The Dallas Art Fair is postponing its twelfth annual event until October due to the World Health Organization’s declaration of a pandemic. The fair shared the decision on Thursday morning following Wednesday’s announcement of a 30-day travel ban between the U.S. and Europe, which would make it nearly impossible to execute considering the global nature of the event. It was scheduled for April 16-19; it will now happen on October 1-4. The event will still take place in the Fashion Industry Gallery in October, and tickets purchased for April will be valid for the new dates.
“While the decision was not made easily, the health and wellbeing of the Dallas Art Fair’s gallerists, visitors, and staff are its top priority and the fair must make every effort to contain the spread of the virus,” said Dallas Art Fair Director Kelly Cornell in a statement.
The fair expected to bring 94 international exhibitors to Dallas this spring, a large portion of which would have traveled from European art capitals like Venice, Milan, and Paris. It’s unclear at this point how the delay will affect what exhibitors are participating in the 2020 edition.
The cancellation of April’s event will more than likely necessitate the cancellation of related, high-profile events including the Eye Ball in Celebration of the Dallas Art Fair, which was scheduled for April 18. We’ve reached out to the Dallas Museum of Art to see if its annual fundraiser, Art Ball, also scheduled for April 18, will move forward as planned. The Nasher Sculpture Center has already rescheduled the Nasher Prize Gala from April to November, and you can expect to see more cancellations and date changes on the way.
