NEW YORK— The first two weeks of September are always an exciting time to gallery hop: A new season has started, filled with fresh artwork (and ideas) from both new and established artists. To discover what the major trends will be in the 2006/07 season, ArtInfo asked a dozen gallerists in Chicago, Dallas, London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. what they think is in store for the contemporary art world in the year ahead.

Political Renaissance

Those who have lamented a lack of political awareness in art in recent years will be glad to hear that gallerists on both coasts expect issues-oriented art to be much in evidence. Among the heavy-hitting topics artists are likely to explore are global warming and reactions to 9/11.

“We’re going to see a lot of politically minded works,” said Edward Winkleman, a gallery owner who shows work by emerging artists at Winkleman/Plus Ultra Gallery in New York. “Enough time has passed since 9/11 that artists are now responding.”

In Los Angeles, Daniel Papkin of the Happy Lion Gallery agreed. “[The global situation] is so much on people’s minds right now. If you see art that doesn’t deal with 9/11 or politics, it’s as if people think, ‘What’s your problem?’”

“Serious issues are definitely in vogue; [the work today] is not as escapist as the art of five years ago,” added Phil Grauer, a co-owner of New York's Canada gallery.

And if “political art” usually had been decidedly left-wing in the past, that may not be the case in the near future. In addition to “stronger and stronger” reactions to 9/11, Winkleman said he expects to soon find a new generation of conservative artists—the result of a steady political drift to the right nationwide.

“[Chelsea gallerist] Zach Feuer predicted a rise in Republican artists this year,” Winkleman said. “I think there’s some truth to that. The country has moved so far right of center—and now that’s making it’s way up through the art schools.”

Beauty and Steel

While observers in New York and L.A. foresee galleries voting to display politically charged art, gallerists in the nation’s capital and Dallas say the focus will be on technique and materials: Beauty and artistry, long shunned by many contemporary artists, are making a comeback.

“There’s a real return to the artist’s hand and trying to make something beautiful while still being very challenging conceptually,” says Leigh Conner, owner of Conner Contemporary in Washington, D.C. “There’s an amazing amount of good drawing out there.”

And Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi, director of the Goss Gallery in Dallas, is planning a major exhibition this fall of work using glass, ceramic, steel and silver. He sees a new interest among collectors in artists who use less conventional materials to transcend the preconceived notion of art vs. craft.

Fairs, Fairs Everywhere

The major art fairs will continue to play a hugely influential role in the art market, and collectors who want a first crack at important work from significant artists will need to book their flights to London, Miami Beach, New York and Basel.

“The art fairs will continue to be the number one topic of conversation for gallerists, dealers and collectors,” predicts Max Presneil of the Mark Moore Gallery in Los Angeles. “Even if everyone is tired of the treadmill.”

London's Flowers East will participate in art fairs everywhere from New York to Shanghai over the next three months, according to director Sam Chatterton Dickson. “We’re exploring new markets. We’re working hard to spread the word and expand audiences, and fairs are a good way to do that.”

While the sheer number of “must-go” fairs can be overwhelming, all the ancillary events that have sprung up around the main events can provide collectors with an excellent opportunity to see what younger galleries have to offer.