New York Gallery Week Launches Annual Event 5/7-10

New York Gallery Week, a new initiative organized collectively by 50 Manhattan-based contemporary art galleries and 7 not- for-profits - spanning Chelsea, SoHo, the Lower East Side/Bowery, the Upper East Side, and 57th Street - will launch its pilot program in May 2010. New York Gallery Week (NYGW) will be an annual event, concentrating on programmatic and artistic rigor, with a mission that aims to ignite the New York art scene and direct focus back to artists and galleries.

NYGW  2010 is a presentation of over 50 solo gallery exhibitions, along with free events and programs, such as intimate, informal talks by artists; guided gallery tours by artists, curators, art historians, gallery staff;  and panel discussions.

The inaugural year's NYGW is actually a long weekend (kicking off on Friday, May 7 and ending on the evening of Monday May, 10). Galleries are normally closed on Sundays and Mondays, yet NYGW's participants will be open throughout the weekend with extended hours. NYGW will become an annual event, and expand to afull week in future years.

Started by Casey Kaplan, the founding committee members of NYGW include Jane Hait
of Wallspace, Anton Kern, Friedrich Petzel, Jason Murison of Friedrich Petzel, Andrew
Richards of Marian Goodman Gallery, Pascal Spengemann and Kelly Taxter of Taxter &
Spengemann, David Zwirner, Angela Choon and Julia Joern of David Zwirner.
 
All programs, additional sponsors, and special offers (including at local restaurants
and hotels) will be announced. For frequent updates, check back often at:
www.newyorkgalleryweek.com