Miami Art Basel Week: VIP Opening Night Minus Two

Airborne bright and early this cold morning in Washington, DC... Lyft'd to Dulles by Claudio - got there almost two hours before the departure.

Packed plane... middle seat, which is what apparently United Airlines gives to anyone with a "Basic Economy" ticket holder... plus no carry-on (unless you wanna shell out $25!).

Landed in Miami almost an hour early (suspicious ETA figgerin')... and my great friend and host Scott B. picked me up at the airport... I'm staying at his spectacular home exchange condo on the 16th floor on the beach at "the beach" of Miami Beach.  Check out the condo here.

Scott and Judy rock!

By one o'clock I was at the great Pulse Art Fair... our very first time ever at this fair after over a dozen years at the Art Basel week of fairs in Miami.

By the time I got there, Michael Janis and the new gallery assistant (Teri Bailey) had already brought all the boxes and art from the truck to the booth - nice!

Work, work, work... open boxes, get an Exaco knife cut, ask permission to use tiny nails instead of screws, lift up Tim's heavy-assed pieces from the boxes...

Tim Tate calls: He's stuck in Atlanta as his plane developed problems... "no worries", I say, but Tim is worried.

A few more hours of work and it's almost 8 PM and I decide that we're almost "good" and both the Janis and I head to our beds.

On the spur of the moment I decide to lug my luggage to the condo by way of the beach trail (rather than the free Collins Avenue trolley)...

Bad decision... once you get on this damned "board" (brick) walk... there's now way to get out of it - no "exit" to Collins Avenue - other than when you get to a park.

Two looooong miles later (remember... I'm dragging my luggage)... I get to Bel Aire... which thank God is right next to a park and thus an exit from the fucking yellow brick road.

I go up to Scott and Judy's super condo on the 16th floor, with an amazing view of the Caribbean... and yet I am mesmerized by the fact that these two former DMV area art collectors had the "sight' to pick up soooooooooo many great DMV stars... and I find great vintage, early works in their amazing place.

vintage Sheila Giolitti

vintage Tim Tate

2019 is great so far! The fairs haven't opened yet... and I've already showed you some great artwork!

I walked Collins to a little Colombian restaurant and got some tostones with fried cheese (leave it to the Colombians to try to improve a Cuban dish)... and I must admit that it was really good.

More tomorrow...

Spectacular digs in Miami Beach

Check out the spectacular place where I'll be staying while working the Pulse Art Fair in Miami Beach! This amazing place is available for rent!  Note the great artwork on the walls... most of it acquired over the years from DMV artists by the owners!

New gallery grand opening tonight!

There's a new gallery opening in an epic location in town and the grand opening party is tonight!!! From their news release:

This is to announce and welcome you to my new and spectacular Gallery, and kiosk, LOVE ALL SERVE ALL.  Both are in the iconic and historic UNION STATION, the train station located at 50 Massachusetts NE, Washington, DC  20002.  The gallery is on the Mezzanine, the 2nd floor on the right as one goes up the curved stairs after passing through the Grand Hall.  It is next to Andrews Ties, and is 2640 square feet.  The kiosk is on the main floor through the Grand Hall, all the way to the left, across from H&M by the escalators.  

The Gallery will exhibit and sell original art, excellent only hand made items by local artists and vintage, quirky pieces.

The kiosk will tease and seduce you upstairs with a sampling of the extensive collection above.  A free gift awaits you if you make the trek to the Mezzanine, down the hallway to the massive Gallery.

We will be having a Grand Opening Party on Sunday, December 1, from 10 in the morning until whenever our last guest decides to leave in the evening.  The opening will be a fundraiser to benefit Victims of Sex Trafficking, themselves.  To that end, we will be raffling off gift baskets graciously donated by The Body Shop, a coveted L'Occitaine Advent Calendar filled with samples of every L'Occitaine product, generously donated by L'Occitaine, a fabulous gift donated by Elisabeth's Boutique (also located on the Mezzanine).  We will also have refreshments, including sumptuous pastries generously donated by The Sweet Shop, imported, fantastic cheeses from Bowers Fancy Dairy Products,  and delicious delicacies purveyed by Canales Deli, also available at historic Eastern Market, and delicious snacks and discount coupons good for dinner at Unos Pizza just across the way on the Mezzanine, should you decide to stay and dine!

Additionally we will have fantastic live entertainment, including the precious, precocious and adorable Lilly who, at the tender age of twelve, will grace us with the singing of her original songs at 1pm, the magnificently talented Sharon McKay who will regale us with her unbelievable voice at 7pm, the sensational Shara, at a time yet to be announced, and I, myself will read portions of The United States Constitution.  There may be dancing and you are all welcome to sing along!  We have an acoustic guitar on hand for anyone who wishes to engage us as long as you can play (lol).

I intend this project to be a Force for Good, in a world increasingly in need of such!  To this end I am making a portion of the Gallery space available to others who are holding the light in this increasingly darkening world.  Already scheduled on our calendar is the heroic Jianli Yang, imprisoned in China for his participation in Tiananmen Square for five years, he now runs Citizen Power Initiatives which in part aides student activists in Hong Kong in their fight for democracy.  He will be speaking in the Gallery on Human Rights Day, December 10, from 2pm -4pm.  I hope you can attend.  Later in the month we will be hosting the lovely Andrea Seiger who will inform us of the Washington, DC we have yet to discover with tales from her book, 111 PLACES IN WASHINGTON THAT YOU MUST NOT MISS!

The Best Artist Opportunities in December

See them here.

Stable accepting Post Studio applications

From Stable:

We have seats open in our Post Studio! The Post Studio is a shared work space for individuals who do not need traditional studios but want to be apart of the STABLE community. They will have a shared desk space within the STABLE complex, enjoy 24/7 access to work at their convenience, and benefit from STABLE's programming and resource sharing. The Post Studio is available to artists, independent curators, and writers.

Details here.

Opportunity for Artists

Vision Idea Design is inviting artwork submissions for its Toys For Tots Art Showcase.

The event will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2019 at the Patriots Pub & Grill.

All submissions will be reviewed and selected artists will be invited to participate with between one and five artworks. Proceeds from the sale are split with the artist and the charity, with the artist deciding on the percentage donated.

There is no fee to submit your work.

The Art Showcase raises money for non-profit and volunteer organizations. This is a red-dot event, not a silent auction.

We welcome submissions from artists within the Fairfax region.

All forms of painting, drawing, photography, collage, printmaking (analog and digital), sculpture, and three-dimensional multiples are eligible. *No jewelry, crafts, video or sound art will be accepted at this time.

Artists may submit up to five (5) works.

All 2-D artwork submissions on paper, if accepted, must be framed and ready to hang with wiring in good condition (No saw- tooth hangers)

Submissions Deadline: Sunday, November 24, 2019, 11:59pm
Notification of Acceptance: November 25, 2019
Early Artwork Drop Off: November 26, 2019
Artwork Drop Off: November 30, 2019 2pm
Artist Showcase: Saturday, November 30, 2019, 3:00pm – 8:00pm

Send Submissions to: info@visionideadesign.com
Subject Line: Toys For Tots Art Showcase

Include up to 5 images of work in a single email, no larger than 10mb.

For each image include:

Title:
Medium:  
(Full Description of Object would be excellent, i.e. sepia toned gelatin silver photograph OR archival pigment print OR unique paper photogram… etc.)
Value:
Donation Percentage: 50% / 75% / 100%
Size:
Photographer’s Name:
Address:
City, St., Zip
Email address:
Website:

All unsold artwork must be picked up at the end of the event.

Creative Capital

Creative Capital supports adventurous artists across the country through funding, counsel, and career development services.  This impact-driven arts organization provides each funded project with up to $50,000 in funding and career development services valued at $50,000.

WHO: U.S. artists with at least five years of professional experience in any discipline working on a specific project.

FIELD: Painting, Sculpture, Works on Paper, Photography, Public Art, and more

AMOUNT: Up to $50,000 in direct funding

DEADLINE: February 2020 

FINE PRINT: Besides funding, you’ll have access to consultations with legal, financial, marketing, public relations, and web consultants; artist retreats and regional gatherings; ten meetings with a strategic planning coach; and more. Letter of Inquiry must be submitted. You can learn more here.