It’s about time for such a massive venue to embrace the exhibition and sale of affordable art. Affordable, compared to the current obscene prices for celeb art, like Damien Hirst’s “For the love of God,” which sold for $100 million- $40 million shy of the total sales the Affordable Art Fair has made since it’s launch seven years ago. Founder and president, Will Ramsay operates on the philosophy that buying art should be because you love it, not because you think it will make you money. The Affordable Art Fair’s prices range from $100-$10,000, with 75% of the work priced between $100-$5,000, introducing young artists and collectors to view the intimidating contemporary art market as attainable and approachable. The AAF exhibits painting, sculpture, video, photography, and prints from 75 different galleries in 12 countries. AAF is pairing up with the School of Visual Arts for a series of lectures such as “In Focus: Collecting Photography” and “10 Tips for Starting your Art Collection” free with general admission. And for the hands-on types there are also free sculpture and printmaking demos in screen print, woodcut, etching, and monotype. And there are workshops for kids! Poppas get in for free on Father’s Day! Needless to say, the Affordable Art Fair is not selling platinum skulls encrusted with 8,601 fine diamonds.

The variety of work in the show is extensive, ranging from emerging artists like the “veggie taxidermist” Donya Coward, to established artists like David Hockney, to dead artists like Robert Rauschenberg. As far as the “little people” go, my favorite pieces were in the booths of artists not yet represented by galleries. For example, Artlog.com exhibited some interesting work including a black and white photograph by Marlene Marino, compositionally divided by the 90 degree bends of two girl’s nude bodies frolicking on the dimples of a bare mattress. The website also invites anyone and everyone to upload a portfolio of work connecting you to artists, enthusiasts, and collectors globally. The “Recent Graduate Exhibition” curated by Dan Halm from SVA shows work by recent grads in the New York City Area. The paintings of Jessica Williams stood out. Her paintings feel like lucid dreams where bold sprites invite you on secret adventures, as if you’re being led on the back of a motorcycle into Twin Peaks. There is compassion and indifference in the unapologetic stares of the girls that Jessica paints. The mark making and unique meddling of vibrant colors and muddy paint assist in demanding acknowledgment of the soap-like faces and cornucopia floral head arrangements that could, at any minute, slip into stark darkness. Like images that people want to see but don’t know where or how to get to them. These fleeting engagements court you on covert journeys that resonate like apparitions.

For more information on the Affordable Art Fair New York 2008, visit aafnyc.com