
- Austin
- Texas
- United States
- Loren Hotel
- Palmer Events Center
- Lockhart
- Wimberley
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Iran