Seattle galleries launch Seattle Art Fair alternative

When the Seattle Art Fair returns for its 10th edition this July, the longtime expo will have company.

Two prominent Seattle galleries are launching a brand-new art fair called Assembly to coincide with the Seattle Art Fair, running July 23-26.

Assembly, which is more modest in scale and somewhat selective, will take place at West Canal Yards, a development along Seattle's historic ship canal.

So far, 10 galleries from Portland and Seattle, as well as a Dallas-based one, have confirmed participation in Assembly. The organizers expect that number to rise to 15, roughly a quarter of the Seattle Art Fair, which usually attracts around 70 galleries from as far as Japan and France. Some Seattle galleries, including studio e gallery, J. Rinehart Gallery and AMcE Creative Arts, are taking part in both fairs.

The new fair could have implications for SAF, which was founded by business magnate Paul Allen in 2015 as the West Coast equivalent to glitzy international events like The Armory Show in New York and Art Basel in Miami but has grown more mass market than the international, blue-chip affair Allen had in mind.

Sarah Traver of Traver Gallery and Carol Clifford, co-owner of Greg Kucera Gallery - some of Seattle's most prominent and long-standing local galleries - are the leading forces behind the new initiative, and said their galleries won't be returning to the Seattle Art Fair. Foster/White Gallery and PDX Contemporary, two other longtime Pacific Northwest mainstays, are also signed up for Assembly, though PDX Contemporary is still deciding whether to do both fairs.

"Assembly is grounded in the idea that fewer, more considered presentations, set within a striking architectural space, create the conditions for true discovery and deeper engagement," Traver said in a news release.

Traver moved her longtime downtown-based galleries, Traver and Vetri, into West Canal Yards about a year ago and said openings in the space have been better-attended than ever. Doing something in this location, she said, was a no-brainer. Especially because she'd been on the fence about attending SAF due to the costs after what's been a tough year for many galleries.

Last year's arts economy was tough on many so-called "midtier" galleries, which aren't selling work for millions of dollars (more like $10,000 to $400,000) but still represent established artists. Due to political and economic uncertainty, collectors cut back. And art fairs are expensive: Galleries typically pay per square foot for a booth, then pay for shipping, staff time and more - all for sales they don't know they will make.

Some galleries will pay $25,000 or more for a booth at SAF. In contrast, "the typical base cost for a gallery to participate in Assembly is between $3,000 and $6,500," Traver said. After all expenses - such as catering and security - have been paid, the organizers plan to redistribute revenue generated from ticket sales and booth fees to the galleries after the fair.

Galleries won't be getting traditional gallery "booths" - rooms formed by white walls set up in a large convention center - but rather available vacant spaces around a central shared atrium.

Also different from SAF (and most other major fairs): Assembly is an invitational fair, meaning galleries are invited rather than having to apply, in part due to the scrappy nature of the event and somewhat tight timeline.

The "invitational" part is for the galleries, Traver and Clifford stressed: The public is welcome to come and see the art (and there is no obligation to buy anything). Ticket prices will be announced later but the team said they plan to keep them affordable.

That said, there will be a "real VIP event" this year, Traver said, an invite-only, collector-focused event Wednesday evening. With a more intimate scale and "curated" approach, Traver and Clifford hope to woo back collectors and out-of-state museums who had stopped coming to the art fair in recent years, in part due to visual overwhelm, they said.

SAF director Kelly Freeman said she welcomed the energy that new cultural initiatives like Assembly bring to the city. "Seattle's arts ecosystem is strongest when there are multiple platforms for artists, galleries, collectors, institutions, and audiences to engage with contemporary art, and we are always open to new partners and collaborators that contribute to that momentum," she said in a statement.

"For 10 years now, Seattle Art Fair has worked to build a dynamic and sustainable cultural moment for the Pacific Northwest, bringing together leading local, national, and international galleries alongside artists, museums, curators, collectors, and the broader public," she added.

This week, SAF revealed some of the first galleries on its roster, which brings back Seattle's Roq La Rue, Harris Harvey, Winston Wächter Fine Art and Woodside/Braseth, alongside a roster of international galleries.

"Each fair offers access to a distinct audience and community of collectors, curators and institutions," said Dawna Holloway of Georgetown gallery studio e, which is participating in both fairs. "Expanding our presence allows us to … connect with an even wider audience."

Judith Rinehart, of J. Rinehart Gallery, which is also taking part in both fairs, said the Seattle Art Fair continues to be a can't-miss event. "It has truly become an anchor for art events in the Summer," Rinehart said in an email, "so much so that we plan our exhibitions all year with the fair in mind. However, it can be difficult for a small gallery like us to afford a large enough booth to truly showcase our gallery artists in a meaningful way, especially at such a large event with so many galleries and so much to see."

Assembly has provided the gallery with a chance to flex their curatorial muscles in a larger and more flexible space than what a traditional art fair can provide, Rinehart said. "As this fair is truly a gallery-led and collaborative effort by the participants, it has penciled out to be quite affordable for us to participate."

Clifford and Traver stressed they see Assembly as complementary to SAF, not as competition. The Seattle Art Fair is a "huge boost of energy for the city and the arts," Traver said. "Our goal is not to take away from it."

"It's: ‘More is more,' " Clifford added. "It's just giving more opportunity for a weekend-long immersed cultural experience."

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 6:37 AM.