Art fairs are like political conventions—highly orchestrated events designed to project confidence while nevertheless revealing enough anxiety to remain interesting. This week’s Armory Show in New York, for instance, isn’t a high-stakes venue, and sales aren’t make-or-break for dealers. The draw for the Armory Show, which also includes the offsite Independent 20th Century and Art on Paper fairs, is simply a foothold in Manhattan for galleries that don’t normally have access to the city’s customer base. But there is a sense this year that some on-the-bubble galleries really need to get money in the door or there might be serious consequences.