Miami Art Week returns — but with a few changes. Here’s what you need to know
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Your Guide to Miami Art Week 2021
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Grab your Harmony Korine mask. The borders are open. Art Week is back!
The VIP action kicks off Nov. 30, with access for everyday art lovers starting Dec. 1. But like everything in the pandemic era, expect a few twists and last-minute changes.
Schedule changes
The biggest shift is at Art Basel itself. Take the Miami Beach Convention Center off your Sunday agenda; Art Basel galleries will start packing the crates at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4. VIPs get extra hours starting Tuesday, Nov. 30; the fair opens to the public Thursday, Dec. 2. And there’s respite for weary feet: The Meridians sector of monumental works and installations is moving out of the distant second floor ballroom and onto the same level as the rest of the fair.
Some other art fairs are following Art Basel’s lead and cutting out Sunday hours; those include NADA and Untitled. Others — including the longest-running fair, Art Miami, and Basel sister, Design Miami/ — will remain open through the weekend.
Despite pandemic, growth
While some speculators predicted the pandemic and an increase in web sales would mark the death knell for a number of fairs, au contraire: Nearly all are returning — most to their pre-pandemic locations — and some are even adding new programming. Case in point: Untitled, the ever-popular fair on the sand at 12th Street, has announced it is adding a new section of galleries called Nest that will feature emerging galleries, artist collectives and nonprofits. (Who isn’t looking for the next hot artist?)
WHERE TO FIND THIS YEAR’S FAIRS
An abundance of NFTs
Trend-watchers are tracking NFTs, those digital works secured by blockchain technology. Nov. 30 will see the region’s first major NFT conference, NFT BZL, co-hosted by Mana Tech and Miami-Dade County, featuring tech investors, blockchain experts and artists. Miami River Art Fair, set this year at the Penthouse overlooking Miami River Wharf on Dec. 1-2, will focus on NFTs. At Art Basel, Tezos NFT platform will showcase NFT works and enable visitors to collaborate with an algorithm to create their own piece of generative art that can be minted as an NFT; they will be located near magazine publishers.
Focus on Black artists
In the wake of the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter movement, artists of color continue to garner much-deserved attention. The Art of Black Miami (ArtofBlackMiami.com) program returns with events spread across the city, including AfriKin Art Fair at the Glassbox at Miami Ironside from Dec. 1-5; Le Art Noir, Diversity in Color at the newly renovated African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Liberty City Dec. 2-5; MUCE Arts & Cultural Festival Dec. 2-5 at the MUCE campus in Little Haiti, and the long-running PRIZM Art Fair returns Nov. 30-Dec. 19, this year virtually. Work by artists of color will be front and center at several museums, including the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Institute of Contemporary Art-Miami, the Rubell Museum and Espacio 23.
Local love
Local artists also get a boost year. Look for them around the town, from the Wynwood Walls — which put out an open call to local artists for the first time — to the Rubell Museum, whose featured artists this year included Miami’s own Reginald O’Neal. Carlos Betancourt’s “Los Milagros” temporary installation will be visible outdoors on Española Way, while work by 10 local artists will be display at 10 Miami Beach hotels as part of the second iteration of “No Vacancy, Miami Beach,” from the city of Miami Beach and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
As for Miami’s galleries. only a handful have been selected for Art Basel and Art Miami. But you can check them out in relative peace at the Progressive Art Brunch on Nov. 28; details at progressiveartbrunch.com.
COVID rules
On the COVID front, yes, you really will have to wear a mask. Many fairs — including Art Basel and Art Miami — will require visitors to show a current negative COVID test or a vaccination card. Fair organizers say they will have extra masks on hand, and anyone who refuses to comply will (politely) be shown the exit. Some venues — especially museums — will control capacity with timed tickets; be sure to book in advance.
A GUIDE TO COVID RULES AT THE FAIRS
Here’s a quick rundown on some key changes:
- Art Aqua, the funky art-fair-in-a-hotel that features emerging gallerists, is taking a 2021 break. “It needs to be a win for exhibitors, the hotel and the show,” said Nick Korniloff, exec with Art Miami, Context and Art Aqua.
- Pulse Miami is gone. Originally Volta planned to replace it, but organizers have now canceled their planned Miami fair in 2021, with a 2022 fair on the books.
- Design Miami/ returns to its tent across from the Miami Beach Convention Center, following its down-scaled 2020 COVID edition in the Design District’s Moore Building. Note to long-timers: Don’t plan to park in the lot surrounding Design Miami/; that has been transformed into a green park. Valet or grab a ride-share.
- Spectrum & Red Dot fairs, previously held under a tent, are moving to Mana Wynwood.
The whimsical dog-centered Fridge Art Fair is back, this year in Allapattah at Esquina de Abuela. And yes, it’s pet friendly!
This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
