Art Basel Gets Creative



Between the sagging economy and the proliferation of competitors, the organizers of art fairs have to shake things up continually to make sure that collectors keep coming back. So when Art Basel Miami Beach opens on Dec. 3, visitors will find the main exhibition floor reorganized. There will also be additional programs and an array of new dealers, many replacing those who decided not to return.

With 15 percent of the dealers dropping out of the fair, Art Basel Miami Beach had little choice but to get creative. “We’re finding that a lot of galleries are doing fewer fairs, and those that are participating want better spaces,” said Marc Spiegler, the fair’s co-director, who said the redesigned space would give exhibitors larger booths.



Along the waterfront, where a row of shipping containers once featured the work of emerging artists, there will now be a large-scale architectural space designed by the multimedia artist Pae White. Creative Time, the nonprofit arts organization known primarily for presenting public art around New York, is overseeing Ms. White’s project. And the emerging artists who occupied the shipping containers there will now move inside, to the middle of the main exhibition hall.



Creative Time’s involvement at Art Basel Miami Beach is a first. “Two years ago we started working nationally when we did a project with Paul Chan in New Orleans,” Anne Pasternak, Creative Time’s president and artistic director, said. So when Art Basel approached her about collaborating on a project along the beachfront, she jumped at the chance.



“Initially we went to 12 artists,” Ms. Pasternak said. “Pae seemed as though she had a great design sense.”

Ms. White is creating a three-dimensional environment the organizers are calling a “social space.” It will include piazzas and a performance platform, along with a series of scrims that change in appearance from day to night. Within the space the fair will present discussions, concerts and performances.