The First Arrival Art Fair Touches Down in North Adams

The Tourists hotel is known for its modern and stylish accommodations and its minimalist, aesthetically minded branding. From June 12-15, though, it served as the backdrop for Arrival, a new type of art fair that transformed the hotel’s spaces into art galleries, classrooms, activations, and a convening place for artists and Berkshires residents to come together.

Arrival is the brainchild of three friends and collaborators: gallerist Yng-Ru Chen, art advisor Sarah Galender Meyer, and artist Crystalle Lacouture. With a combined 60 years of experience in the art world, they’ve attended their share of art fairs, many of which have left them feeling underwhelmed, exhausted, and unsatisfied. "We just thought, gosh, you know, why don't people do fairs in really beautiful places where you can kind of combine a vacation mode, taking the time to consider the work, and enjoying the other museums that are around?” Lacouture says. Together, the three women conceived of a new type of art fair that satisfies their craving for a less commercial event, instead creating an enriching experience that considers contemporary artists and their audiences.

Arrival founders; art advisor Sarah Galender Meyer, artist Crystalle Lacouture, and gallerist Yng-Ru Chen. Photo by Mel Taing.

During Arrival, the Tourists hotel campus was transformed into a museum of its own, with individual artists, curators, and partners turning hotel guest rooms into their own gallery spaces. Art was hung from the walls, ceramics were displayed on window sills, and small pieces were even hung in the bathrooms. Each room was at the participants' disposal, allowing the artworks to interact with the space. As an attendee, seeing art hung in a living space offered a new vantage point from which to appreciate and visualize the pieces.

The casual atmosphere seemed to extend to the exhibitors themselves, who comfortably chatted on their room’s front porches or patiently sat on the side of the bed as visitors perused the art. This is an intentionally different experience from the stark white booths of a more typically art fair. A venue like Tourists helped “emphasize the tandem art-plus-nature vibe that we thought was so lacking in other fairs,” says Lacouture.

Over 30 organizations and individuals showed at the event, including notable galleries like San Francisco’s Jessica Silverman, Charlie James from LA, Martha’s Contemporary in Austin, and Jane Lombard in New York. There were also several not-for-profit organizations that showcased their work, many of which are local, such as Fall River MoCA and Wassiac Project. Individual artists displayed works that ranged from classic portrait paintings to funky multi-dimensional ceramic vessels, as well as eye-catching neon light installations, and whole wall multi-medium creations.

Praise Shadows booth during Arrival 2024 preview event. Photo by Mel Taing

A particular highlight for co-founder Lacouture was the inclusion of sponsored artists, like Elizabeth James-Perry. The artist-in-residence sponsored by Voices of Contemporary Art (VoCA), is a citizen of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, and works primarily in traditional indigenous sculptural forms like shell-carving and bead-making. Throughout the weekend, she actively created work and gave a talk in the Tourists Lodge. In working with nonprofit art organizations like VoCA, Arrival showcased a group of artists, diverse in background, media, and audience.

In choosing to host the event in North Adams, the founders were determined to find ways to engage with the art institutions beyond Tourists' property. There were off-site presentations at places like Studio B, an exhibition space at the North Adams hotel, Hotel Downstreet, as well as off-site studio visits with artists such as Jenny Holzer and Mike Glier, and artists in neighboring Williamstown, including Willie Binnie. Lacouture even hosted an event at her own North Adams home, showing works from Polly Apfelbaum and Lucy Kim.

“When I was younger as an artist, I would be so intimidated to go to an art fair. It feels so fancy,” Lacouture says. “So we definitely wanted to make it feel like it was approachable, that those museum directors that you've read about are just sitting by the fire having beer, you know, like there is opportunity to just be a little relaxed.” To help facilitate this environment, DJ-in-residence April Hunt set a somatic vibe all weekend long, and chef Mina Stone (author of Cooking for Artists and previous chef at MOMA PS1), prepared food for the event. The music and chef-in-residence snacks reminded attendees to engage with the event on that “vacation-mode” level.

Work by Elizabeth James Perry in the VoCA gallery room.

Above all, though, it is perhaps the fact that Arrival is completely free that sets it apart from almost all other art fairs of its caliber. With the help of independent donors, entrance to the fair was completely free of charge, and all programming was also included. Being fiscally sponsored highlighted the community and accessibility goals of Arrival, inviting local community members to attend and create an inclusive art fair.

As mothers, artists, and business owners, Chen, Galender Meyer, and Lacouture decided to make Arrival a biannual event. They view the event as an opportunity to escape the rat race of production and build something meaningful, which requires a significant amount of time and effort. “As an artist, working on something that's not my work, it's intense, yeah, but I really do view this as a community artwork and a collaboration,” Lacouture says. Still, even before the 2025 Arrival weekend had begun, the trio were setting the wheels in motion for Arrival 2027.