Season Fair 2025
Season Fair, Detroit’s inaugural contemporary art fair, debuted September 25–28, 2025, at Michigan Central, marking a pivotal moment for the city’s cultural resurgence. Over four days, the fair united 11 leading galleries from across North America, a curated platform of 10 Detroit-based artists, special artist projects, and a robust program of talks, activations, and civic initiatives. With support from a visionary network of partners and sponsors, Season Fair helped further establish Detroit as a vital hub for cultural exchange and contemporary artistic production.
Exhibitors
Transforming the sixth floor of Michigan Central into a dynamic exhibition environment, Season Fair brought together local and international voices in contemporary art. Exhibiting galleries included april april (Pittsburgh), High Noon Gallery (New York), Library Street Collective (Detroit), M Contemporary (Ferndale), MARCH (New York), Matéria Gallery (Detroit), MKG127 (Toronto), OSMOS (New York), Rivalry Projects (Buffalo), Tappeto Volante Projects (Brooklyn), and What Pipeline (Detroit). Collectors were able to acquire works onsite or through Arcual, a secure digital platform extending fair access and marketplace engagement beyond traditional hours.
Detroit Presents
At the heart of Season Fair was Detroit Presents, a new exhibition platform spotlighting the city’s most vital and visionary artists. The initiative was conceived to elevate Detroit’s creative community on an international stage, providing direct exposure to collectors, curators, and institutions while celebrating the city’s artistic integrity and innovation.
The 2025 presentation featured 10 groundbreaking artists whose works explored themes of identity, ecology, spirituality, and cultural memory.
Exhibiting artists included: James Adams, Martyna Alexander, Amna Asghar, black helmut, Cydney Camp, Louise Jones, Jaime Pattison, Chris Pinter, Daniel Ribar, and Jamea Richmond-Edwards.
Season Talks
Presented by The Shepherd, Season Talks convened leading artists, curators, and cultural practitioners for eight dynamic conversations examining art’s role in shaping civic identity and cultural economies.
Highlights included Reframing Detroit: Narratives of Place and Power with Asmaa Walton, bree gant, Jova Lynne, and Aleiya Olu; Collecting Outside the Coasts; Detroit as Curator; Beyond Praise: Rethinking Criticism in Communities of Color (presented by Critical Minded); and Reimagining the Artist’s Economy.
The series positioned Detroit as a critical site for national discourse on equity, authorship, and creative futures.
Special Artist Projects
Complementing the fair’s core presentations, Special Projects offered immersive installations exploring embodiment, memory, and transformation. Conceived as a space for experimentation and reflection, these projects redefined how contemporary art engages audiences within the architectural and emotional context of Michigan Central.
Highlights included Jim Schatz’s In Lion’s Roar, Lover’s Whisper, a monumental stoneware installation meditating on queer intimacy and ritual; Alberte Tranberg’s Silhouette (landscape), a sculptural exploration of loss and malleability in steel; Hannah Rose Dumes’s vividly layered abstractions in acrylic, sumi ink, and oil; and Kat Quay’s Memory Palace, a poignant meditation on memory as both human and technological architecture.
Off Season
Expanding beyond Michigan Central, Off Season activated Detroit’s neighborhoods through artist studio visits, culinary programming, and nightlife. These community-based experiences deepened engagement between local audiences and visiting participants, framing Detroit itself as an essential part of the fair’s curatorial vision.
Institutional Support and Partnerships
Season Fair is made possible through the generous support of its sponsors and partners: Gilbert Family Foundation, ARTPOWER, Knight Foundation, Michigan Central, FLOYD, Soho House, eugenie, The Shepherd, Critical Minded, Planning Alternatives, Nika & Co, Xhibition, Commissioner, The Siren Hotel, Art-ology, Arcual, and SMPLFD. Their commitment underscores the fair’s collaborative ethos and shared vision of advancing Detroit’s creative economy.
Metrics
Season’s inaugural year proved the model: $135,000 raised, $65,000 in art sales, 25 local jobs created, and over $360,000 in total economic impact, with 100% of funds reinvested locally. Each edition of the fair brings together local and national galleries, collectors, curators, and cultural leaders to celebrate Detroit’s creative spirit while driving tangible market growth.