Take a deep breath, New York's Armory Arts Week, as it is called, is upon us. There are no less than seven art fairs happening on New York's west side during the first weekend in March. As exhausting as it can be, this long weekend is also a unique opportunity to see what galleries around the world are showcasing right now, all in one place. This should also be an interesting year in light of the recent economic meltdown, and with themes like "Age of Anxiety," the uniqueness of this moment does not seem to be lost on fair organizers. These fairs have typically been conceived as high-end bazaars but they have become more and more like exhibitions, complete with curators, themes and programmed events. Six of the New York fairs have been broken down for you below so that you can hopefully make sense of it all, and decide which might be the closest to your interests. Most importantly don't forget to stay hydrated, wear comfortable shoes and study your map (and thank Paddy Johnson, from ArtFagCity Blog, for taking the time plot the main fairs on Google map.)

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Also key is C-Monster map of the best dive bars around the main fairs.

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ARMORY SHOW
When:
March 5th-7th, 12 - 8 pm
March 8th, 12 - 7 pm

Where:
Piers 92 & 94
12th Avenue at 55th Street

How much:
General Admission $30
Students $10
Groups (10+) $15
Run of Show Pass (4 day) $60
The Armory Show/VOLTA Dual Pass $40

Theme:
New York and the modern city, as interpreted by British-artist Ewan Gibbs, who was commissioned by the Armory to create the visual identity of the 2009 edition.

Exhibitors:
Wide range of Galleries, from:

• Blue Chip (like Pace Wildenstein in NY and Yvon Lambert in Paris and NY)


• Mid-Career (like Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and 303 Gallery in NY, Victoria Miro in London)


• Emerging (like Peres Projects in LA and Berlin, STANDARD, in Oslo, and Pierogi in Brooklyn)

What to expect:
The biggest art fair in New York, The Armory Show is a great place to do some one-stop shopping (or window shopping, most likely) of a wide range of established and influential international contemporary and modern galleries. If you can only go to one fair, this is the one to see. This year, the fair has been split into two piers, with Pier 94 going to contemporary galleries and Pier 92 housing modern. Undoubtedly the lines will be blurred, so store up your energy to visit both piers for a chance to get a snapshot of the state of international contemporary art, for better or for worse.

VOLTA SHOW
When:
March 5th-8th, 1 - 9 p.m.

Where:
7W 34th St, 11th Floor

How Much:
General Admission $15
The Armory Show/VOLTA Dual Pass $40

Theme:
"The Age of Anxiety"

Exhibitors:
Smaller galleries from all over the world; each exhibitor presents one artist

What to expect:
The Armory Show's sister fair, Volta, has a unique program in which invited galleries each showcase one artist. The artists shown give a very biennial flavor to Volta, they are from all over, including non-art world centers like Slovenia, Romania and Chile. Since you will no doubt be thinking a lot about the notion of art as a commodity during this weekend, check out the artists at VOLTA who deal, in some way, with such issues: Sue Collis, Regina José Galindo and Igor Eskinja.

SCOPE
When:
March 5th-7th, 12 - 8 pm
March 8th, 12 - 7 pm

Where:
Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park
62nd Street and 10th Avenue

How much:
$100 for preview on March 4th (Free for VIP cardholders)
General $15 (Free for VIP cardholders)
Student $10

Theme:
Cheap Fast and Out of Control http://scope-art.com/Index.php/new_york/programs/

Exhibitors:
Emerging Contemporary Art

What to expect:
Scope acts more like an exhibition than a true fair, with event programming including countless panel discussions and curated exhibitions. Their 70% cut for artists who donate to their benefit auction is testament to their artist-based vision, so you can feel good about your purchases, which could be varied; they will also be selling recession-approved art; i.e. books and records.

PULSE
When:
March 5th-7th, 12 - 8 pm
March 8th, 12 - 5 pm

Where:
Pier 40
353 West Street @ West Houston

How much:
General Admission $20
Students/Seniors $15
Group Discount $12

Exhibitors:
Emerging Contemporary Art

What to expect:
Following a strong showing in Miami, PULSE NY returns to Pier 40 to offer up its eclectic mix of smaller contemporary-only galleries from all over the world. In the art fair-as-exhibition category, check out Pulse's fair sponsored installation and sculptures and the return of PULSE PLAY, a video lounge curated by Marina Fokidis.

BRIDGE ART FAIR
When:
March 5th-7th, 12 - 8 pm
March 8th, 12 - 7 pm

Where:
The Waterfront
222 Twelfth Avenue at W 27th Street

How much:
General Admission $15
Students $10
Weekend Pass $30

Exhibitors:
Emerging Contemporary Art

What to Expect:
The Bridge Art Fair is yet another independent fair with a decidedly international flavor. This fair also has a schedule of events, one of which lets fair goers talk to exhibiting artists. The Bridge Art Fair currently presents a combined total of nearly 300 galleries and over 2,000 artists at four expositions throughout the year, in New York, the now entrenched art fair towns of Basel and Miami, and the up-and-coming art center of Berlin.

POOL
When:
March 6th-9th, 3-10 pm

Where:
Wyndham Garden Hotel
37 W 24th Street

How much:
General admission $10 donation

Theme:
"Me Me Me"

Exhibitors:
Independent artists (read: artists without a gallery)

What to expect:
Because the PooL Art Fair focuses almost exclusively on artists not represented by galleries, this fair is the most unpredictable, but arguably the most admirable in its aims. In the past, PooL was held at The Chelsea Hotel, which offered the tarnished gleam of a long-departed bohemia, but this year it will be staged at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, where unrepresented artists will show works throughout, including videos in the lobby. Whatever the quality of work you find there, it is nice to know that your purchases and the price of admission go to support independent artists; lord knows they'll need it this year.

Plus:
A quick-snapshot at some of the top galleries' offering for Armory 09, and a renewed focus on solo show and works in the low 5-digits [The Art Newspaper]