DC’s Favorite Art Fair Returns to Union Market.

November 2024
Dock 5 @ Union Market

"Superfine isn’t a traditional art fair." – Forbes

Superfine Art Fair Logo
Superfine DC Art Fairs call for artists
  • Uncommon Art Fairs. Iconic Locations. Superfine returns to Washington D.C. in October of 2023. Here’s what sets us apart from other fairs:

    • Over 12,000 square feet of industrial exhibition space in DC’s Union Market District, a year-round events and entertainment area near downtown.

    • Home to 35 independent food merchants within the Market, alongside a unique mix of small businesses, nationally recognized retail brands and highly rated restaurants

    A bustling tourist destination with 360-degree city views from an open-air rooftop bar and green space.

    • 100 artist booths (10' tall hardwall, museum lights) are available. Don't miss your spot! Click the pink button —> to submit your pre-qualification form.

  • From October 26-29, 2023, join us for 4 days at Dock5 in DC’s Union Market. The fair will feature:

    • 100 exhibiting artists, collectives, and galleries
    • Strategic partnerships with DC museums, arts organizations and more
    • 4,000 qualified visitors over 4 days (25% of visitors buy art!)

    95% of our artists meet collectors and you’ll receive expert advice and booth curation strategies before the fair begins. In addition, Superfine takes no commission. Make art. Sell art. We’ll do the rest.

 

“Superfine completely affected my trajectory.

While I did make sales at the fair, it was what happened post-fair that mattered. I have had around 20 commissions as a result of the fair…TWENTY!! You guys truly support artists and it means so much.”

– Natalie Barfield | Superfine Exhibitor

Are you an artist struggling with reaching new collectors, marketing your work, and finding the time to do what you love to do -- create art? If so, you’re not alone. The Superfine team led by art marketing experts Alex Mitow and James Miille have pioneered the new art fair model. We’re first-movers in the United States in the accessible, artist-driven art fair space and the largest, most widespread art fair for artists in the country. We’re bringing back our DC art fair from October 26-29, 2023.

↓ Limited Artist Booths Available Starting at $2,500 | No Commission Taken

Booth pricing available at link above.

 

Why our DC art fairs stand out from the rest.

Uncommon Art Fairs. Iconic Locations. Superfine returns to the nation’s capital in October of 2023. Here’s what sets us apart from other fairs:

 
Artist and collector at Superfine event

Connection

We specialize in creating a welcoming space where artists and art lovers can connect (that’s why 1 of 3 of visitors report buying art at each fair!)

Two men at a Superfine Art Fair Event

Curation

Our experts help you curate to sell. Isolate your ideal price points, create winning layouts, and curate strategically for in-fair and post-fair success.

Group of collectors at Superfine event

Education

We host webinars + in-fair sales seminars by art market pros to help you profit from your newfound knowledge before, during, and after each fair.

The Guardian logo

"Is this the world’s most inclusive art fair?"

Artnet logo

"The art-world antidote to ‘the bloated, over-sized art fair model’"

Forbes logo

"Superfine isn’t a traditional art fair."

Activate your Brand at Superfine DC

Superfine afterparty with artists
Superfine live musicians for brunch
 

Located just beside Gallaudet University and situated 15 minutes from Washington’s Union Station, Dock5 is a warehouse complex within the Union Market District.

With 12,000 square feet of space that houses 35 independent food and beverage vendors as well as a unique mix of small businesses, nationally recognized retail brands and highly rated restaurants, there is something for everyone at Union Market.

Sponsors can open conversations in the community. La Cosecha, a contemporary Latin American marketplace and culinary embassy located in Union Market, fosters business education throughout Latin America.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship packages are available from $2,500 to $50,000. Please email us to schedule a call. We’re currently filling 7 spots including:

🥗 Local food & beverage sponsor
🪙 Technology & entrepreneurial sponsor
🍺 Beer + wine sponsor
🍾 Sparkling water sponsor
🏦 Municipal sponsor

We created a better way for you to connect directly with collectors, sell your art, and build a client list with a minimal time commitment.

Hi! We’re Alex Mitow and James Miille, co-founders of Superfine Art Fair. When we started Superfine back in 2015, James’ art career was just beginning. Those first steps with fraught with peril: “bad actor” gallerists promising big dollars without delivering, waste-of-time submission-based projects that bordered on outright scams, and group shows that were more about friends drinking free booze than actual art sales.

CEO Alex Mitow
Superfine Co-Founder James Miille

There had to be a better way.

As artists and collectors, we believe regular people excited about art should connect directly with artists and support their work, and that artists can meet and retain their collectors, make more sales, and replace job income with art income. Superfine is an art fair for artists who don’t need permission to succeed. You can build a market for yourself, saving time, energy, and stress. As we’ve expanded to cities across the country: NYC, LA, Seattle, Washington DC, San Francisco, Miami, and Savannah, we’ve proven that the artist-to-buyer connection is at the center of a sustainable art market. In just 4 or 5 days, our artists are creating more collectors than they were in an entire year. 75% of our surveyed visitors agree that meeting and connecting with artists is their favorite part of attending each Superfine Art Fair. With every call for artists we add serious, professional artists to our Superfine family.

We look forward to breaking art world rules with you, welcoming you to our business artist community, and winning an excited new audience for your art at our DC art fair this fall!

—Alex and James

A family at Superfine Art Fair

Pretension-free, marketing-driven, results-oriented art fairs in New York City, SF, DC, LA, and beyond.

Hear what our clients have to say about us!

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“Superfine has been a life-changing experience that accelerated my career and created so many new relationships with artists, collectors, curators, galleries and journalists that I still benefit from to this day.”

– Sean Christopher Ward, exhibiting artist

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"My Superfine experience was instrumental for my growth as an artist. The opportunity to engage directly with collectors and creative peers in an intense and vibrant environment taught me a great deal about the down-to-earth aspects of the art world. I made new connections, found new homes for my paintings, and discovered new ways to think about my work and my process. All this is thanks to the Superfine team's professionalism: their hands-on approach, their diligence, and their care are felt at all times - I believe their hard work is the true secret to the fair's success."

– Ken Goshen, exhibiting artist

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“I had such a wonderful experience at Superfine NYC 2018. It was a well organized fair, and the crew was a delight to work with. The event and program line up were not only loads of fun, but a great way to bring interested people in. While sales are always a good thing, it was the new friendships, connections, and relationships that I made during the fair that really deemed it a complete success.”

– Monica Delgado, exhibiting artist

Are you ready for a Washington DC art fair like no other?

Here’s what it’s like in 45 seconds.

A new breed of Superfine began in February 2020 at Fort Mason Center. For four days, you gain the one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet and connect directly with top local + global artists, collect local art and art from around the world, and indulge in culinary and performance arts that complement the art on the wall.

We love all artists. But not every one is a fit.

You might not be a fit for Superfine if:

1

You’re a stick in the mud. You’ve got your feet stuck in the cement of the art world of yore, even if it’s not working, and you aren’t looking for a better way to sell art and grow a strong collector list.

2

Your approach to curation is “The more the merrier.” You’re not open to friendly, professional curatorial guidelines designed to provide you with results (we mean sales.)

3

You’re looking at an art fair as a get-rich-quick scheme. Success at growing your collector base means putting in time and effort, learning, and putting into practice what you’ve learned.

But you’ve made it this far. We think you might be!

Three people at a Superfine Art Fair event

Ready to replace your job income with art income?

Things you want to know.

  • The “sweet spot” where most art sells at Superfine is between $500 and $2,500, and we recommend showing at least 50% of works in your booth in this range. Beyond this range, the maximum price for any one work in the fair is $15,000, and we recommend showing 1-4 works in this range if you have them (they attract attention to your booth, show a greater breadth of what you are capable of creating, and also have a strong chance of selling). Works between $100 and $500 (smaller originals or limited edition prints) are great to have available too for “impulse” purchases, and to offer even more accessibly-priced art for newer collectors. From our experience, the #1 predictor of success is showing work in a variety of sizes and price points.

  • The District of Columbia has the highest median income in the United States ($93,294/household, 4 of the top 5 income counties in the country are in the DC metro area) and is considered the best educated city in the country, as it leads the nation in both bachelor’s degree holders (49.3%) and graduate degree holders (23%). With the center of the US government and almost 200 foreign embassies, you get a global reach from a local fair.

    If that wasn’t enough DC has the highest buying power (income to cost of living ratio) of any city in the country: average individual disposable income of $58,000. Depending on your target demographic consider how DC has the highest LGBT+ population (~10%) in the nation = dual incomes + greater disposable wealth / spent on art, design, luxury goods.

LGBTQ+ Flag

Art with purpose.

Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated, Superfine is committed to the economic empowerment of women, LGBTQ+ artists, artists of color, and all other underrepresented artist communities.

LGBTQ+ Flag

Ready to apply but still have one or two questions?

Let’s talk! Schedule an 8-minute consultation with Superfine’s co-founder, James.

Superfine co-founder James Miille