The Armory Show is dedicating much of its Focus section to artists and galleries from the American South, a region described as the fastest-growing and highly racially and culturally diverse in the United States. Kyla McMillan, the fair's director, aims to amplify the Americas and position the South as a nexus for multiple diasporas. The 2025 fair is McMillan's first full edition since her July 2024 appointment and Frieze's acquisition. Jessica Bell Brown curated the Focus; her VCU Institute for Contemporary Art has staged exhibitions by Caitlin Cherry and a Caribbean-diaspora group show in Richmond. Thirteen galleries participate; Martha's (Austin) and Wolfgang Gallery (Atlanta) operate in the South. Martha's will present works by RF. Alvarez, known for paintings of queer cowboys that incorporate Old Masters iconography.
I was thinking about how we can amplify the Americas, and about the South as the nexus for so many diasporas,
felt like a really interesting and vital way to enter that conversation.
When we think of the American South, we're primed to consider it in a historical and social context,
It's really exciting to amplify artists and galleries in an overtly commercial context.
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