MAISON ET OBJET AMERICAS is being warmly welcomed with a wealth calendar of events and celebrations all over town, making Miami Beach the place to be in the design world in mid-May. In addition to the Fair and the star-studded Design & Lifestyle Summit, a multitude of additional activities are being planned in various locations in and around Miami Beach, including the Design District, Ironside and DCOTA, all in celebration of this important event. Miami Museum Month will honor MAISON ET OBJET AMERICAS this year with five of Miami’s most respected museums offering free admission to all the visitors and exhibitors.
PEREZ ART MUSEUM (PAMM)
Is a modern and contemporary art museum serving one of the most diverse populations in one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and dedicated to collecting and exhibiting international art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Dedicated to improving the quality of life for individual residents of and visitors to Miami-Dade County, the state-of-the-art and sustainable building was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, now offers 200,000 square feet or programmable space. (http://www.pamm.org)
THE WOLFSONIAN
The Wolfsonian (Florida International University) is a museum, library, and research center with approximately 150,000 objects dating from 1885 to 1945 in a variety of media. Furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass, ceramics, and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; and textiles; are all exhibited in exploration of what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, historical, and technological changes that have transformed our world. (http://www.wolfsonian.org) The Wolfsonian will also present MAISON ET OBJET RISING TALENTS on Thursday, May 14 at 7pm. Five of the Rising Stars will speak about their individual design approach in a panel discussion moderated by Wolfsonian curator Christian Larsen.
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) expanded from a modest single gallery space to it’s current home, a site for discovering new artists alongside the work of contemporary masters, and to learn about our living cultural heritage. MOCA is known for its provocative & innovative exhibitions and for seeking a fresh approach in examining the art of our time. (https://mocanomi.org)
LOWE ART MUSEUM
Lowe Art Museum opened to the public in 1952 as the fi rst art museum in South Florida. Originating from three classrooms in 1950 to now housing a 17,500 object collection, its history refl ects an unwavering commitment to fulfi ll its mission to serve the University of Miami as an invaluable teaching resource along with the residents of and visitors to greater Miami. It is now considered of the most important museums in the southeast, with strengths in Renaissance and Baroque, American, Ancient and Native American, and Asian art.
BASS MUSEUM OF ART
Bass Museum of Art Founded in 1963 with a gift from collectors, the Bass Museum of Art aims to present contemporary art to excite, challenge, and educate through it dynamic year-round calendar of contemporary exhibitions. The museum is also home to the Lindemann Family Creativity Center which also houses IDEA@thebass program of art classes and workshops. (https://www.bassmuseum.org) In honor of MAISON&OBJECTS AMERICAS fi rst visit to Miami Beach, the Bass Museum of Art has extended its current exhibition ‘One Way: Peter Marino’ through May 17 to accommodate fair goers. This exhibition, curated by international cultural agitator Jerômé Sans, explores the interplay between renowned American architect Peter Marino’s iconic designs and his personal collection of over 170 works by major contemporary artists.
MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT
Miami Design District will celebrate M&O’s 20th Anniversary with a multitude of showrooms in the district creating their own programming and events on the evening of Thursday May 14th. Designers like Holly Hunt, Internum, Jonathan Adler, Luminaire Lab, Minotti, Niba Home, The Rug Company, Oggetti, Ornare, Susane R. and many others will be hosting programs, unveiling collections or featuring exhibitions. The evening will culminate in a cocktail party for 250 special guests from the world of design and art in the newly completed Palm Court Plaza. This by invitation-only event, presented by Niche Media and MAISON ET OBJET AMERICAS Magazine, will take place on Thursday, May 14th from 6:30 – 9:30PM. Shuttles will be provided to and from the Convention Center during the fair, and additional special events will be held during the run of the fair.
This hot new area will be hosting lectures, cocktail parties, exhibitions and special events throughout the week. Tours will also take place March 13-15 (by RSVP only), giving guests an insider view of the campus, it’s history and future expansion projects with Ron Arad architects, as well as a look at the studios, designers, and artists. On Friday, May 15th from 7-10 p.m. Ironside’s showrooms and studios will open their doors for a final night of celebrating art, design and creativity on the Upper Eastside. Guests are invited to meet, connect and discover everything this creative district has to offer at the Campus Collective: Fête du Design. The evening will also feature live jazz performances, French flair cuisine, specialty cocktails, and a featured talk and public performance with French design duo Mel & Kio.
While this is the first year that the Pritzker Prize will take place in Miami Beach the award has deep roots in the city as a long favorite of the Pritzker family, who own hotels in the area. Multiple previous winners also have new buildings either in process or recently built, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Richard Meier, I. M. Pei, Rem Koolhaas, Renzo Piano, and Norman Foster, to name a few. Past awardee Zaha Hadid lives in Miami part time and soon Richard Meier will too. The ceremony will be held on May 15th at award winner Frank Gehry’s breathtaking New World Center, by invitation.
So the choices are endless for events this week in Miami! Enjoy! Miami Design District doesn’t let you get lost with this amazing Miami guide and also a New York guide for the fair ICFF. Download here:
