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"   Andy Burgess, Koenig Case Study House. photo: Cynthia Corbett Gallery  San Francisco is known for many things\u2014burritos, bridges, counterculture\u2014but when it comes to art, New York, Los Angeles, and even Miami attract more attention. That might be changing, thanks to the help of artMRKT: The City by the Bay is hosting the art fair organizer&amp;#039;s inaugural event, which kicks off today with a VIP event before opening to the public from May 20 through May 22 at the Concourse Exhibition Center. With 65 contemporary art galleries on board, a 57,000 square foot refurbished railroad station as its setting, and the leadership of Max Fishko (a third generation gallerist) and Jeffrey Wainhause, artMRKT could be just the thing to finally shine a spotlight on San Francisco&amp;#039;s vibrant arts scene. &amp;quot;I love San Francisco, the people, and the culture,&amp;quot; says Fishko of the decision to hold artMRKT&amp;#039;s first fair in the West Coast locale, adding, &amp;quot;This is a great city, with a solid reputation for the arts\u2014from their museums [to their] art schools, artists, and collectors.&amp;quot; The idea to start artMRKT came because Fishko believed there &amp;quot;was a better way to produce art fairs, a way that was collaborative and kept both the dealers and collectors in mind.&amp;quot;  East Coast residents aren&amp;#039;t entirely out of luck; there&amp;#039;s an online auction, dubbed MRKTworks, which benefits a range of local arts nonprofits, as well as artMRKT fairs planned for the Hamptons and Houston. It might not be the circus that Art Basel Miami has become, but Fishko does see value in the parties that often go hand-in-hand with big art events. &amp;quot;While [it] can be a distraction from the work, it creates an atmosphere that will attract the uninitiated. Done tastefully and in moderation, I think it can be very helpful.&amp;quot; And that&amp;#039;s a big goal for artMRKT: Bringing in people who don&amp;#039;t have Rothkos on their wall. Says Fishko, &amp;quot;If we create new collectors, if we ignite new interest from both active collectors and new, [and] if we show people something amazing\u2014something they had never before seen, then we have done our jobs.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/culture/art-design/news/a6518/artmrkt-takes-over-san-francisco-21733/?src=global_footer>