Meet Detroit’s First Art Fair: Season Fair

Launching this September at the historic Michigan Central Station, Season Fair marks a major cultural milestone: Detroit’s first-ever contemporary art fair. Local at heart and global in ambition, the fair is the brainchild of Amani Olu, curator, writer, and co-founder of Detroit Art Week. Season builds on that legacy with a collaborative, future-facing vision, one shaped by Detroit’s creative communities and designed to amplify new voices in contemporary art. 

With just weeks to go before the fair opens its doors, we caught up with Season Founder Amani Olu to discuss the evolution from Detroit Art Week to Season Fair–and what this moment means for the city and beyond.
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Arcual: What is Season Fair, and how did it come to life?

Amani Olu: Season Fair is Detroit's first contemporary art fair, launching September 25–28, 2025, at the historic Michigan Central Station. The idea came from a desire to create a world-class platform that reflects Detroit's creative vitality while connecting the city to global conversations in contemporary art. After years of building Detroit Art Week, we saw an opportunity to evolve into something larger, more ambitious, and more lasting—something that could become a cornerstone of the city's cultural calendar and help drive new forms of engagement between artists, galleries, collectors, and the public.

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‍Arcual: What role do you hope Season Fair will play in Detroit's cultural scene, and what do you want it to contribute globally?

Amani Olu: Locally, I hope Season Fair becomes a space where Detroit's creative communities feel seen, celebrated, and empowered. Detroit has long been a wellspring of innovation, and this fair is about honoring that legacy while also welcoming new voices into the fold. Globally, I want Season Fair to model what a more inclusive, equitable, and future-facing art fair can be—one rooted in collaboration, experimentation, and care.

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Arcual: Can you give us a preview of this year's exhibitors and the types of practices and voices they represent?

Amani Olu: The 2025 edition will feature a diverse group of galleries from across North America, selected for their strong curatorial visions and commitments to emerging and underrepresented voices. The fair emphasizes practices that are conceptually grounded, socially relevant, and materially diverse. Additionally, Detroit Presents—a curated section within the fair—will highlight ten Detroit-based artists whose work spans disciplines including painting, installation, photography, sculpture, and more. Together, these exhibitors reflect the vibrancy and multiplicity of contemporary art today.
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‍Exhibitors include:

• april april, Pittsburgh, PA
• High Noon, New York, NY
• Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI
• M Contemporary, Ferndale, MI
• MARCH, New York, NY
• Matéria Gallery, Detroit, MI
• MKG127, Toronto, ON
• OSMOS, New York, NY
• Rivalry Projects, Buffalo, NY
• Tappeto Volante Projects, Brooklyn, NY
• What Pipeline, Detroit, MI

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Arcual: How did you approach gallery selection for this inaugural edition, and what led you to include a direct collaboration with artists as part of the fair?

Amani Olu: Season Fair's selection process centers on a curatorial framework that values criticality, originality, and geographic diversity. We sought out galleries that demonstrate sustained support for artists and that contribute meaningfully to discourse in the field. The inclusion of Detroit Presents was a deliberate effort to position Detroit-based artists as central to the fair's identity. By integrating artist-led presentations directly into the fair structure, we underscore our commitment to supporting individual practices alongside commercial galleries.

Presenting artists include:

• James Adams
• Martyna Alexander
• Amna Asghar
• Cydney Camp
• Louise Jones
• Jaime Pattison
• Chris Pinter
• Daniel Ribar
• Jamea Richmond-Edwards
• black helmet

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Arcual: Season Fair will also have an online presence alongside the onsite experience. How are you thinking about that hybrid dimension and how it extends the fair's reach?

AO: Season Fair's hybrid format, developed in partnership with Arcual, enables the fair to extend its reach beyond the physical venue. The digital platform allows collectors and audiences from around the world to engage with the fair in real time—whether through viewing rooms, artist information, or direct sales. This hybrid model not only increases accessibility but also ensures that the fair is responsive to the evolving ways in which audiences and collectors interact with contemporary art.
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Arcual: Are there any special commissions, collaborations, or programs audiences can look forward to?

AO: Yes. In addition to gallery and artist presentations, Season Fair will feature Off Season, a series of citywide public programs developed in collaboration with Detroit-based institutions and cultural spaces. Visitors can also look forward to VIP gatherings, guided exhibition tours, and a vibrant slate of events and parties hosted at our sister space, Periodicals.

Within the fair itself, we are presenting special projects by artists Jim Schatz and Kat Quay, as well as a collaboration with Detroit-based furniture company Floyd to create a custom-designed installation and café experience—offering visitors a place to gather, reflect, and engage.
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“Collectively, these initiatives position Detroit not only as the setting for Season Fair but as an essential part of its identity, fostering meaningful engagement across local, national, and international audiences.”–Amani Olu, Founder of Season Fair
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Arcual: What's one thing you hope every exhibitor or visitor takes away from this first edition?

AO: We hope that every participant—whether a gallery, artist, collector, or member of the public—leaves Season Fair with a deeper appreciation for Detroit's significance within the landscape of contemporary art and culture. Season is both rigorous and welcoming, ambitious in scope yet grounded in place. Our aspiration is for each visitor to encounter something singular, resonant, and thought-provoking—an experience that challenges expectations, sparks dialogue, and inspires a desire to return.

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Arcual: What would success look like for you in this inaugural year?

AO: The quality of the experience will measure success for the inaugural edition of Season Fair, the depth of engagement among participants, and the establishment of a strong foundation for future editions. If the fair can foster new relationships, elevate Detroit-based practices, and contribute substantively to the discourse around contemporary art, we will have achieved our goal. Ultimately, we aim to position Season Fair as a vital and enduring platform within the global art ecosystem.