When the second edition of The METRO Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion opens to the public for its four-day run on January 24, 2013, fair-goers will have a sweeping array of material from which to choose. The new dealer line-up includes preeminent specialists in the field of outsider and self-taught art; outstanding contemporary dealers; and the foremost dealers specializing in ethnographic works, Americana, paintings and prints, furniture, Native American, historical design, textiles, and American folk art.

The METRO Show opens with a by-invitation-only preview on January 23, from 6-7 PM, followed by the public preview, from 7-9 PM. Tickets are $75 and available at the door or online.

METRO has expanded its range of offerings to include mid 20th-century design, ethnographic material, applied and decorative arts, photography and modern painting. According to Director Caroline Kerrigan Lerch, the show’s mission­ — to illustrate the intellect, beauty, and vision in American arts and design — places it in a more modern and international context that will appeal to new collectors. “Because we’re in the heart of Chelsea, we are able to attract a younger audience while maintaining the interest of the loyal attendees who flock to New York every January to avail themselves of the many fairs that take place here at that time.”

“We decided to participate in METRO this year because their concept is refreshingly based on diversity of material and exhibitors,” says Dick Solomon of Pace Prints (New York). “As a print dealer, this is an opportunity for us to reach a new audience that not only collect works on paper, but also has a variety of collecting interests. We expect to meet potential new clients attracted by the mix of high quality dealers offering a wide variety of objects.”

Joining Pace Prints in the contemporary category are Pavel Zoubok Gallery (New York) and Giampietro Gallery (New Haven, CT). Says Fred Giampietro of Giampietro Gallery: “I am pleased to participate in the 2013 METRO Show, which skillfully blinds a multitude of collecting disciplines in a contemporary art fair format. I am also excited to debut the estate of collage artist Larry Lewis, as well as exceptional examples of American folk art sculpture and other works by contemporary artists that my gallery represents.”

Among the newcomers in the field of outsider and self-taught art are Stephen Romano (Brooklyn, NY), The Ames Gallery (Berkeley, CA), and Luise Ross Gallery (New York). Also new to the fair is the Milan-based gallery Il Segno del Tempo, which specializes in industrial design, scientific instruments and globes, contemporary art, sculpture and wunderkammer, all ranging from the 16th-20th centuries.

Among those returning to the roster are: Jeff Bridgman American Antiques (Dillsburg, PA); Cavin-Morris Gallery (New York); Dolan/Maxwell (Philadelphia); Garthoeffner Gallery Antiques (Lititz, PA); Gemini Antiques (Oldwick, NJ); Just Folk (Summerland, CA); Ricco/Maresca Gallery (New York); Carl Hammer Gallery (Chicago); Hill Gallery (Birmingham, MI); M. Finkel & Daughter (Philadelphia); Samuel Herrup Antiques (Sheffield, MA); Lillian Nassau (New York); Steven S. Powers – Works of Art & Americana (Brooklyn, NY); Stephen Score (Boston); William Siegal Gallery (Santa Fe, NM); Gary R. Sullivan Antiques (Sharon, MA), Clifford A. Wallach Tramp Art, Folk Art & Americana (Manalapan, NJ).

According to Caroline Kerrigan Lerch, The METRO Show will also launch METRO Dialogues. “We want to explore the material, initiate discussion, and educate the public about the diversity and range of material that makes the METRO Show unique,” says Lerch, who cites lectures and panel discussions with noted experts such as Barbara Safarova, professor of aesthetics at Collège International de Philosophie, Paris and president, ABCD (art brut connaissance & diffusion) and Christian Berst, whose eponymous Parisian gallery specializes in Art Brut. Elizabeth Stillinger, author of From Down East to the Downtown Gallery: Some Early Collectors and Dealers in American Folk Art, will lecture on the history of collecting folk art in America. In addition, Cara Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Foundation for Self-Taught Artists (Philadelphia), will lead a walking tour of the show, and numerous lectures on collecting, decorative arts, and Americana will be scheduled throughout the run of the fair.