Miami Celebrates Art

Miami Art Week happens each December where Miami becomes the center of the art world hosting over 20 art fairs, pop-up galleries and special exhibitions presenting the best in contemporary art.  The week brings in artists and galleries from around the world, but it’s also a time when Miami celebrates local artists in many of the galleries in the Wynwood Arts District.  The activity takes over the city of Miami Beach along with Wynwood and other Miami neighborhoods including Midtown and the Design District.

This year in 2018, Miami Art Week will run from December 5^th to the 9^th and approximately 50,000 people will be visiting from all over the world. During the five-day period you’ll see gala openings, fashion shows, music events and round the clock parties. Fashion, music and design all play a very important part of Miami Art Week and the lines are blurred among them.

Here is a rundown of what’s happening:

Main Fairs (On the Beach)

Art Basel at the Convention Center

The official show that started it all is Art Basel Miami Beach and it’s held in the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center.  Over 260 of the world’s leading international modern and contemporary art galleries display artworks by over 4,000 artists, including paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, film, video, and digital art.   Visitors can find works ranging from editioned pieces by young artists to museum-caliber masterpieces.  Collectors and art lovers can see capsule collections from the best galleries in the world.

Some shows within the Art Basel show are:

Nova

This section of Art Basel is designed for galleries to present one to three artists showing recent works from the past three years.  The purpose of Nova is to present fresh new pieces from the artists’ ateliers.

Kabinett

In a separately delineated space, galleries present a curated exhibition by one artist of their choice. The diverse curatorial concepts for Kabinett include thematic exhibitions, art-historical showcases and solo shows for rising stars.

Positions

This sector discovers ambitious new talents from all over the world by allowing a single artist to present one major project.

Art Basel Miami Beach
December 6 – 9, 2018
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, 33139

Design Miami

This year marks the 14^th edition of Design Miami which runs concurrently with Art Basel in both Miami and Switzerland.  Design Miami/ is a global forum for design. The fair brings together the most influential collectors, designers, curators, and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce.  Design Miami/ has become the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing, and creating collectible design and is staged on Meridian Ave. at 19^th Street in temporary pavilions built for the show. It’s just adjacent to Art Basel Miami Beach at the Convention Center.

Design Miami/
December 5 – 10, 2017
Miami Beach Convention Center Parking Lot
Meridian Avenue & 19th Street, Miami Beach

Hotel-Based Art Shows (On the Beach)

Aqua Art Miami

This is the sister satellite fair to Art Miami. Aqua’s unique environment is hosted in a distinctive South Beach hotel with large exhibition rooms.  Aqua Art Miami’s sweet spot is presenting young, emerging and mid-career artists. Throughout the years, Aqua Art Miami has continued to solidify itself as a completely unique art fair, consistently staying true to its signature relaxed yet energetic vibe.

Aqua’s unique environment – in a classic South Beach hotel with spacious exhibition rooms that open onto a breezy, intimate courtyard – has become a favorite gathering spot for collectors, curators and art lovers to discover fresh talent and acquire new works while exchanging cultural ideas and forming meaningful connections.

Aqua Hotel is located within walking distance of Art Basel, just south of the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall and if you don’t want to walk there is the Aqua shuttle.

AQUA Art Miami
December 5 – 9, 2018
Aqua Hotel
1530 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

INK

The INK festival is unique as it focuses on contemporary works on paper by international artists.  The fair is sponsored by the International Fine Print Dealers Association and exhibitors are selected from among the membership for their ability to offer collectors a diverse round-up of 20^th century works and just published editions by leading contemporary artists.

INK Miami Art Fair
Suites at the Dorchester Hotel
1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Other Art Fairs (On the Beach)

PULSE

Pulse returns to Indian Beach Park at 46^th Street and Collins Avenue for its 13^th edition.  Pulse will feature 75 local and international artists and half of the show is either solo artists’ presentations or conversation booths where conceptual dialogues between two artists are explored.  Besides being diverse, PULSE prides itself as the fair where you can learn more about art.  PULSE displays visual media, sculptures, installations and performances of projects.

PULSE Miami Beach
Indian Beach Park
4601 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140

Untitled

Founded in 2012, this show focuses on the curatorial balance and integrity across all disciplines of contemporary art.  This show curates select galleries, artist-run exhibition spaces and non-profit institutions in an architecturally designed venue held in tents on the beach at 12^th Street.

Untitled Mimi Beach
At Ocean Drive and 12^th Street

Scope Miami Beach

The year marks the 18^th edition of SCOPE Miami Beach and it returns to the sands off Ocean Drive and 8^th Street featuring 140 International exhibitors from 25 countries and 60 cities.  Scope boasts that it leads the charge in finding emerging artists in the contemporary art market.

SCOPE Miami Beach
801 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL  33139

Superfine!

2018 marks the fourth year for Superfine!  Held in the Art Deco Welcome Center, this small show hosts independent artists in 45 curated booths.  Galleries are both local and global and this is a great opportunity to view art in the cozy welcome center right on the beach steps away from the ocean.

Superfine! Miami Beach
Art Deco Welcome Center
1001 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL  33139

Off the Beach

Wynwood

Wynwood is Miami’s permanent gallery neighborhood and it’s where you can find some of the best art all year long.  From long-standing gallerist Fred Snitzer, who pioneered the Wynwood district, to Gary Nadar and Robert Fontaine, these galleries showcase the best of local Miami and Latin American artists.

There are three pop-up fairs here during Art Basel:  Pinta Miami, Spectrum Miami and Red Dot.  One can spend an entire night strolling the streets of Wynwood viewing art both in the galleries and on the street, shopping and enjoying a meal with a great cocktail.

Don’t forget to visit the Wynwood Walls which feature expanded art during Miami Art Week.  This is street art at its best.

Goldman Properties, the curator of Wynwood Walls, will debut 9 new installations with the theme of “Beyond Words” which speaks to the evolution of street art and its cultural impact of what has now become a powerful artistic movement.

In addition to the artistic installations, Goldman Global Arts will present the first-ever GGA Gallery Solo Show by world-renowned Portuguese artist Vhils. Known for his unique visual language based on the removal of the surface layers of walls and other media with non-conventional tools and techniques, Vhils has transformed buildings across the globe, from L.A. to New York, Moscow to Hong Kong.

PINTA Miami
December 5 – 9, 2018
Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW 5th, Miami, FL 33127

SPECTRUM miami
December 5 – 9, 2018
New location at Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW 5th Avenue, Miami, FL (at NW 22nd Street)

Red Dot Miami
December 5 – 9, 2018
New location at Mana Wynwood
2217 NW 5th Avenue, Miami, FL (at NW 22nd Street)

NADA

NADA is dedicated to showcasing new art and to celebrating rising talents from around the globe.  NADA’S goal is to present underexposed art that is not typical of the “art establishment.” NADA Miami is one of the only major American art fairs to be produced by a non-profit organization and is recognized as a much-needed alternative assembly of the youngest and strongest galleries dealing with emerging contemporary art.

NADA is held at the Ice Palace off the beaten track.  There is a shuttle from the beach to take you to this fair. Pick-up and drop-off is at 17th and Washington Ave., near the southeast corner of the Convention Center.

NADA Miami
December 6 – 9, 2018
Ice Palace Studios, 1400 North Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33136

Downtown Miami

Art Miami

In its 29th edition, Art Miami maintains a preeminent position in America’s modern and contemporary art fair market and is globally recognized as a primary destination for the acquisition of the most important works from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Art Miami
December 4th from 5:30pm to 10:00pm
The Art Miami Pavilion
One Miami Herald Plaza @ NE 14thStreet
Downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay

CONTEXT Art Miami

Launched in 2012, CONTEXT Art Miami, the sister fair to Art Miami, is dedicated to the development and reinforcement of emerging and mid-career artists.

CONTEXT Art Miami
December 4th from 5:30pm to 10:00pm
The Art Miami Pavilion
One Miami Herald Plaza @ NE 14th Street
Downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay

As you can see there’s quite a lot going on during this time frame both in Miami Beach and all over the city. While it isn’t easy to understand the nuances and differences of each festival, just remember the words of Stephen Sondheim … “Art isn’t easy.” Art Basel Miami Beach and Miami Art Week are a fun way to experience and enjoy contemporary art as well as take advantage of a world-class city and it’s great people watching too.