By: Jennifer Agress and Yours Truly
Put on your finest, Miami! The Magic City’s hottest art event of the year, Art Basel, is coming back to sunny South Florida just next week. And when it does… the whole city gets ready for it. Are you?! When you’re done with the art tents and looking for something new and interesting, try these events below. They’re sure to make your Art Basel 2017 one to remember.Watch for Part 2 later this week!
Meeting Bowls Comes to Miami Design District
Grab a seat! The Cultural Center of Spain in Miami (CCEMiami) has teamed up with the Miami Design District; Arlington Cultural Affairs, Arlington, Virginia; Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and the Spanish group mmmm…. for “Meeting Bowls,” a public art installation that encourages strangers to talk to one another. Unlike a typical linear park bench—where, theoretically, you could sit for hours and never talk to the person on the bench next to you—these semi-spherical, 5’-by-8’ “Meeting Bowls” contain continuous, swinging seating rings that encourages dialogue and interaction. For more information about this project, intrigued onlookers can attend a free Artist Talk by one of the artists behind it, Eva Salmerón, who is also a co-founder of mmmm…., on December 5th at 7 p.m. The installation is located at Paseo Ponti, in the Miami Design District, between 39th and 40th Street. The Artist Talk will take place at CCEMiami, which is located at 1490 Biscayne Boulevard. The installation and the talk are both free to see and attend.
Bringing Art to Life
On December 4th, for one night only, art and science lovers can enjoy free admission to both the Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. At both, visitors can revel in complimentary performances by Knight Arts Challenge winners and other groups; from Spam Allstars, Locos Por Juana and Afrobeta, to local dance companies, choral groups and the New World Symphony. A literary alley will also be available. This event will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Pérez Art Museum Miami is located at 1103 Biscayne Boulevard. The Frost Museum of Science is located at 1101 Biscayne Boulevard. RSVP is mandatory, and can be made by sending an email to knight@culturalcounsel.com or clicking here.
The Institute of Contemporary Art Reopens at MDD
A mainstay here in Miami, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) first opened in the Moore Building in 2014. But on Friday, December 1st, it will reopen in its own building in the Miami Design District; this time with more than 20,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, a public sculpture garden, and plenty of diverse programming. To celebrate this opening, ICA will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, December 1st, at 9:30 a.m., and at Noon that same day, the museum will officially open its doors to the public. Primed to be a hotspot during Art Basel 2017, the new museum will open for special hours, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., from December 6th to 10th. The Institute of Contemporary Art will be located at 61 N.E. 41st Street. Admission is free.
With Love, American Express
During Art Basel 2017, American Express Platinum and Centurion Card Members will get unique benefits, including their very own art experience! From December 8th to 10th, these lucky individuals (and three guests!) will be able to access the Platinum House at The Miami Beach EDITION Hotel. Here, they will find a curated food and beverage menu; morning fitness classes curated by Well + Good; beauty services by MILK Makeup, Ouai and Paintbox; custom merchandise by Knowlita; Aura photography; and various musical performances. In addition to this, on Friday, December 8th, The Bazaar by José Andrés will host a ticketed, artistic dining collaboration at the SLS South Beach Hotel led by none other than famed chef José Andrés.
If you’re not a cardholder, don’t worry! You can join in the fun, too. Open to the public, ROOM 2022 is a site-specific experiential art installation, in The Forum of The Miami Beach EDITION, by artist and award-winning stage designer, Es Devlin. Spanning over 7,000 square feet, the large-scale immersive installation will begin with a re-imagined hotel room and end in a vaulted elliptical mirror maze. Along the way, visitors will navigate through layers of choral corridors and a flooded, color-saturated zoetrope. Featuring elements of surrealism and wonder, ROOM 2022 invites its visitors to imagine a new version of the familiar hotel ecosystem. This will be Devlin’s first site-specific art installation in Miami, and her very first in a hotel setting. Platinum House at The Miami Beach EDITION Hotel will be located at 2901 Collins Avenue. Tickets must be purchased for The Bazaar by José Andrés dinner, and all event proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen’s mission in Puerto Rico and other areas.
Miami’s hottest new nightclub, ORA, has an Art Basel concert lineup for the stars. Find out what’s there, below! ORA Miami is located at 2000 Collins Avenue. No cover charge is required for any events.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC “Art Basel Edition” with NeverDogs, Hugo Bianco and Vanjee
Wednesday, December 6th, 11 p.m.
The Anti-Social Room at ORA presents The JUX Clubhouse After Party with Juxtapoz Magazine and Adidas Skateboard Showcase
Wednesday, December 6th, 11 p.m.
Official SCOPE Art Fair party with a special performance by Jesse Boykins III, courtesy of Def Jam
Friday, December 8th, 9 p.m.; PRIVATE
The Anti-Social Room at ORA presents A Celebration of Streetwear Brand Haculla, hosted by artist Harif Guzman
Friday, December 8th, 11 p.m.
ORA PRESENTS 50 CENT – Art Basel Edition
Saturday, December 9th, 11 p.m.
Shawn Kolodny Presents “Fake Fulfillment Center”
From December 6th to 10th, Shawn Kolodny, an American artist based in NY, will bring his solo exhibition Fake Fulfillment Center to the Boulan South Beach. Spanning 5,000 square feet, this art installation will explore the ways society falls into, and approaches, addiction. Allowing only 20 guests at a time, this installation is made up of different multi-sensory rooms, starting with a pharmacy and taking guests through a series of social-media-friendly, larger-than-life vignettes, like vintage vials emanating bubbles and a majestic forest of luminescent IV bags; a journey through which forces viewers to find their own personal void. The exhibit will be located at 220 21st Street. It is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Single and group reservations can be made here.
“The Peter Tunney Experience” Debuts in Wynwood Walls
Opening December 5th, Peter Tunney’s newest expedition, Excerpts from the Taj Mahal (The Truth Always Happens), offers a reflection of 1990’s American culture as seen through the recently-dismantled Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. A symbol of the fragile and ever-changing ‘American Dream,’ this exhibit will be made of upcycled pieces from the hotel: from gigantic 15 ft. chandeliers, massive oil paintings and two-ton elephants, to lamps, casino carpeting, headboards, wallpaper torn right off the walls, and even signs. The Peter Tunney Experience will be located at 220 NW 26th Street. It will be open during Art Basel daily, from 10 a.m. to Midnight. For more information about Peter Tunney, click here.
Sweeten Up, Miami: The Museum of Ice Cream is Coming to the Faena District! With Instagram-worthy locations already in NYC, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Museum of Ice Cream is adding another star-studded city to its list: Miami! Part of the Faena District, the new, four-story building designed by OMA will pair iconic art deco elements and contemporary interiors with stunning ocean views. Powered by imagination, creativity, fun and of course, ice cream, the Miami location will officially open to the public on December 13th—right after Art Basel. The Museum of Ice Cream will be located at 3400 Collins Avenue. As an added perk, American Express Card Members can get exclusive access to the museum on opening day. Presale tickets are available for all American Express Card Members now, and a limited amount of exclusive preview tickets are available for viewings during Art Basel Week. Starting December 13th, the Museum of Ice Cream will be open Wednesday through Monday. Tickets are priced at $38 per person, and are available in advance, online-only.
Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese Brunch at The Jewish Museum of Florida – FIU
During Art Week 2017, head to The Jewish Museum of Florida for a celebration of some of the best Jewish artists and photographers around. On Sunday, December 10th, The Annual Basel, Lox and Cream Cheese Brunch will feature a conversation with Maya Benton (curator of the International Center of Photography) on the life and work of the late photojournalist Ruth Gruber, as well as a discussion and tour with Eric Goldemberg on his work using state-of-the-art 3D printers. Both presentations are in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibitions, Ruth Gruber: Photo Journalist and Subject to Interpretation: The 3D works of MONAD Studio Artists Eric Goldemberg & Veronica Zalcberg. The Jewish Museum of Florida is located at 301 Washington Avenue. Tickets to the event are priced at $18 for JMOF-FIU members and $25 for non-members, and entrance is free for Art Basel VIP Card Holders. Reservations required. For more information, or to RSVP for the event, call (786) 975-3175 or send an email to jmofinfo@fiu.edu.
The Art of the Dinner Party at Villa Azur
Known widely as the ultimate dinner party destination, Villa Azur, a sexy Mediterranean restaurant and lounge in Miami Beach, will celebrate Art Basel with a week full of art showings, collaborations with the trendiest international clubs, renowned guest DJs, and food by Executive Chef Philippe Ruiz. Starting Wednesday, December 6th, head to Villa Azur for L’ARC PARIS (an outpost of the iconic nightclub and preferred celebrity and international hangout at the top of Paris’ Champs-Elysees), as well as its ever-popular Thursday Night Dinner Party with international DJ Jack-e, and a pop up of POSH BRAZIL, the most famous nightclub in Brazil. No matter when you go, throughout the week, Villa Azur will showcase works of art by Catherine l’Empereur and Antoine Verglas, the latter of which is a fashion photographer who worked with models like Stephanie Seymour, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford. Villa Azur is located at 309 23rd Street. During Art Basel, it will be open from 6:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. every night.
One Response
Wonderful article! Now I know just where to go. Thank you and keep up the great work.