Essential Event: The Armory Show Returns For Its 14th International Art Showcase

It's March, and here in New York that means its prime art season, from major retrospectives of Cindy Sherman and John Chamberlain to premier showcases like the Whitney Biennial and The Armory Show, which is happening this Thursday, March 8 through Sunday, March 11 at Piers 92 and 94.

Not to be confused with the original Armory Show (the infamous 1913 modern art exhibition that prompted such reactions as former President Theodore Roosevelt's "That's not art!"), The Armory Show is an international art fair that started in 1994 and quickly grew into one of the world's largest and most important contemporary art showcases.

This year the fair has implemented "sweeping changes to the fair layout, amenities and services." They've enlisted renowned architectural firm Bade Stageberg Cox to design a new floor plan, and there will also be a new Media Lounge hosting "a curated performance series and film screenings that will feature artists' films and videos" as well as discussions and panels. This year's Armory Focus, which highlights a different art scene each year, will feature galleries from the Nordic Countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. With its Armory Artist Commission the fair has also enlisted the work of Chicago artist Theaster Gates to serve as the fair's visual identity (he's also "holding court" at the Pier 94 cafe Thursday through Saturday).

If you're looking for an exhaustive preview of the Armory Show and all of its related counterparts, this ARTINFO article has you covered. If you're like us, you might want to just grab a ticket, head to 55th Street and 12th Ave. and explore all of the latest art from around the world. We were particularly excited, though, to hear that Bjork and Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson will be teaming up for a discussion on Thursday.

-- John Ruscher