Affordable Art Fair Austin's Mission to Make Art Less Scary

Affordable Art Fair Austin is back this weekend at Palmer Events Center. If you ask Fair Director Cori Teague what it is, she compares it to Art Basel, the world’s biggest event for art vendors.

“We just foster a different part of the collector industry,” she explains. That part is the newcomer.

After all, Art Basel celebrates its 55th year this year, and while the idea of the Affordable Art Fair has been around since 1999, when the first event was held in London’s Battersea Park, it’s only in its second year in Austin. The idea is simple: Affordable Art holds 17 art fairs around the globe annually, from New York to Hong Kong. Each combines collections curated by internationally renowned galleries with the work of artists from that city’s own scene. Absolutely everything is for sale, and everything is unique, whether it’s an original work or a numbered limited print.

Austin became a stop and a contributor to the circuit for the first time in 2024. At the time, Teague’s biggest challenge was getting locals through the door and explaining what AAF is. “A lot of the feedback that we received from people was, ‘Oh, I had no idea this was what you were talking about,’” she recalls. However, people did come. Roughly 8,500 guests attended last year's fair, and that's set to rise this year to an estimated 11,000.

With events on four continents, Affordable Art Fair stresses the local component at each of its shows. For example, for Austin all partners and sponsors are local, and half of all galleries represented are Texas-based. Indeed, 17 are from Austin, including familiar names such as El Dorado, Lydia Street, and the Canopy Collective. At the same time, for many of the out-of-town exhibitors, it’s their first time meeting Austin buyers. Each market is different. Teague notes that she would have to explain to visitors, “The difference between the New York buyer and the Austin buyer is that the Austin buyer wants to become your friend first.”

Teague and her team took their own lessons away from 2024. This year, among the booths from 55 local and international galleries, there will be touchpoints and hangout spaces, including lounge space designed by Austin-based Four Hands Furniture. “People will be able to get a drink and hang out, maybe take a beat and talk about what they’ve seen or think about what they want to buy,” Teague says, “because 12,000 square feet of artwork can be overwhelming.”

The art remains what’s important, and varies in price from the tens of thousands of dollars to the hundreds. That lower end, Teague says, “is for people growing their collection and new collectors.” Whether it’s a print by an internationally recognized artist or a work by a local up-and-comer, those pieces are intended as entry points for first-timers.

That last group is arguably what’s most important for the Affordable Art Fair, and the rarest. For many people, art – or any kind of wall décor – is a mystery. The very word “gallery” can be intimidating, conjuring up images of priceless works behind layers of glass with security staff at every exit. Many people only see art on walls when they’re staying in a hotel and, let’s be honest, how many times have you walked past one of those modern farmhouse-style homes that’s cropped up in your neighborhood and seen walls so blank you’ve wondered if anyone lives there?

As a country, Teague says, “we don’t breed art collectors because we remove art from our curriculum as the first thing. Whereas in Europe they look at art every day of their entire lives. It’s very different here.”

For Teague, a large part of the purpose of AAF in Austin is to take the scary edge off of collecting. “We have postcards with tips on how to buy artwork, we have signage everywhere, and we’ve made it really accessible for people to come back, so if you buy a ticket you get a free re-entry for any of the days," she says. So while the Austin art collecting scene may still seem nascent, “we have people here that want to learn and be educated, and now we’re giving them the tools to do that.”

If AAF achieves anything, Teague’s hope is that it starts expanding the Austin art scene and making it even more interconnected, both within the city and in the larger creative community. It’s an opportunity for local artists to get exposure to visiting collectors, and for residents to start seeing galleries as a welcoming space. Teague notes that galleries who came last year have had Austin residents reach out after the event to buy a work. And if she has any last words of advice for anyone thinking of dipping their toes into the world of contemporary art, they’re very simple: “Be curious.”

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The second Affordable Art Fair Austin runs May 15-18 at the Palmer Events Center. Tickets and info at affordableartfair.com.