NEW YORK—Some people have spent the last few weeks lying by the side of a pool somewhere or tramping the tourist trail in Paris or Palau, but most of us at ARTINFO have hardly strayed from Chelsea, where the languor of late summer has gradually given way to a growing sense of impatience. In our eagerness to get the new season underway, we've been asking friends and acquaintances in the art world a few simple questions about their expectations for the year ahead:

1. What are you looking forward to in the coming season?

2. What do you predict will be the year’s big trend?

3. Who will be the new directors of the Guggenheim and the Met?

The people we've spoken to include Helen Allen, Melissa Chiu, Leigh Conner, Katelijne de Backer, Renato Danese, Zach Feuer, RoseLee Goldberg, Alexis Hubshman, Olga Korper, Marilyn Minter, Sundaram Tagore, and Ray Waterhouse. It's a diverse group, and so are their answers.

Click on the photo gallery at left for images and excerpts from our interviews, or continue reading below.

Marilyn Minter, painter

Looking forward to: I am really looking forward to the Mary Heilmann show at the New Museum.

Big trend: The future of the art world? Ha! More of the same, only less money.

New directors: Matthew Higgs is phenomenal at White Columns. I'm sure he’s not interested, but he would kick ass at the Guggenheim.

Melissa Chiu, director, Asia Society Museum

Looking forward to: The grand tour of Asia: For the first time nearly all the biennials and triennials in Asia have coalesced at the same time: the Guangzhou Triennial and Shanghai Biennale in China, the Taipei Biennial in Taiwan, the Gwangju Biennale in Korea, the Yokohama Triennale in Japan, and the Singapore Biennale. It’s a unique chance to catch a lot of international art!

Big trend: Not surprisingly, there is an intense interest in the Islamic world, from historical sites of Babylon to contemporary art from Pakistan. We are planning a major exhibition of this work for next summer.

New directors: Both are prize positions, so they can have their pick of candidates. I think the Met director will be a European.

Olga Korper, gallerist, Toronto

Looking forward to: The fall season in the art world is like spring for gardeners. I get swept up in a renewed energy of art events, openings, and clients returning from vacations. And I am delighted to see the end of flip-flops.

Big trend: I can only suggest the trend I see in Canada, where we are happily looking at works with staying power rather than the seduction of a “big new trend.” There is very serious interest in historical work, which is not my specialty, but I appreciate the respect we pay established, older artists and the renewed interest in works created 20, 30, and 50 years ago.

New directors: I am a huge fan of Glenn Lowry at MoMA and Matthew Teitelbaum at the Art Gallery of Ontario but would be horrified if either of them left their current director position.

Katelijne de Backer, director, the Armory Show

Looking forward to: One of the things I’m most looking forward to is our party in September celebrating Ewan Gibbs, who we commissioned to create the visual identity for the Armory Show 2009. For one thing, it will be great to see Ewan again, and secondly, we’ve finally recovered from the madness of this year’s fair, so we’re ready for another party! On a related note, I’m also excited about Mary Heilmann’s retrospective at the New Museum. She was one of our two commissioned artists last year, along with John Waters, and she’s the nicest person. Judging from all the raves the show got when it opened at the Orange County Museum, it should be very good.

Big trend: For a while now there has been a move toward less flashy, more earnest work and away from high-production “blockbuster” pieces, so I expect that we will be seeing art that doesn’t look like it was made by a team of assistants. Then again, no sooner do you make a prediction than you’re proven wrong — I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Jeff Koons is casting the Empire State Building in stainless steel.

New directors: I don’t really know, but I like what Jerry Saltz said last year: The next director of the Guggenheim should be a woman!