Artistically Social

Amy Rosenberg Basels

Amy Rosenberg is an attorney and arts advocate who founded the Overtown Music Project and the Arsht Center’s young patrons group. She is the co-founder of the environmental non-profit Dream in Green. Amy is a member of Art Basel’s Junior Host Committee and sits on the Board of the Funding Arts Network. She also serves on the New World Symphony’s Friends Committee as well as The Wolfsonian-FIU’s Visionaries Committee.

How does one make it to all the fairs, lectures, readings and parties that go on daily during Art Basel? Fueled by David’s Cafe cortaditos and a take-no-prisoners attitude, I gave it my all.

Herewith, snippets from my favorite and most bizarre Basel moments…

Wiggling through a wall at the Rubell Collection in order to get to Jennifer Rubell’s Goldie Locks installation in a ruined old house full of porridge, boxed raisins and Sugar in the Raw.

Listening to a presentation on art securitization by social art fund manager, Serge Tiroche while sitting next to Russian oligarchs and oil heiresses at the Skate’s Insiders Club Meeting at the Shore Club.

Test driving the new Jaguar XJ at Pulse after a blissful outdoor brunch of tea sandwiches and blondies with New York art consultant Kianga Ellis.

Overhearing a group of women fueled on champagne attempting to pronounce German designer Konstantin Grcic’s name at Design Miami. (It’s pronounced Ger-chich.)

Making it all of twenty feet at Art Basel Miami Beach’s Vernissage in two hours.

Seeing actor Adrian Brody, seated next to two mysterious beauties dipping into a hummus platter at Sultan.

Admiring the fabulously alternative SEVEN in Wynwood, for rejecting the booth format in favor of a more free-form and fun setting.

Nothing beat the mostly vegan brunch at the Mondrian for Danny and Russell Simmon’s charity, Rush Philanthropic. The speech about mentoring by singer Estelle almost made me tear into my rice pudding.

Purchasing Paul Chan: The Essential and Incomplete Sade for Sade’s Sake from Badlands Unlimited, publisher of limited edition paper books.

The sensational Isaac Julien show at the Bass…so dreamy and beautifully curated the noise level never rose above a murmur.

Sharing duck canapes with filmmaker Rhonda Mitrani, her husband Todd Buchman and Bal Harbour Tourism Director Carolyn Travis at Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery before dancing under the stars (and at one point, dos-i do-ing with a stranger) until the wee hours.

Sitting across from talented painter Danny Simmons, independent Pittsburgh curator Ingrid LaFleur (check out her show this week if you’re in Pennsylvania) and Executive Director of Rush Philanthropic, Tangie Murray, at the Gene Spotlight fundraiser where Russell Simmons was a special guest. Attendees bid on items from the NBA, Van Cleef & Arpels and Markowicz Fine Art Gallery. Overheard: a conversation about Behind the Lights, an event by award-winning architect and interior designer Eleazar Delgado.

Running into two of my favorite Miamians, art collectors Marilyn Holified and Marvin Holloway at the Lowe Art Museum’s Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper.

“Saturday’s Ransom,” artist Jim Drain’s energetic and colorful take on “vehicles of transcendance” at Locust Projects.

Whitefish salad and melt-in your mouth french toast with friends, old and new, at Fairchild Tropical Gardens annual Sunday brunch. The Lalanne installation was quirky and fun. (Note to self: do not wear clogs in a garden.) Bumped into two women I admire: Jayne Abbess and Evelyn Greer.

Kehinde Wiley’s Fish Fry at the Shore Club with the sartorially splendid blue-chip artist. Kehinde caught the fish and Top Chef alum Sam Talbot fried it up. The fish was served alongside greens and mac and cheese from People’s BBQ in Overtown. Kehinde and his assistant Krista, are as kind and generous as they come.

Almost dozing off at New York artist Ryan McGuinley’s stripper installation at jiggle joint Club Madonna. The art literati sat stone-like and stricken as Miss Diamond Kitty worked off her sparkly ensemble.

Until next year….