Airbnb is returning to Art Basel Miami Beach with a slate of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that bring guests closer to the art world than ever before. As part of its landmark multi-year partnership with the fair, the platform is offering curated engagements and design-forward stays that allow culture-seekers to experience Art Basel beyond the convention center floor. All offerings are available for booking on Airbnb.com.
A key pillar of the partnership is the Airbnb Arts Travel Grant, a $1.2 million initiative supporting emerging artists and galleries. Fair directors across Basel’s global editions nominate recipients whose work champions new voices and sparks meaningful cultural conversations. The program follows the success of last year’s debut and the flagship activation in Paris, reinforcing Airbnb’s commitment to expanding access within the contemporary art ecosystem.
Explore Curation with Kelly Wearstler
Courtesy of Kelly Wearstler and Airbnb.
Courtesy of Kelly Wearstler and Airbnb.
Interior designer Kelly Wearstler—whose bold, shape-driven aesthetic has made her a touchstone for design lovers—invites guests inside her creative process for a rare workshop in the Art Basel Miami Beach Collectors Lounge. Known for transforming spaces with sculptural forms and unexpected materials, Wearstler steps away from finished interiors to spotlight the origin point of her practice: curation.
Participants will handle the same materials, swatches, textures, and references used in her studio as they create a personalized “vibe tray.” Guided by Wearstler herself, the exercise becomes an intimate study in how designers translate visual inspiration into spatial decisions.
For emerging creatives or anyone longing to understand how to begin shaping a visual language, the workshop offers a low-pressure, behind-the-scenes look at a foundational step in design thinking—set inside one of the fair’s most coveted VIP spaces.
An Exclusive Director’s Preview with Bridget Finn
Courtesy of Bridget Finn and Airbnb.
Art Basel Miami Beach director Bridget Finn, appointed in 2023 and the first leader to have previously exhibited at the fair, will host an early access tour before doors open to the public. Finn will guide guests through Meridians, offering generous, thoughtful insight into how works are selected, positioned, and contextualized within the fair’s broader artistic landscape.
The experience concludes with VIP fair access and a celebratory champagne toast in the Collectors Lounge. For collectors, emerging buyers, or curious art lovers, this quiet, crowd-free walk-through offers a rare and unusually intimate glimpse into the fair’s inner workings, providing a moment to understand how major decisions shape what audiences ultimately see.
Tour Jack Pierson’s Solo Exhibition with the Artist
“Jack Pierson: The Miami Years,” 2025, installation view. Photography by Zaire, Aranguren. Courtesy of The Bass, Miami Beach
Airbnb has also secured a private pre-opening tour of Jack Pierson’s major solo exhibition at The Bass. “The Miami Years” revisits the period the artist spent living on Miami Beach throughout the 1980s and 1990s, a transformative era when the city’s sun-drenched landscape, nightlife, and cultural exchanges profoundly influenced his visual language and emotional tone.
Led by Pierson himself, the visit offers an intimate conversation with the artist before the museum opens to the public. It’s an opportunity to encounter the exhibition exactly as he envisioned it—quietly, directly, and without the usual Art Week crowds, allowing visitors the time and space to absorb the work’s emotional resonance and historical significance.
Art and Culture Beyond Miami
Courtesy of Ueshima Museum.
Outside the intensity of Miami Art Week, Airbnb and Art Basel are co-developing cultural experiences in global art hubs including PACE Gallery in Los Angeles, Casa Estudio Max Cetto in Mexico City, and a curator-led tour at Tokyo’s Ueshima Museum. These behind-the-scenes engagements—once reserved primarily for VIPs—signal a broader shift toward the democratization of art encounters.
The collaboration extends through 2026–27, connecting Art Basel’s international network of galleries, artists, and cultural partners with travelers seeking meaningful access to contemporary culture. And for those who miss this year’s offerings, more opportunities are already underway.
