How to experience Art Basel for free

You’ve heard the expression ‘‘Art is free,’’ but much of the time, it really isn’t. By now, everyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows that Art Basel Miami Beach is taking over this weekend at the Miami Beach Convention Center. It’s a great event, for sure, but its $35 daily ticket is a little steep when you’re looking to take the family. But there are plenty of ways to participate in Baselmania without breaking the bank: Actually, you can spend the whole weekend seeing art from around the world without spending a penny.

There are so many freebies that a comprehensive list is impossible, but here are some good bets in the Miami Beach and Wynwood areas. And while you’re in Wynwood, be sure to stop at the area’s galleries, most of which have free exhibitions specially set up for Basel.

-- SARA FREDERICK

What can you see at Art Basel for free?

You've heard the expression ``Art is free,'' but much of the time, it really isn't. By now, everyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows that Art Basel Miami Beach is taking over this weekend at the Miami Beach Convention Center. It's a great event, for sure, but its $35 daily ticket is a little steep when you're looking to take the family. But there are plenty of ways to participate in Baselmania without breaking the bank: Actually, you can spend the whole weekend seeing art from around the world without spending a penny.

There are so many freebies that a comprehensive list is impossible, but here are some good bets in the Miami Beach and Wynwood areas. And while you're in Wynwood, be sure to stop at the area's galleries, most of which have free exhibitions specially set up for Basel.

-- SARA FREDERICK

De la Cruz Collection joins mix of world-class spaces

There are no better calling cards for South Florida's art scene than the world-class private collections showcased at their best during Art Basel Miami Beach.

All eyes this year will be on the new 30,000-square-foot space of Key Biscayne collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz, who worked until the last minute to obtain a certificate of occupancy for the building in time to hang the works of 44 internationally known contemporary artists.

``I'm opening, I'm ready, and I like the idea that people will see the space as a work in progress,'' Rosa de la Cruz says. ``I hope that this adds a positive element in a year of so many negatives.''

Wolfsonian gets objects from Doris Duke estate

The Wolfsonian-FIU was one of three museums chosen by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to receive important Art Moderne objects from Duke's estate in Hillsborough, N.J.

Duke, a tobacco heiress and philanthropist, died in 1993. The four pieces donated to The Wolfsonian include two armchairs used in Duke's home theater, a chrome-plated metal spring armchair and a chrome-plated metal and maple spring armchair; an ebonized and gilded bronze console table; and a chrome-plated floor lamp designed by Eliel Saarinen and Walter von Nessen. The lamp was initially designed as a set of 12 for the dining hall at Kingswood School Cranbrook (c. 1928) by Saarinen, who approached von Nessen to manufacture the design. The rights to the lamp were retained by Nessen Studio, which continued to manufacture it through the early 1930s.

``We're very fortunate to receive these four objects from Doris Duke's estate -- all are excellent examples of American Art Moderne of the 1920s and 1930s, and are wonderful complements

`Because I Say So' at Frost Art Museum

Art shows don't often try to pick a fight with their viewers. But through a clever assemblage of eclectic sculpture and installation, Because I Say So at Florida International University's Frost Art Museum provokes another round of the age-old discussion: What is art? Only one more week to see the exhibition, drawn from the contemporary art collection of Debra and Dennis Scholl and featuring works such as Burn Out Sun , above, Sean Duffy's sculpture of 78 rpm records. Also showing is In What Comes After , a series of paintings by Colombian artist Nancy Friedemann Sanches, who explores the values and ideals of femininity.

Because I Say So runs through Sept. 6 and In What Comes After through Sept. 20; at FIU's University Park Campus, 10975 SW 17th St., Miami; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday: noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; free admission. Info: 305-348-2890, www.frostartmuseum.org.