Manchester

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Manchester: Art Fair round-up

Fancy yourself as a bit of a Charles Saatchi? Want to nab your own piece of Brit art to hang on your wall? Two new commercial art events give wannabe collectors the chance to snap up some art bargains this autumn

First up is Urbis’ does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Buy Art Fair. Aimed at everyone from the complete novice to the seasoned collector, the Buy Art Fair features pretty much every art form going, from painting and photography through to slightly edgier contemporary visual art. Although Urbis is presumably avoiding the experimental cow-cut-in-half stuff of emerging artists, there is a nod to more challenging work in the form of Upper Space Gallery, one of Manchester’s newest art venues and one which already has a reputation for championing street art.

Aside from Upper Space, there’s a healthy range of galleries in attendance (each showcasing their most promising artists), including the Barcelona-based Villa del Arte. The emphasis is, however, on local and regional galleries, with the Castlefield Gallery, Chinese Arts Centre, Comme Ca and the Craft and Design Centre all setting out their stalls over the weekend of the fair. This is the first serious attempt to replace the ill-fated Manchester Art Show, which folded earlier this year amid concerns about a lack of exhibitors and sponsors, so we’ll be keeping fingers crossed that the first Buy Art Fair won’t be the last.

Over at Manchester Grammar School, all eyes are on the 130-plus craft, jewellery, ceramics, textiles and furniture designers who are showing their wares as part of the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. Designers from all over the country will be flogging their jewellery collections, ranging from the intricate textile designs of Jayne McFadyen to the blingtastic 18ct platinum rings by the Bristol-based designer Jacks.

The Buy Art Fair Urbis, Cathedral Gardens, M4 3BG (605 8200/www.urbis.org.uk). Oct 9-12; Oct 9, 5-9pm; Oct 10 & 11, 10am-6pm; Oct 12, 10am-5pm £11 (preview evening)/£5.50/£4.50.
The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Manchester Grammar School, Old Hall Lane, Fallowfield, M13 0XT (224 7201/www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk). Oct 24-26; Oct 24, 12noon-9pm; Oct 25, 10am-6pm; Oct 26, 10am-5pm; £10 (preview evening)/£5/£4.

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