Raw Style: Miami Art Week
Art, Fashion & Entertainment Recap
The crowd gathered around Alexander Kuhn, who was creating artwork right in front of our eyes using a process I had never heard of before called pyrography – which is the art or technique of burning details onto wood with a metallic pointed tool. And Alexander did just that, as the art patrons watched him live working on a giant slab of wood, while his leopard artwork grew and grew into a realistic looking beast.
The Image Gallery from Brooklyn had a range of super cool and affordable pieces, including an oil on wood piece called “Dave” by Lina Hsiao, a small steel image peeking through a wall entitled “Volume II (Quiet Place)” by Damien Vera, and mini acrylic and wood pieces by Anthony Pinata. There were a range of prices on items at the event, from about $200 to $10,000. As we walked around, life-size sequined mannequins dangled from the ceiling from the famed New York City/Little Haiti-raised artist named Diego Montaya whose installation was called “Ascend with You.” A super cool, downtown vibe where club kids mingled with hip Brooklynites, all celebrating various forms of art and expression.
Then we headed off to events in Wynwood, where many of the usual galleries were open late, and the streets were filled with people, drinks, and pop-up shops full of art, fashion, and flair.
Also inside the warehouse were fun, brightly colored over-the-shoulder bags by Luxchilas with a percentage of sales benefiting the Sol Azul charity, which provides food and strives to improve the quality of life of children in need. Layered across the wall were hip sneakers with cartoon graphics by Kruzin, which are also available at their store on Washington Avenue in South Beach. This pop-up store had great range of appeal from street wear style for the super hip, to amazing jewelry for the well-traveled.
And here is a little secret to getting around during Art Basel. The stars of the new reality show “The Real Women of Telenovelas,” filming at The Temple House, along with some of Danny and Russell Simmons’ guests attending his Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation art auction at One Park Grove in Coconut Grove, used Miami’s newest and best way to get around called MiRide, a new App for a VIP luxury car service, which launched in Miami during Art Basel. My friends used it and could not have been happier.
Until the next fabulous event.
xoxo
Allison
Allison Weiss Brady handles marketing for celebrities and non-profits. She is active in many organizations in South Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania including Big Brothers Big Sister, The Community Coalition, Voices Against Brain Cancer, Gene Spotlight, The Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation, and one of her family’s foundations Say Yes to Education, which recently partnered with Quincy Jones. Weiss Brady and her husband Chip Brady are members of Art Basel’s Junior Host Committee and Weiss Brady is a member of the Vizcaya Preservation Luncheon Founding Committee. She on the Board of Advisors at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and she’s the only female on the university’s Football Board. Weiss Brady was also the sole recipient of the University of Pennsylvania’s 2008 Young Alumni of the Year Award, and serves on the Overseers board for the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
