Do I need to go to art fairs? I don’t have gallery representation and galleries don’t seem very interested in new artists at those events. Should I just stay home? —home alone in Chicago  Nobody needs to go to an art fair. It’s optional. Art fairs are places to look at art, buy art, and meet professionals. If you’re not interested in those things, don’t go. Nobody will miss you if you decide it’s not worth it. They won’t even know you’re missing. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? People only remark on the absence of galleries, not the absence of artists. You won’t be missed. You won’t be talked about either.  What you get out of any art fair experience depends on your ability to assess what you should get out of it. You have to know what you want. Networking? Looking at art? Both? Then you can figure out a plan.…