Washington, D.C., has always been known as a historical museum city, but come fall, 80 up-and-coming artists and contemporary art galleries will shake things up a bit. The capital's second attempt at an art fair in five years, (e)merge recently released its exhibitor list, and the roster is a mix of local and international artists and galleries. But will they be enough to make the fledgling hotel fair a permanent fixture in Washington? 

Organized by Leigh Conner of Conner Contemporary Art, D.C.'s preeminent gallerist, along with her partner Jamie Smith and PULSE founder Helen Allen, the fair has capital city roots and a high-art pedigree. Mega-collectors Don and Mera Rubell have been the fair's chief boosters, and while they have not provided financial assistance — contrary to reports — Mera is on the selection committee, and (e)merge will take place at the Rubell-owned Capitol Skyline Hotel from September 22 to 25.

Mainstays of the Washington art scene and galleries from the wider metroarea form the backbone of the list. D.C.'s G Fine Art, Curator's Office, Irvine Contemporary, Transformer Gallery, and Conner Contemporary, among others, represent the capital city, while neighboring institutions include Richmond's Ada Gallery, Baltimore's MICA, and National Harbor's Art Whino.

A handful of participants hail from further afield. New York galleries Josee Bienvenu Gallery, LuMagnus, and White Columns (whose director, Matthew Higgs, is on the selection committee) have signed on, as well as galleries as far away as Frankfurt (Galerie Anita Beckers), Paris (Galerie E.G.P.), and Milan (Jerome Zodo Contemporary). The remainder of the 80 exhibitors are unrepresented individual artists. Most, including Chukwuma Agubokwu, Katherine Mann, and Kendall Nordin, live in or near Washington; Brooklyn is also well-represented.

The fair received 400 applications for the limited slots, and will feature artists from 20 countries. Galleries pay $4,700 for a room at the fair, substantially less than the reported $8,000 minimum to participate in the ill-fated ArtDC of 2007. Artists will show vetted works, interventions, and performances throughout public areas in the hotel — and the parking garage — free of charge.

The founders of (e)merge are convinced the time is right to launch an art fair inWashington. As Conner explained to ARTINFO, "people are now looking to live outside... major art hubs," such as New York and London, creating an opportunity for emerging art markets that did not exist before.

It remains to be seen, however, how D.C.'s reputedly conservative art-buying public will react to (e)merge and whether the city has a large enough collector base to support an emerging art fair. Conner denies a prevailing conservatism: "Some of my best clients are here in Washington, D.C., and their collections are not conservative," she said, adding that the fair's clientele will be international, with confirmed attendees from Europe and Canada.

Still, many major art buyers in Washington prefer to purchase in New York and at international fairs, according to D.C. gallery Douz and Mille founder Rody Douzoglou, who organized ArtDC's New Media section (and then moved to New York in 2009). She describes Washington's art community as "small, intense and very dynamic," but acknowledged that it can be difficult to connect with buyers. "A major local collector first noticed Douz and Mille and our program when they stopped by our booth in ARCOMadrid this past February, even afterwe had several very successful and critically acclaimed exhibits in D.C.," she said.

Douzoglou and others familiar with Washington's art community note that the Rubells' commitment to D.C., combined with Conner's connections, could have a long-term effect on the region. Indeed, there was considerable buzz surrounding the Miami collectors' 2010 purchase of a former D.C. school, which they plan to transform into a satellite museum and hotel — indicating that they hope to lay down roots in the Washington art scene. Now there is hope that the Rubells "may do for D.C. what they did for Miami," said Josee Bienvenu of New York's Josee Bienvenu Gallery.

The sheer novelty of the fair has attracted some of the inaugural event's participants. "D.C. is kind of an unknown quantity, and we liked that the fair was eclectic, and not so tightly curated," said White Columns's Matthew Higgs. The fair's affordable price point and the energy of its creators appealed to others — despite their unfamiliarity with the local market, and the uncertainty of sales. "The model is not new, but the people behind it and the whole excitement is fresh," said Bienvenu, who will exhibit an installation by Lebanese artist Annabel Daou at the fair featuring the D.C.-based New America Foundation's "Internet-In-A-Suitcase" project. Though she said she is not "expecting to make money" at the fair, she liked that it was relatively inexpensive (the organizers even offered her a second room free of charge because they liked her proposal).

As for whether the fair can attract curiosity seekers and art fans in a city not exactly known for its avant garde — outside of radical political circles, that is — Conner was optimistic about the young Washington cultural scene. "There is a group of young, very culturally engaged people who are well educated and like to go and do things," she said. "That's the demographic that is here."