At the end of 2017, curator and creative (and Art Zealous staff writer), Stephanie Black, pioneered a new way to view and shop for art at New York’s favorite off-kilter market, Artists & Fleas. For those who may not be familiar, Artists & Fleas is an indoor market that hosts various New York City art, retail, fashion, and design vendors with locations in Williamsburg, Soho, and Chelsea on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

 

With this project, Black has attempted to disrupt the retail experience by merging gallery exhibitions with a “retail-oriented” environment. DISRUPT supports local fine artists working in mixed media while altering the narrative of a typical shopping experience, and as the name infers, all of the works deal with the invocation of change. If you’re not already sold, here are FIVE reasons why you should check out DISRUPT at Artists & Fleas locations in Williamsburg and SoHo before it closes on March 6, 2018.

 

Don’t worry too much if you miss it this time around, it seems it will be a recurring program at Artists & Fleas. 

 

1. It’s innovative.

DISRUPT | Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Black

Artists & Fleas is already a creative take on the traditional flea market, and supports hundreds of local artisans by providing them a space to sell crafts, home goods, vintage goods, etc. The company is continuously innovating with initiatives like DISRUPT that support artists by providing a space for them to showcase and sell their work.

 

2. It supports local artists.

DISRUPT | Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Black

DISRUPT showcases the works of 25 different artists, most of whom are based in NYC and the tri-state area. Stephanie specifically recommends that you check out Brooklyn-ite, McKenzie Merriman’s analogue collages. Other notable artists include Ali Bono, Liza Buzytsky, Jennifer Clay, Izabeau Giannakopoulos, Alex Levine, and Mike Lombardy.

 

3. It’s affordable.

DISRUPT | Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Black

Maybe the best part about this show is that everything is priced to sell.  Pieces range from $125-$1500 making fine art accessible to almost any budget. Need something new to bring life to your white walls? Check it out.

 

4. It shows a different side of Artists & Fleas’ vendors.

DISRUPT | Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Black

Many of the works featured in DISRUPT are by common Artist & Fleas vendors, and the show highlights the non-utilitarian pieces by these talented artists and artisans. Remember that unique postcard you bought? Turns out, the artists also creates amazingly detailed oil paintings.  

 

5. It’s diverse and constantly changing.

DISRUPT | Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Black

DISRUPT features approximately 35 pieces of art in various mediums including photography, 2D-collage, video installation, and site-specific sculptures. It also changes every four weeks, so there’s always an opportunity to find something new.