stARTup Art Fair Houston is the contemporary art fair designed for artists, by artists.

Our three-day fair is October 11-13, 2019 at the historic Hotel Icon, where authentic Texas charm meets contemporary luxury in the heart of downtown Houston. stARTup takes place concurrently with the Texas Contemporary gallery fair, 10 blocks away. Participating artists will have a fantastic opportunity to expose new work to a myriad of collectors, curators, gallery owners, art consultants, and writers who will be coming to the 4th largest art center in the US for a weekend of contemporary art.

The core mission of stARTup Art Fair is to provide a marketplace that gives artists the power to present and sell work on their own terms. All sales proceeds belong 100% to the artists.

Applications for stARTup Art Fair houston will be accepted through July 28th. Those selected from the open application process will each take over a hotel room for the course of three days to present a solo show of their work. Through its democratic, online application, artists get the opportunity to have their work reviewed by an impressive Selection Committee with a diverse range of art world professionals:

Ryan Dennis, Curator and Programs Director, Project Row Houses, Houston 

Robert Hodge, Interdisciplinary artist, Houston

Jonathan Hopson, Director, Jonathan Hopson Gallery, Houston

Cindy Lisica, Owner/Director, Cindy Lisica Gallery, Houston  

Kelly Montana, Assistant Curator, Menil Drawing Institute, Houston

Jakub Špaňhel, Widely exhibited painter, Czech Republic
 

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Exhibitor Fees:

• 40 Shared Rooms, 190 sq ft + 30 linear feet wall space: $1700
• 4 Single Queens, 300 sf + 45 lin ft: $2800 
• 20 King Rooms, 378 sf + 60 lin ft: $3,400
• 20 Deluxe King Rooms, 382 sf + 60 lin ft: $3,500
• 8 Double Queens, 385 sf + 65 lin ft: $3600
• 4 Junior Suites, 425 sf + 75 lin ft: $3,900

 Note:

• Rooms are secured on a first come first serve basis once the artist selections have been made.
• For artists who apply together must do so with one application and will work out payments between them and make one payment to stARTup.

 
Rooms at the Hotel Icon have 45-75 feet of linear wall space, including 9 1/2 foot floor-to-ceiling wall height, bathroom, and large closets.

Your Exhibitor Fee is fully inclusive of 4 nights at the Hotel (Thursday, October 10 check-in through Monday, October 14 check-out), and includes several amenities, such as discounted parking, discounts in hotel restaurant and bar, complimentary  Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, in-room coffee service, flat-screen TV, in-room safe, all  hotel and occupancy taxes, and a host of Exhibitor services provided by the fair.

 

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria