“I’m on top of the world,” remarked exhibiting artist Phil Stapleton after the highly successful Preview of the third Miami International Art Fair – MIA 2012.  A sentiment shared by many of the exhibiting galleries that saw significant and early sales.

The third edition of the Fair was relocated aboard SeaFair, America’s Megayacht Venue.  The relocation to the 228 foot purpose built exhibition venue, docked at 100 Chopin Plaza at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami’s Downtown Arts & Entertainment District, was a strategic move by the Fair’s organizing firm International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE).

“MIA has moved to downtown Miami because it is now the cultural and entertainment center of the city. SeaFair’s spectacular $40M exhibition yacht in Bayfront’s Chopin Plaza offers a unique addition to the downtown cultural scene and is an extraordinary fair venue,” remarked Lee Ann Lester, Principal of IFAE.  “Offering a convenient and visible waterfront location at Bayfront Park’s Chopin Plaza and convenient self and valet parking, SeaFair will host a number of international cultural events and trade exhibitions throughout the winter season each year,” she continued.

MIA welcomed a total exceeding 10,200 attendees in the four day run, opening to lines every day.  Not only were the sheer numbers of the crowds impressive but the quality of attendees as well.  Collectors from northern locations such as Singer Island, Jupiter Island, Palm Beach, and Boca Raton as well as the most affluent areas of greater Miami such as Fisher Island, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and Key Biscayne were in attendance.   Dealers agreed that SeaFair’s elegance and luxury proved a magnet and new experience for collectors.

“I love it. I think it breaks all the boundaries, breaks all of the traditional formats of an art fair. It gives you a completely different feeling.  It’s very informal and at the same time people are very serious about the art,” commented Ramon Cernuda of Cernuda Fine Art.

“It’s a very interesting venue. I like it because it’s very intimate.  In a more traditional art fair setting the ceilings are so high, the walkways are so wide, people tend to walk through and miss a lot of things because there’s almost too much.  This is a nice venue because it’s intimate and you really can see everything.  I like also that they’ve been selective about the galleries.  All the galleries that you see here are galleries that are well established with artists that are all very recognizable, so you know what you’re coming to see.  You’re coming to see a very high level of work, a very interesting crowd that are all collectors, you don’t have a lot of the “looky-loos”, people that are coming here are all qualified collectors,” said Evan Lurie, Evan Lurie Gallery.

“SeaFair  is a beautiful location, the service is great, and it allows galleries to present their work in a very refined environment, so for me that’s very important, it shows off the art the way it should be,”   remarked Paco, Butter Gallery.

For more information on Miami International Art Fair – MIA 2013 visit www.mia-artfair.com.  For more information on the upcoming SeaFair schedule please visit www.expoships.com.

Courtesy of Black Square Gallery

The third edition of the Miami International Art Fair (MIA), January 12^th-16^th, 2012.  Relocated to Miami’s premiere downtown entertainment district, MIA will bring together international and emerging artists to the waterfront scene for a five day extravaganza of art and culture. In addition MIA will premiere Sculpture Miami, a waterside installation and sculpture exhibition in Bayfront Park. Over thirty large scale sculptures by major international sculptors will be on public display beginning Dec. 5 through March 12.

MIA 2012 will be held aboard the 228-foot megayacht exhibition venue – SeaFair.  The visionary vessel – which will remain dockside during the event – will be conveniently located at the Intercontinental Hotel Dock at 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami, Florida.  The acclaimed venue recently completed a summer tour of New England after re-launching in March of 2011 with a highly successful Art Sarasota, welcoming 18,000 attendees in five days.  Miami will be the inaugural port of SeaFair’s winter Florida schedule.  

The Fair will commence with a private preview, January 12^th from 6:30-8:30pm, to honor the MOCA Shakers.  The preview evening will continue with a Collectors’ Invitational from 8:30-10pm for additional distinguished collectors and VIP guests.  

The contemporary fair will gather a carefully selected array of 30 international dealers presenting both established contemporary and emerging artists.  Works will be composed of contemporary, cutting-edge art of all media including photography, painting, mixed-media, sculpture, installation and video. The mission of the fair is to showcase galleries representing the most talented and visionary artists of the 21^st century.

MIA will continue last year’s unique format of unparalleled support it provides to the local Miami art community, integrating innovative and educational art projects linked to important local artists, museums and other art-related organizations.  Partnerships have been established with the MOCA, Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Art, Lowe Museum of Art and Boca Raton Museum of Art.

In 2011, MIA drew over 19,000 collectors almost doubling attendance from its inaugural year in 2010- 4,000 alone attended the opening night.  Fair attendees came from 13 counties and over 26 states with notable Miami, Palm Beach, New York, European, and Latin American collectors in attendance.  Many acclaimed the strong local influence seen throughout the fair, commenting on their appreciation for the diversity of artists represented as well as the different mediums and influences seen.

IFAE has entered into a strategic alliance with Mark Edward Partners, insurance brokers, and the Chartis insurers, leading property-casualty and general insurance providers, to serve as the exclusive insurance brokers and underwriters, respectively, for IFAE’s upcoming 2012 fair schedule. Additionally, Mark Edward Partners and Chartis will be sponsoring special events and lectures for collectors and vendors at MIA.

SeaFair- America's Megayacht Venue

ABOUT SEAFAIR

SeaFair is the world’s first mobile megayacht venue and one of the largest private yachts in the United States.  Groundbreaking in scale, ingenuity and style, the innovative exhibition facility – which remains dockside during each event – pairs international fine art, jewelry and collectables with harbor view dining and special events in cities along the eastern seaboard.

The $40M purpose built exhibition yacht was designed by internationally acclaimed yacht designer Luiz de Basto.  At 228 feet and 2,800 international tons, it is one of the largest ships built for commercial operation in the Intracoastal Waterway and requires a draft of only 6.5 feet, allowing it to dock at yacht facilities in central city locations rather than use commercial ports.

Kicking off Miami’s New Year’s 2011 gallery season the Miami International Art Fair will bring together premiere Miami and international established and emerging galleries, curated exhibitions by guest Curator Gean Moreno, a full lecture series and artists conversations scheduled by leading luminary art experts creating a full weekend of not to be missed events. Timed during Wynwood-Design District’s Second Saturday the fair will promote city wide gallery and local art institution events.

A major contribution of MIA is their commitment to the support of the Miami art community. MIA will not only showcase prominent Miami art galleries but also innovative art projects by local art institutions.

“I’m excited to participate in a fair that is so invested in the City. And, we can even say, that it is invested in the right way – by juxtaposing Miami artists and dealers with their international counterparts in order to engage in broader dialogues. The main goal for Miami’s present cultural development should be to draw links with the outside.” Gean Moreno said. His curated exhibition “Improvising Architectures” will look at the meaning of proliferating precarious structures in our globalized world. It will showcase the work of five Miami artists–Christy Gast, Adler Guerrier, Nicolas Lobo, Ernesto Oroza and Viking Funeral–along side that of artists Graham Hudson of London, Felipe Arturo of Bogotá, and Heather Rowe and Carlos Sandoval de León, of New York.

Viking Funeral’s original design was selected as MIA’s new distinctive logo. “Miami is a City that is in constant flux and coming up with an image that feels ever-changing was a goal in our design” commented Viking Funeral. The design with a solid background is juxtaposed against a sliver of Miami’s famous crimson sunset. This Miami based art group worked with their design collective Humanshield to create the logo.

The weekend’s lecture series and panel discussions will begin on Friday, Jan. 14th with Adriana Herrera, art critic for El Nuevo Herald and ArtNexus Magazine leading a panel discussion of Miami artists. Following will be a lecture and discussion by Elizabeth Cerejido, Curator, Museum of Fine Arts Houston and ending the day will be “The Promise of Miami’s Art World: Conversation” between Thom Collins, new Director of Miami Art Museum and Dennis Scholl Miami collector and National Director of Art Grants, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Saturday the first session will begin with “Art and Education Outside of Schools” with Ruba Katrib, Associate Curator, North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art. Ruba will speak on educational initiatives started by artists through Latin America and Europe as part of their artistic projects. Following later in the afternoon “The City as Medium” a panel discussion with artists lead by Rene Morales, Associate Curator, Miami Art Museum.

Sunday’s highlights include offerings by Mary Kate O’Hare, Newark Museum, “Transcending National Barriers: Pioneers of Geometric Abstraction in South and North America.” O’Hare is a renown expert in the field curated the exhibition “Constructive Spirit, Abstract Art in South and North America, 1920-50’s” which toured major American museums. Crossing all borders the fair will offer “A Conversation on Aboriginal Art, Language, Form and Substance” led by expert David Smith from Amsterdam and Alison Andersen, Aboriginal artist and the only Aboriginal member of the Australian Parliament.

“Miami International Art Fair’s mission is to enrich the lives of its residents through greater understanding of art and to promote the communities leading galleries throughout the South Florida region,” commented Lee Ann Lester, MIA organizer.

MIA honors Wynwood dealer Diana Lowenstein Gallery with the fairs “Art Dealer of Distinction Award” for her 21 year commitment to promote the works of young and emerging artists , contributions to local and international art associations and serving on the dealer committees of many of the world’s renown art fairs.

MIA partnerships include prestigious publications such as Art in America, Art Nexus, Artdaily.org, The Art Newspaper, New York Times, Miami Herald, Irreversible, Art in Auction, Art Districts, Canvas, ArtNet, Arte al Dia, Art Circuits, Art Press and local institutions such as WLRN Miami’s National Radio station among many others.

MIA is organized by International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE). IFAE has been pioneering the Florida art fair market for over 20 years, establishing Art Miami in January, 1991, The Palm Beach International Art & Antique Fair (now AIFAF) in 1997, and Art Palm Beach in 1998. They have organized more than 65 international art fairs worldwide in New York, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas and Hong Kong. MIA is organized by Lee Ann Lester, David Lester and curator Aldo Castillo serves as Associate Director.

MIAMI BEACH, FL- October 7, 2010- Miami Beach will once again become a gathering place for art lovers across the globe.  International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE) announces the Miami International Art Fair (MIA) will return January 14-17, 2011 to Miami Beach Convention Center, with a private preview evening January 13th.  International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE), and MIA Associate Director Aldo Castillo, have designed the fair to be a catalyst for the finest galleries and dealers to access the South Florida market and has established cultural partnerships with museums, universities and other art-related institutions to ensure a fully integrated fair with innovative curatorial projects and an extensive lecture and panel series.

MIA 2011 is inaugurating a unique new model for the Miami art community, combining a carefully selected contemporary and cutting edge galleries with a strong curatorial program aimed at supporting the Miami art community. 

The fair will host 65 prestigious international dealers, exhibiting contemporary art, including photography, works on paper, sculpture, installations, art project rooms, and new media from emerging and established artists.  “My commitment to the Miami International  Art Fair – MIA will be the application of my many years of experience in order to make MIA a unique, contemporary platform for the world of collecting and exhibiting art,” said Aldo Castillo.

MIA’s “Open  Space Project ” introduces  current art statements and installations; a new art lab experience for top collectors.  Some of the 2011 MIA highlights include Improvising  Architectures – an  art proposal of installations with a coinsiding lecture and symposium series organized by Miami Curator, Gean Moreno. Participating artists includeNicolas Lobo, Christy Gast, Adler Gurrier, Heather Rowe, and Carlos Sandoval de Leon; panelists include Ruba Katrib, Associate Curator of  MOCA.  “What these exhibitions haven’t done as consistently is place the work of Miami artists alongside that of their international generational peers in a concrete way–that is, by literally presenting the work side-by-side, on equal footing” said Gene Moreno. 

Other special exhibitions at MIA will include: Museum of Ice- an 65’ ice installation by Canadian conceptual  artist Gordon Halloran.  Halloran has created a new art-form, paintings in ice. Social Medium- an interactive light installation created by emerging Chicago artist Tristan Hummel and a specially commissioned a wall of floating steel curtains by Colombia’s Claudia Hakim, a renown fiber artist currently working on creating art from auto parts.   In addition, MIA will gather important women with in the international art industry, including Brazil’s Maria Bonomi, South Africa’s Lorna Marsh,and  Korea’s Hyung Joo Kim. 

“One of MIA’s goals is to create a place where the international art world can interface with Miami’s dramatically growing  local  art dealer community now home to over 75 contemporary galleries” said Lee Ann Lester, IFAE founder and organizer of MIA.

During its début in January 2010, MIA welcomed more than 17,000 ticket-holders during the 5-day run, garnering positive reviews and sales reports from the participating international exhibitors, collectors, curators and the general public.  MIA 2010 attracted influential art collectors and curators from across the globe. Some of the more notable in attendance last year included Rosa de la Cruz, Richard Shack, Tony Goldman, Bonnie Clearwater and Janet Liedeker.

The fair will further promote the Miami art community by coinciding the fair dates with Design –Wynwood’s second Saturday gallery walk and other Miami gallery openings.