NY's Armory Show Art Fair: Severe issues after structural flaws detected in Pier 92

The 25^th anniversary edition of the Armory Show, scheduled to take place on March 7, 2019, has to deal with significant structural flaws in New York's Pier 92.

On February 20, 2019, NY's Economic Development Corporation (EDC) informed MMPI, the parent company of the fair, that "significant portions of Pier 92 are not structurally safe, and we're not able to access nearly the entire pier for the fair," according to Nicole Berry, director of the Armory Show.

Officials from the EDC also added that "following a routine inspection, we discovered structural issues at Pier 92. We are currently conducting further analysis at the site."

The organizers of the show decided to move the exhibitors that were initially presumed to be in Pier 92 to the adjacent Pier 90. Pier 90 was recently renovated and is fully functional. A small fraction of Pier 92, which is considered safe to access as it is built over solid ground, will remain open during the fair.

This change will affect about 60 galleries that were participating in the fair's Focus, Insight, and Projects sections. Mrs. Berry stated that those who are being relocated will receive a compensation. "Obviously the safety of our visitors, the artwork, the collectors, the exhibitors is of the utmost importance," she said. 

Under those circumstances, the organizers of the event decided to postpone the Armory Show's concurrent sister fair, Volta. Mrs. Berry and Volta's director, Amanda Coulson, commonly agreed that this was the optimal option. The 78 exhibitors of Volta along with their sponsors will be fully reimbursed. "With only 11 days until install... all considered situations were at best ad-hoc and would not continue the high production value that is expected from our brand," Mrs. Coulson commented.