Buy local by local artists say Seattle area gallerists. A group of local art gallerists have banded together to create the Assembly Art Fair, which overlaps with this week’s Seattle Art Fair. The Assembly Art Fair kicks off with a private preview on Wednesday from 5 to 7 pm at West Canal Yards on North Queen Anne. The fair will be open Thursday through Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm at the same location. Tickets ($15-$40) are available online.

The Seattle Art Fair starts on Thursday with a VIP reception from 4 to 6 pm. General admission on Thursday is from 6 to 9 pm. The Seattle Art Fair continues through Sunday, opening at 11 am all days and closing at 7 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 6 pm on Sunday. Tickets ($50.19 for a single day pass, $81.40 for a fair pass) are available online.

Sarah Traver, director of the second generation Traver Gallery, is one of the founders of the Assembly Art Fair and its hostess at the eponymous gallery in West Canal Yards. Carol Clifford and Jim Wilcox, co-owners and directors of Greg Kucera Gallery in Pioneer Square, are the other co-founders. Organizers are creating pop-up galleries ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 square feet at West Canal Yards.

Leaders for both the Assembly Art Fair and the Seattle Art Fair say the art fairs are not competing but instead are complementing.

“The philosophy with art fairs in any city is that there's enough interest to support all of the fairs,” Traver said. “When we were planning it, we could have done it at another time. What was more advantageous for all us involved was to schedule it when there's another fair going on. This is the time when more people want to be here, give people more to do and more to see.”

For their part, organizers of the Seattle Art Fair are embracing the Assembly Art Fair.

"It's exciting to see more energy building around Seattle's arts community,” said Kelly Freeman, director of the Seattle Art Fair. “The fact that new fairs and events are emerging alongside Seattle Art Fair is a sign that the city's contemporary art scene is growing, attracting more attention, and creating more opportunities for artists, galleries, collectors, and audiences. That's a positive thing.”

Local galleries J. Rinehart Gallery, Studio e, AMcE Creative Arts and Hall Spassov Gallery will have booths at both fairs. Other local galleries featured exclusively at Assembly Art Fair include, G. Gibson projects, Foster/White Gallery, Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Koplin Del Rio Gallery and The Vestibule.

Out of town galleries will also be participating at the Assembly Art Fair. Portland-based PDX Contemporary Art, Russo Lee Gallery, Elizabeth Leach Gallery and Laura Vincent Design & Gallery, Los Angeles-based Charlie James Gallery and Dallas-based James Harris Gallery, will be represented at the Assembly Art Fair.

“Our focus is on the gallery presentations and that the exhibitions were high quality,” Traver said.

Greg Kucera Gallery's Wilcox is already looking forward to next year's Assembly Art Fair.

"It’s been such a learning curve for all of us," Wilcox said. "It’s exciting but because we have never done this before we are anxious how everything is going to play out. It’s exciting but it’s been a little stressful. And, we all do it all again next year."

Traver, says the Assembly Art Fair is here long term, how it will look is unkown.

“We felt like we were taking a risk, making our own fair, doing our own thing,” Traver said. “The overwhelming reaction has been positive from the community, from the artists, from everything. We are saying it is our inaugural event. What shape it takes next year, we don't know.”