Art Basel in Miami Beach is a conglomerate of the art/cultural world and is one of those trips to add to your bucket list. Running December 4-7, this year’s event will show off modern and contemporary art in 250 galleries and is expected to draw nearly 100,000 people. With so much to see and a small window of time to cover all the ground, here are some tips to maximize your visit.
Early bird gets the art: The party crowd will be up late, to events late and out late. To maximize your visit, rise early, see the exhibits early without elbowing your way in, and make reservations at the best restaurants early to ensure easy in & out. The more you plan the less you’ll stress. Be early, have a plan, and enjoy.
Look Local: Check out a few local Miami art galleries while you’re there. A few worth visiting are; Alejandra Von Hartz Gallery (2630 NW 2nd Avenue, Wynwood, Miami), Locust Projects (3852 North Miami Avenue, Miami) and Diana Lowenstein Gallery (2043 North Miami Avenue, Wynwood, Miami).
Pop Culture Art: Musicians are artists too, and Art Basel has quite a lineup of musical acts this year including FKA Twigs who is performing with hip-hop producer Clams Casino on the YoungArts Campus on Thursday, December 4 on the YoungArts Campus. Doors open at 7PM. James Blake will be performing at the YoungArts Campus on Friday, December 5. Also on that day, Kitsuné will stage a show with Twin Shadow, The Knocks, and Fred Falke will play at the Soho Beach House.
Packing: Pack light and include versatile options that can take you easily from day to night and can transition through any unforeseen weather that may arise. Flat shoes for day are a must as you will be covering a lot of ground. Sunscreen will be a staple along with your Nomaterra
Miami Orange Blossom fragrance, of course!
Other not-to-miss highlights:
Solange curates SELECT: Solange is slated to curate a series of nightly performances along with many artists from her label, Saint Heron on Wednesday, December 3 until Saturday, December 6. 7PM. SELECT Fair 7200 Collins Ave.
Queen of the Night: Nicole Ehrlich and Up & Down present a celebration of women in art: creative royalty on December 3, 2014 at 10pm. For the first time, queen of the night, one of the biggest entertainment spectacles in performance art, will make its debut outside of New York City at a historic Miami Beach theatre. The evening will benefit the Brooklyn museum's Elizabeth A Sackler Center For Feminist Art & School Of Doodle.
Lynda Benglis Artist Talk: Lynda Benglis will kick of Art Basel's Conversations series on Thursday, December 4. 10AM-11AM. Miami Convention Center, Hall C auditorium, entrance through Lobby C, 1901 Convention Center Dr.
Stevie Nicks' Selfies: Stevie Nicks will show her self-portrait collection taken between l975 and 1987 from Thursday, December 4 until Friday, December 5 at Dream South Beach, 1111 Collins Ave.
"Big Eyes" Screening: Tim Burton's upcoming film starring Christoph Waltz as Walter Keane and Amy Adams as Margaret Keane will screen on Friday, December 5. 8:30PM at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road.