The Armory Show puts spotlight on the American South

"I was thinking about how we can amplify the Americas, and about the South as the nexus for so many diasporas,"

"felt like a really interesting and vital way to enter that conversation."

"When we think of the American South, we're primed to consider it in a historical and social context,"

"It's really exciting to amplify artists and galleries in an overtly commercial context."

The Armory Show is dedicating much of its Focus section to artists and galleries from the American South, a region described as the fastest-growing and highly racially and culturally diverse in the United States. Kyla McMillan, the fair's director, aims to amplify the Americas and position the South as a nexus for multiple diasporas. The 2025 fair is McMillan's first full edition since her July 2024 appointment and Frieze's acquisition. Jessica Bell Brown curated the Focus; her VCU Institute for Contemporary Art has staged exhibitions by Caitlin Cherry and a Caribbean-diaspora group show in Richmond. Thirteen galleries participate; Martha's (Austin) and Wolfgang Gallery (Atlanta) operate in the South. Martha's will present works by RF. Alvarez, known for paintings of queer cowboys that incorporate Old Masters iconography.

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