Art Basel Miami Beach: The Cure For America's Economic Woes?

Ian Witlen

As Mitt Romney and Barack Obama spar week after week over unemployment rates and job creation, maybe they should both look to the Miami art market as a model for economic revitalization.

Consider this year's looming Art Basel Miami Beach, which will bring another rush of new events, new jobs, and fresh talent to Miami during the December arts confab.

This year's Basel fiesta will be livelier than ever, with seven new fairs, plus the new UR1 Festival in Bayfront Park, where contemporary art will mix with big-time acts like Kanye West, Lou Reed, and Animal Collective.

Don't forget the mainstays either: The Art Basel fair inside the Miami Beach Convention Center will house 260 of the planet's top-drawer galleries and include special exhibition sections of up-and-coming spaces, performance art, public art projects, and video art. All your favorite satellite fairs, from Pulse, NADA, and Scope to Art Miami, Art Asia, and Design Miami, will be back in business too.

Add it all up and there's no question that Basel has become the beating heart of Miami's economy.

Continue reading "Art Basel Miami Beach Keeps Booming."

Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.