NEW YORK, NY.- Object & Thing announced today that its second edition, previously scheduled to take place May 7-10, 2020 will be postponed until November 13-15, 2020 to prioritize the health and well-being of our communities and in response to the CDC’s recommendation to cancel or postpone large in-person events throughout the United States over the next eight weeks as a means of slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Returning to the light-filled industrial space of 99 Scott in Brooklyn this November, Founder Abby Banger and Artistic Director Rafael de Cárdenas will debut a new concept for Object & Thing, expanding The Shop as the central focus in order to provide greater access to art and design objects and an expanded sales platform for a larger number of small independent businesses from around the world during the holiday shopping season.

Since its debut last spring, Object & Thing has established itself as a new, flexible model for the presentation and acquisition of objects of contemporary art and design, reconsidering the fair concept and engaging in collaborations that provide unique insight into works that merge boundaries between art and design, craft and industrial production, and form and function. This March, Object & Thing collaborated with the Independent Art Fair on a presentation that featured object-based works from exhibitors at the fair alongside examples from invited design programs.

With the move to November for its second standalone edition, which does not coincide with other major international art and design fairs, the focus will shift to a radical expansion of The Shop section that debuted as a key feature of the inaugural edition. This will allow for the inclusion of a greater number of diversified design boutiques from around the world who are physically present to sell their wares and an e-commerce platform that allows for online purchases of these objects, supporting small businesses around the world and providing a digital platform to access works. As a complement to the Shop, OBJECT & THING will also present a focused installation of object-based works of both art and design. The commitment to community and discourse related to art and design remains essential to the model, which again will feature a talks program led by Curatorial Advisor Glenn Adamson.

“Object & Thing was founded to create a new type of fair that is responsive to our times, providing an engaging in-person experience with works that are little seen and demonstrating that one can include thoughtful and beautiful works of art and design in daily life without needing to define or separate between the disciplines. It has become obvious that the event-based, celebratory aspect of Object & Thing would not be able to move forward in May given the global situation surrounding COVID-19,” says Bangser. “However, OBJECT & THING is a flexible platform and we look forward to sharing our new plans for November as we make this shift to the fall.”

More details on Object & Thing’s November edition will be announced in the coming months.