Bade Stageberg Cox’s design for The Armory Show 2017 transforms Piers 92 and 94 in Manhattan into an epicenter for contemporary and modern art for five days in March. Part of a rich week of cultural exchange involving numerous satellite fairs, The Armory Show takes the lead with 200 galleries from 30 countries around the world.
BSC’s design this year aligns with the ambitions of the new show director Ben Genocchio. The programmatic and physical separation of Piers 92 and 94 has been largely erased, with modern and contemporary galleries showing on both piers and the all-important VIP Lounge located at the end of Pier 92. BSC installed a large window at the end of the pier and pulled many galleries off the glazed pier sidewalls, offering views of the NYC skyline, the Hudson River, and New Jersey beyond. Prioritizing clear and generous circulation, organizing galleries around ‘town squares,’ and designing bespoke restaurants for the restauranteurs Hotel American and Il Buco, the fair design introduces luxury and comfort into the industrial setting of the piers. Deft uses of color, well-conceived space planning, and strategically placed public art projects transform the look and feel of the 2017 fair.