Commercial galleries vs. local flair: These Seattle art fairs are competing for your attendance

This weekend, two major art fairs are taking place in downtown Seattle within a two-block radius of one another.

The Seattle Art Fair, at Lumen Field, is back from a Covid-induced hiatus after two years. It will feature commercial galleries and high ticket prices.

The other fair, which is free to the public, is being hosted by the arts nonprofit called Forest for the Trees. They will be taking over six floors and 80,000 square feet of the historic Railspur building in Pioneer Square.

The exhibit is filled with the work of more than 100 local artists and organizers had only two months to put the whole thing together.

Austin Bellamy Hicks and Julianne Johnson, founders of XO Seattle, curated the exhibit's sixth floor.

“We curated it mostly by text," Hicks said. "And most of the art in here, even though it was such a quick turnaround, is art that was created for the show."

Johnson said that artists walked into the space, which includes an outdoor plaza, and immediately felt inspired to create new pieces.

Gage Hamilton, founder of Forest for the Trees, said his event includes the work of artists who wouldn't traditionally be included in an event like the Seattle Art Fair.

“There's people represented here that wouldn't be represented there," said Hamilton. "There's a lot of locals. There's various levels of artists. There's no commercial galleries here.”

The Seattle Art Fair and Forrest For The Trees are both downtown Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24. Forrest For The Trees is free to the public through the weekend.