Sarah Arison Guest Edits Whitewaller Miami 2018

At the top of my list is the National YoungArts Foundation’s program. I encourage everyone to stop by the YoungArts Gallery (2100 Biscayne Boulevard) to see “Education as the Practice of Freedom,” featuring works by 20 YoungArts alumni and curated by Project for Empty Space’s Jasmine Wahi. This timely exhibition examines ideas on transgressive education based on bell hooks’s writings and encourages viewers to think about the concepts of learning, unlearning, and relearning. YoungArts will also be exhibiting works by 15 alumni at PULSE Miami Beach, with 100 percent of sales going directly to the exhibiting artists.

As far as Miami arts institutions, my must-see list includes the Haas Brothers’ exhibition “Ferngully” at the Bass Museum. The Haas Brothers are not just outstanding designers and artists working at the crossroads of art and design; they are also great friends and supporters of YoungArts as master
teachers. Simon and Nikolai Haas will be honored with the 2019 Arison Award at the YoungArts Backyard Ball gala and performance on January 12 for their commitment and contributions to the arts.

I’ll also head to PAMM to hear Christo speak about his iconic Miami installation Surrounded Islands and other large-scale, ephemeral public works he created, and to see Ebony G. Patterson’s “. . . while the dew is still on the roses . . .,” an investigation of forms of embellishment related to youth culture within disenfranchised communities.

I absolutely can’t wait to see the work of Larry Bell, one of my favorite artists, at the ICA. His exhibition “Time Machines” is the first comprehensive museum survey of his work in nearly two decades.

Art Basel in Miami Beach is at the center of it all, and I never miss Gavin Brown’s booth at the fair. If I manage to fit in some time to relax and take in the glorious Miami winter weather, it will be at Mandolin, a favorite restaurant of mine in the Miami Design District, and at the beach at Soho House.

My advice for fairgoers this year: Stay hydrated and rested, wear comfortable shoes, don’t forget your portable phone charger, and prepare yourself for a diet of champagne and hors d’oeuvres for the week. Most importantly, see great art, support artists and buy their work, make new friends along the way, and be sure to say hello if our paths cross during this whirlwind of a week!

Lots of love,
Sarah Arison
President, Arison Arts Foundation
@saraharison