Art Basel is a special for-profit art fair that takes place every year in Basel, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Miami Beach. The Art Basel of Miami Beach began in 2002 and since then has become an annual event. It displays pieces of art, including contemporary and modern. It attracts visitors from all parts of the world, brings wealth and money to collectors and industry leaders, and has encouraged investment into the arts of Miami. It has raised the profile of new artists trying to begin their careers and predominantly artists from Latin America. Art Basel becomes the centerpiece of the Miami Art Week with a variety of artwork stretching from paintings to sculptures and even films as well. SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) has a partnership with Art Basel that provides presentations of alumni work and alumni events along with admissions’ information sessions.
On Thursday, December 4th, students at ILS from different grade levels interested in SCAD and part of the Digital Art STEAM attended a field trip to Art Basel to experience the different types of creative art that shape their interests and potential career decisions.
Junior and Key Club member Ignacio Figueroa-Valcourt explained his excitement for this field trip:
Ignacio explained how he is looking forward to this opportunity since he is a fan of all kinds of music and wants to see the variety of art Art Basel provides.
Every year the people of Miami have mixed feelings about Art Basel. Some love the artistic aspect of it, but others dread the traffic that is to come in this busy city. In Miami, traffic is usually heavy, but Art Basel brings even more of it to the city. Some students at ILS live at farther distances than others and this event might cause stress or annoyance to these students, especially student drivers.
Senior and SALTT member Alyssa Crews tells the Royal Courier of her annoyance of the Art Basel traffic.
“It takes me thirty minutes longer than usual and I already live so far in Miami Lakes. The traffic on the I-95 is really annoying especially since I drive myself to school.”
Even when some students love the art aspect of Art Basel, the traffic can be a pain especially with the lack of safety measures from many Miami drivers.
Another student, junior Maria Lutsenko, shares both ideas on traffic and the fundamental aspect of Art Basel.
“The traffic has definitely increased. I drive all the way to Miami Beach and found the traffic a bit stressful, but I manage. Besides that, I would love to one day be able to go to Art Basel. It seems really cool.”
Maria’s opinion shows that there can always be positives and negatives to these kinds of events. Even if the traffic is heavy, many people think it is a great opportunity to learn about different art works, while others would simply relish the opportunity to attend.
