Art Basel Miami Beach

Laurence Gartel, well known digital media artist, talks about his 30 years as a photographer and explains some of his many famous pieces.

Laurence Gartel

Plum TV sits down with sculptor Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova as he gets ready for Art Basel '08.

Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova

Artist Brian Burkhardt talks about his work and takes Plum on a tour of his studio.

Brian Burkhardt

Plum Takes a tour of Miami's Bakehouse Art Complex. We visit several artist studios and explore what being a working artist in Miami is like.

Bakehouse Art Complex

Watch as Maria Jose Arjona explains what performance art is all about & how she became enamored with this one of a kind craft.

Maria Jose Arjona

maria

SeaFair Megayacht Gives Back to Miami and Haiti through VIP Charity Event Evenings during Art Basel. Miami FL December 1, 2008- SeaFair will give back to women and girls in need in Miami and Haiti through two VIP charity evenings featuring art, fashion, and music.

The charity events will take place as part of SeaFair’s Rock the Boat, a luxury showcase of the world’s most exclusive haute, fine, vintage jewelers, and contemporary art & design from November 29th-December 7th, 2008 in beautiful Miami Beach.

Held concurrently with Art Basel Miami Beach, Rock the Boat will be the epi-center for A-list parties, events, glamor, and now charity.

Who: The event will benefit The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade County, and Carma Foundation. Both organizations focus on the empowerment of underserved women and girls – the Women’s Fund in Miami, and Carma Foundation in Haiti. SeaFair is partnering with PhilanthropyConnect to bring together sponsors and contributors including Mellon Bank, Step by Step Foundation, C.Madeleines Vintage Fashion, The Big Bounce Band, Melky Jean and Band, Fiji Water, The Helping Hand, Judith Ripka Jewelry, and Bochic Jewelry to give back to these communities in need.

What: The evening will bring together an exclusive and unique collection of art and fashion, with live vocal performances, to raise funds for women and girls in need. The evenings will include music performances by The Big Bounce (Thursday) and Melky Jean (Saturday), a vintage Chanel fashion show (Thursday) and modern party and cocktail fashion show (Saturday), and silent auctions on both evenings by The Helping Hand, in addition to an exclusive viewing of fine art exhibit on board the docked SeaFair. Champagne, wine, and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Proceeds from the $125 ticket price, silent auction, and other evening activities will benefit the two charities.

When: Thursday, December 4 will benefit the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade. Saturday, December 6 will benefit Carma Foundation. Where: SeaFair will be docked at Collins Avenue and 45th Street across from the newly renovated Fontainebleau Hotel. Why: To leverage an international event to give back to the local community in Miami and its close and impoverished neighbor, Haiti. RSVP: Required 24 hours in advance of the events to connect@philanthropyconnect.com

For more information please contact, Lee Ann Lester, 239-949-5411, llester@expoships.com

Fratelli Lyon, at 4141 NE Second Ave., Miami, just released delicious plans to celebrate white truffle season and Art Basel with a five-course, $325 tasting menu.

The special meal will be available Dec. 3-6 featuring both white and black truffles. While wine pairings will be available for an additional $100; 305-572-2901.

Abercrombie Auctions International, the Hollywood, Florida-based auctioneer, will host a sale in Miami Beach on December 6, to coincide with the Art Basel fair.

In spite of increased interest in Art Basel and the growth of the event, the current economy has many people watching the art market as closely as they did the 2008 presidential elections, Dancing With the Stars, and Wall Street. In fact, Depression-thinking debate now arises -- is art a better long-term investment than stock?

Miami Today reports:

Another gauge may be the willingness of buyers and sellers to make a deal, said Stephen Cohen, president of Art Fairs Inc., which produces photo MIAMI, a contemporary art fair for photo-based art, video and new media that will take place during the Basel event in Wynwood.

"It's definitely a buyer's market," he said. "It is an opportunity for people to make the best deal they could make. It seems like this is the best time for the best deal and to workout a payment plan that makes everybody comfortable."

While he said "everyone's concerned that's involved in the art world," he also said contemporary art remains a good investment that is more consistent than stocks . . . .

"Generally, when people have been good with their research and their purchases, art will hold its value and appreciate." Read on here

For all you classical music enthusiasts, Miami's New World Symphony has added two exciting Beethoven performances to its Art Basel schedule. Michael Tilson Thomas will be conducting the New World Orchestra as they perform one of Beethoven's most energetic works, the famous Fifth Symphony in C minor. The program will also include the composer's Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds, as well as the rarely performed Wellington's Victory, which will be conducted by Edward Abrams. The performances will be held on Saturday, December 6, at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, December 7, at 3 pm at the Lincoln Theatre, located at 541 Lincoln Road. Prices range from $26 to $84. For more information on this concert and other scheduled performances, please call 305-673-3331.

Art Basel Miami Beach gets christened with a signature South Beach poolside party November 29th at 6pm. The event commemorates the 9th Anniversary of the Miami Art Exchange and the relaunch of Artlab 33, an ongoing project that features studio visits, interviews and live podcasts. Works by local artists, various organizations and supporting sponsors will be on display for all to view. RSVP is a must.

Extreme, grassroots, and black sheep are names that perhaps best describe Fountain Miami. While other art exhibits are puppets to corporate culture, this show keeps it as real as they come. The name may not conjure notions of a rebellious nature but its namesake definitely sent paintbrushes flying in its time. "Fountain" pays homage to Marcel Duchamp's controversial sculpture that shook up the art world when it was rejected by the Society of Artists' exhibition in 1917. Fast-forward to 2006 when the art exhibit revelation kicked off with its launch in New York. Since the “anti-art fair” showcases to a niche audience, participating galleries have 700 square feet of exhibition space to dedicate to their sculptures, new media, paintings, and more. The mêlée happens during Art Basel and the venue is within proximity to all the major Wynwood fairs-perfect for those who want the best of both worlds (and who doesn’t?).

Oxenberg Fine Art will showcase at Bridge Art Fair Miami in Wynwood in booths 37 and 44. On display will be special Andy Warhol prints, as well as paintings, sculpture and photography by contemporary artists. Bridge Miami will feature the best in international emerging art, presented in innovatively designed, museum-grade exhibition space, built on a 60,000 square foot development in Midtown Miami. The exhibition will be open from December 3rd to the 7th, 11 am to 8 pm.

As if you needed more proof of Art Basel Miami's indisputable worthiness, we have yet another spectacular event to boast about. Cartier, Associate Sponsor of the fair, and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain will present a brilliant installation created by acclaimed filmmaker and visual artist David Lynch. Diamonds, Gold and Dreams is a surreal visual experience taking place within the Cartier Dome at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. Guests will be dazzled by a 7-minute "floating diamond" projection displayed each hour accompanied by a musical score. To further emphasize the gilded glory of the displayed jewels, the space will be decorated with gold-fabric walls, gold-printed carpeting, gold-trimmed display cases and furniture.
In 2007, the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain presented an exhibition of paintings, photographs, drawings, alternative films, and sound production by the multi-talented artist David Lynch. The event was one of the most visited exhibitions in the history of the Fondation Cartier. So if you are a Cartier or David Lynch fan (like we are!), or if you just crave a truly unique visual experience, don't miss this year's Diamonds, Gold and Dreams.

This just in! Art Photo Expo Miami will host the second annual In Fashion Photo exhibition during Art Basel in Miami's Design District from December 2nd through the 7th. The event will feature the work of some of the most internationally acclaimed photographers of the fashion world from over 15 countries and five continents, including (but not limited to) Slim Aarons, Miles Aldridge, Olivia Beasley, Michael Dweck, Arthur Elgort, Charles Frèger. Patrick Remy, the respected art critic and "European fashion authority", will serve as the exhibit’s curator. To top it all off, we are excited to report that the exceptionally stunning Queen of Models Naomi Campbell herself will be traveling across the pond to unveil the retrospective photography collection honoring her highness on December 2nd.

In Fashion Photo will be open from 11 am to 8 pm, daily, at Municipal Parking Lot #54, between NE 2nd Avenue and NE 1st Court in a unique 30,000 square-foot, open-air location designed by Stephane Dupoux. Entrance to the exhibition will cost $10. The displayed pieces will be on sale to collectors and art enthusiasts throughout the six-day exhibition, so don't forget to bring your checkbooks!

This just in! Art Photo Expo Miami will host the second annual In Fashion Photo exhibition during Art Basel in Miami's Design District from December 2nd through the 7th. The event will feature the work of some of the most internationally acclaimed photographers of the fashion world from over 15 countries and five continents, including (but not limited to) Slim Aarons, Miles Aldridge, Olivia Beasley, Michael Dweck, Arthur Elgort, Charles Frèger. Patrick Remy, the respected art critic and "European fashion authority", will serve as the exhibit’s curator. To top it all off, we are excited to report that the exceptionally stunning Queen of Models Naomi Campbell herself will be traveling across the pond to unveil the retrospective photography collection honoring her highness on December 2nd.

In Fashion Photo will be open from 11 am to 8 pm, daily, at Municipal Parking Lot #54, between NE 2nd Avenue and NE 1st Court in a unique 30,000 square-foot, open-air location designed by Stephane Dupoux. Entrance to the exhibition will cost $10. The displayed pieces will be on sale to collectors and art enthusiasts throughout the six-day exhibition, so don't forget to bring your checkbooks!

If you are planning to attend this year's Art Basel Miami Beach (which you obviously are!), make sure you don't miss Art Positions. With less than two months away before the main event, this year’s line up has been released. The innovative exhibition, situated beachfront at Collins Park between 21st and 22nd streets, features shipping containers ingeniously converted into public art spaces. The annual show will include displays by 20 young galleries from the USA, Italy, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Norway, Austria, Spain and Denmark, chosen by the Selection Committee from over 120 submitted applications. Judging by past years' shows, you can expect Art Positions 2008 to be on the edgy and experimental side. Some pieces actually derive inspiration from the shipping containers themselves. In addition to the installations, there will also be daily performances put on by the Art Perform program, curated by Jens Hoffmann. There should hopefully be some great musical performances as well. On opening night of Art Positions 2006, the provocative singer Peaches and her band performed. In 2007, Iggy Pop held a free concert on a stage created out of the cargo containers. This year's opening night will be held on Wednesday, December 3rd, from 6 to 10 pm., so be sure to schedule it in your Art Basel calendar!

For a complete listing of galleries showing at Art Basel Miami Beach Art Positions, read the full article in Wynwood- The Art Magazine.

We all know far too well that things are not looking good for the collective wallet. However, until the recent financial disaster on Wall Street, the art market was going fairly strong. After all, there was still a lot of dough out there with teams of investors looking for a place to put it. Since real estate was out, a Picasso seemed like the next logical conclusion. Unfortunately, the steady decline of our economic situation (Depression? Recession? Does anybody really know?) has finally caught up to the art world. According to an article in New York Magazine, the current financial crisis is now all too visible in the arts with significantly decreased sales, and an overall decline in attendance to notable art shows. When describing the scene at London’s Frieze Art Fair, author Jerry Saltz paints a grim picture (no pun intended) of the future of the art world rife with predictions of American and European gallery closings, cancellation of museum shows, the failing of art publications, and the inevitable death of art fairs such as our beloved Art Basel (which we will forgive him for calling “ridiculous”). Saltz also points out that when the world was busy throwing large wads of money at the art world a few short years ago, a lot of artists ended up creating marketable, yet essentially worthless works attached to an inflated price tag. Taking on the role of the optimist, Saltz turns to past recessions during which the art world flourished, and claims a dip in the market could inevitably lead to a revival of more experimental and inspired pieces. This would be a far cry from the shallow, financially driven investment artwork that has flooded the scene until recently, or so he claims.

As far as the fate of Art Basel Miami Beach is concerned, an article in the Miami Herald ponders the effects of the sour financial situation of Swiss bank UBS, responsible for providing a majority of the funding for the normally lavish annual event. While budget and spending cuts are inescapable, as well as a dramatic reduction in the number of attendees, the fate of this year’s marquee art event is as unpredictable as the Dow.

Cannes has the film festival, New York has fashion week, and we have Art Basel Miami Beach. As the preeminent art show in the country, one could only imagine kids are somewhere in the loom. With more than 220 art galleries from every continent (except Antarctica), there may be a temporary shortage of good nannies. Luckily, Art Basel has a great solution for your tot that keeps them in arms reach. Art Kids is a daycare center for children with parents visiting Art Basel during the public show days (December 4 - 7, 2008, noon to 8 p.m., December 7, noon to 6 p.m.). Children enrolled in the program will participate in stimulating and interactive activities including arts and crafts, art history and storytelling. These are done under the supervision of the Miami Children's Museum trained staff. MCM is a non-profit educational institution that meets the needs of all children in a multicultural community. The museum offers interactive exhibits, programs, and learning materials related to arts, culture, community and communications. With all this and parents like you, who knows? That macaroni art can lead your mini-Michelangelo into the next big thing at Art Basel!

Can't wait till December to get your art fix? Thankfully, the second Saturday of every month marks the Wynwood Art Walk in the Design District (you'll have to cross the bridge to get there, but it's well worth the trip).

Second Saturday Art Walks showcase the area's new exhibits. The galleries provide open houses featuring free admission and most of them offer free cocktails as well. Things usually get started around 7 p.m. This is one party in Miami that you don't want to be fashionably late for--the festivities end promptly at 10 p.m.

Here is a list of links to help you navigate your way through the next art walk:

• Click here for a map of the Wynwood Art District.

• Learn more about the Wynwood Art District.

• Take a tour of Wynwood with Independant Curator, Mariangela Capuzzo.

Harvey Oxenberg will be showing his collection at the Miami Art Space for September's Second Saturday.

While you’re there, be sure to check out these Plum favorites:

Abba Fine Art: presents the controversial fiber installations of artist Pip Brant.

Bakehouse Complex: Walls Without Boundaries exhibits works by over fifteen BAC artists.

Dorsch Gallery: featuring works by Robin Griffiths and Brandon Opalka.

Dot Fiftyone Gallery: showing Perpendicularity, Miami’s first solo exhibition by award-winning photographer Mark Indig.

Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin: opening of Daniel Arsham's solo drawing and sculpture exhibition.

Gallery Diet: Andrew Mowbray explores the dynamic relationship between weather and technology.

Hardcore Art Contemporary Space: explores critical issues such as religion, politics and society with projects that push boundaries and test limits.

The Margulies Collection At The Warehouse: features an extensive collection of modern and vintage photography, video, sculptures and installations from collector Martin Z. Margulies.

Miami Art Space: Oxenberg Fine Art exhibits works by renowned contemporary artists.

Spinello Gallery: presents Emotional Response Can Be Conditioned, the haunting solo exhibition by Federico Ness.

To view phots from October's Second Saturday, click here.