ARTSY ACCOMMODATIONS

ARTSY ACCOMMODATIONS Rooms with A VIEW

OFFERING LUXURY HOSPITALITY AND ART-FOCUSED PROGRAMMING, THESE FIVE LOCAL HOTELS ARE HOSTING STAY-WORTHY EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS DURING ART WEEK AND BEYOND

BY MELISSA PUPPO

ARLO Wynwood

Nestled among Miami’s most cultured, design-forward districts is Arlo Wynwood, which recently made its debut as the first hotel in the neighborhood. It will make a splash during Art Week when it welcomes fine artist Brooke Einbender (aka Mindbender Art), who’s known for being a pioneer in the exploration of “phygital” (physical and digital) art. She works in a variety of mediums including painting, virtual reality, projection mapping, and installation. Guests of Arlo Wynwood and locals can check out her exhibition, “The Unknown Zone,” a “phygital” public art installation and NFT project with social impact, featuring reclaimed doors repurposed into fine art inside the hotel, which draws on Wynwood’s artistic nature “while embracing an eclectic industrial aesthetic.” (arlohotels.com/wynwood)

The Betsy Hotel

You can’t talk about art-focused hotels without a nod to The Betsy, known to many as Miami’s artistic oasis tucked away on Ocean Drive in the historic Art Deco District. The hotel has hosted more than 1,000 creatives inside its Writers’ Room, a working studio space designed for visiting writers and artists to develop their craft and share their work through community programs. Writers use a desk donated by the Hyam Plutzik Centennial Committee to honor the three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, who is the father of the hotel’s owner, Jonathan Plutzik. The Betsy also showcases exquisite exhibitions and art programs to boot. This year, the hotel will feature seven new exhibits for Miami Art Week, curated by Betsy co-owner Lesley Goldwasser. Works include photography by Tamary Kudita, Nadia Huggins, Alessandro Sarno, Eric Knoll, and Carlos Andres Cruz, as well as a new mixedmedia collection by emerging artist Ray Tenorio. The Betsy will also display work by award-winning conceptual mixed-media artist Sri Prabha, exhibited and commissioned in partnership with the City of Miami Beach. (thebetsyhotel.com)

TAMARY KUDITAW

Sagamore South Beach

Known for its year-round art programming and exhibitions, the legendary Sagamore South Beach, will again herald Miami Art Week with a series of interactive events and activations all under this year’s theme of “Into the Wild (Future).” Jonathan Cowan Productions and Electric Ibiza (the same partners behind Miami Music Week) will return to the Sagamore for a five-day Art Week takeover, featuring hotel-wide

gallery displays, immersive audiovisual experiences, an exhibition from a famous high-end gallery, and works by mural artists like Sebastien “Mr. D 1987” Boileau, plus outdoor pool and dance parties with world-class DJs daily. The hotel’s two-story bungalows will be turned into mini galleries where visiting artists sleep upstairs and display their work downstairs. One thing not to miss? The famous Sagamore Brunch (December 3), now in its twenty-first year. This exclusive event will feature art activations, fashion shows, NFT displays, musical performances, gourmet catering, mixology stations, and more. (sagamoresouthbeach.com)

The Confidante Miami Beach

One of Mid-Beach’s most famous hotels, The Confidante Miami Beach will play host to numerous happenings during Miami Art Week, including an artist showcase featuring Miami-based muralists Rigo Leon and MutaVision and Japanese muralist Funqest. On November 29, guests are invited to the hotel’s backyard to watch the trio as they make art inside 6-foot-by-6-foot plexiglass boxes suspended above the pool. Funqest’s solo exhibition will also be on display inside the hotel’s lobby and Artist Boutique Shop. (hyatt.com)

Kimpton EPIC Downtown

Situated along the Miami River is Kimpton Epic Downtown, a recently renovated crown jewel in Brickell. While it elicits oohs and aahs for its aesthetics, there’s even more to love about its cultural contributions. Last year the hotel launched Epic Arts, an artist-in-residency program created to deepen the hotel’s relationship with the local arts community, provide a platform for artists to exhibit and sell their work, and offer guests an inside look into Miami’s vibrant and diverse art scene. Participating artists display their work in exhibitions held in the hotel’s sixteenth-floor gallery space. Closing out the “Class of 2022” will be Chilean-born entrepreneur, artist, and photographer Cris Molina, whose “Hyper Black & White” will debut during Miami Art Week, highlighting his take on the sensuality of the human body. (epichotel.com)