Top 100 Events in the United States 2016 - Art & Design Events

Miami Beach
#1 Art & Design Event
A must-attend event on the global arts calendar, every year an estimated 77,000 people attend the art fair in and near the Miami Beach Convention Center. More than 500,000 square feet of exhibition space host the Galleries, Nova, Positions, Edition, Kabinett, Survey, and Magazines sectors, as well as Conversations and Salon talks. Public artworks are shown at Collins Park, while the event’s film programming is presented across three venues inside the convention center. Next: December 1-4, 2016

New York
#2 Art & Design Event
The 22nd edition of the show, which took place on Piers 92 and 94, presented 205 contemporary and modern art galleries from 36 countries. Acquisitions from museums were particularly strong, according to organizers. In April, organizers announced a new vision for the 2017 edition aimed at enhancing the quality of artwork on display by encouraging more thoughtful, tightly curated presentations. Among other changes for the event in 2017: The show will merge with the Armory Show–Modern into a single fair for 20th- and 21st-century artworks, with galleries forming the core section of the fair. Next: March 2-5, 2017

Chicago
#3 Art & Design Event
The 48th edition, held at the Mart in Chicago, had the theme “Design That Works.” Some of the key speakers included Rockwell Group founder and president David Rockwell, as well as Paul Scialla, founder and C.E.O. of Delos and of the International Well Building Institute. The event focused on changing commercial design and business trends, including offices moving away from cubicles. New social-media efforts included a program that had participating exhibitors lead a one-hour chat from the event’s Twitter account on a topic of their choice. Sponsors also hosted a two-day takeover of its Instagram account. Next: June 12-14, 2017

New York
#4 Art & Design Event
Diffa: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS hosts its flagship event at Pier 92, inviting top designers, architects, and other professionals to create tabletop installations. The event, which is co-located with the Architectural Digest Design Show at Pier 94, raised $800,000 and drew a record number of 40,000 attendees. Other versions take place across the country. Next: March 16-19, 2017

Los Angeles
#5 Art & Design Event
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the modern design event drew 19,530 attendees. The 285 exhibitors showed their products and services in more than 86,000 square feet of exhibit space. Notable guests and speakers included Jamie Durie, Lo Bosworth, Donald Robertson, June Ambrose, Gary Sinise, and keynote Sui Fujimoto. Some of the event’s offerings included the Prime Edition Pavilion for up-and-coming designers and creators, home tours of 15 residences, and Designers & Books Fair. Next: June 23-25, 2017