This year the Sagamore, “the Art Hotel,” is proud to host the following Art Basel Miami Beach slate of events:
· OLAF BREUNING: A week before Art Basel 2008, Swiss artist Olaf Breuning will do a contemporary take on the Miami Beach sand sculpture in a new project commissioned by the Sagamore Hotel. The 150 ton sphinx looms over a stretch of beach directly behind the hotel. In a related work Olaf transforms the hotel lobby with an absurdist wall mural. For a live webcast of the sand sculpture under construction, log on to sagamorehotel.com.
Date: Wednesday, December 3rd
PRIVATE OPENING RECEPTION: 8 PM – 10PM
· LOCATION: On the beach between Lincoln Rd. and 17th St.
PRIVATE AFTER PARTY: 11PM – 2AM
· LOCATION: Sagamore Video Garden
· JUDE TALLICHET: Sara Meltzer Gallery will present Jude Tallichet: Career Retrospective as Charms for a Charm Bracelet. Coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach 2008, an Airstream generously provided by Design Within Reach (DWR) and Bates RV, will be transformed into a roving gallery space hosting viewings of Jude Tallichet’s newly launched edition of charms for charm bracelets, from Tuesday, December 2 through Friday, December 5, 2008. This roving exhibition will make appearances at several locations throughout Miami including the Sagamore hotel during the fairs and, in addition to experiencing the presentation of the entire line of charms, guests will be able to purchase the charms and will also be offered refreshments while enjoying the ambience of the DWR Airstream.
Date: Wednesday, December 3rd
PRESS PREVIEW: 10 AM – NOON
OPEN TO PUBLIC: NOON – 10PM
· THE STAIRWELL PROJECT: Six contemporary artists from Miami’s New World School of the Arts came together at the Sagamore hotel to create a vertical-type gallery. Each artist infused their own unique, innovative energy to create one collaborative work of art, throughout a six-story stairwell located off the main gallery. Dubbed “The Stairwell Project,” this group of both, students and recent graduates, after meeting certain criteria, were selected to participate by New World School of the Arts’ Dean of Visual Arts, Maggy Cuesta. Their personal artistic expression in transforming a separate floor of the stairwell ultimately blends each of their individual works into one harmonious piece of art. “The Stairwell Project” is the first in the continuing series of creating works within the hotel’s stairwells.
Through “The Stairwell Project,” the Sagamore has discovered an untapped space where emerging artists have the opportunity to display their work in this vertical-type gallery, creating yet another inventive way of immersing Sagamore guests in the art that envelops them everywhere on the property, through all spaces within the hotel. Guests who choose to take the stairs instead of the elevators will be brought closer to art through a cohesive visual experience– even within a stairwell.
OPEN TO PUBLIC during hotel hours.
· ART BASEL BRUNCH: The Sagamore’s annual Art Basel Brunch has become one of the most sought-after invitations of Art Basel Miami Beach. Hosted by hotel owners Martin and Cricket Taplin (Cricket curates The Sagamore Collection). The first Sagamore Art Basel Brunch was scheduled to take place in September of 2001, but in the wake of 9/11, Basel plans that year were cancelled. Cricket Taplin decided to hold the brunch anyway, as a way for those who came in town for Basel to be together during the trying period following 9/11, and in celebration of a brighter future and next year’s Basel. The brunch has been a beloved tradition ever since.
Date of Brunch (Invite Only): Saturday, December 6th
Time of Brunch: 9AM – 1PM
At 10:30AM during the brunch, collector Martin Z. Margulies will be signing copies of PAINTING AND SCULPTURE: MARTIN Z. MARGULIES COLLECTION. Proceeds will benefit the Lotus House, a homeless shelter for women and children in Miami.
Hotel Address: 1671 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
The Sagamore has been coined “The Art Hotel” by the travel industry and art community. In recognition of this honor, they have officially added this moniker to their name: Sagamore – The Art Hotel. The Sagamore Collection, on permanent display throughout the hotel, is continually rotated and features works of contemporary art, including painting, works on paper, photography, mixed media, sculpture and video art by recognized, emerging and world-renowned artists. The Sagamore continues to acquire five to 12 works per year. There has been special emphasis on acquiring video art in hopes of making the Sagamore a major venue for video artists. The Collection has evolved over the past 17 years and includes more than 500 works by many artists from this country, as well as artists from Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and other countries around the world.
The Sagamore Collection has been curated by Christine “Cricket” Taplin. Cricket has dedicated the past 17 years to building the collection and continues the commitment necessary to assure its continuing growth and evolution. While the Collection has received several gifts of art directly from artists, galleries and friends, all the works in the Collection have been individually curated by Cricket. The Sagamore Collection would not exist today without the curator’s commitment to the arts, dedication and ongoing involvement in the art community.
The diverse Sagamore Collection includes art by:
Artists: Alyson Shotz, Cerith Wyn Evans, Christine Borland, Gary Winogrand, Jason Rhodes, Julius Shulman, Massimo Vitali, Olafur Eliason, Pablo Cano, Peter Zimmerman, Roxy Paine Will Ryman, William Eggleston, Tracey Moffat and Yoshitomo Nara. Video Artists: Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Beat Streuli, Brian Dewan, Christian Marclay, Jeremy Blake, Jillian McDonald, Jordan Wolfson, Kota Ezawa, Michael Snow, The Neistat Brothers Paper Rad, Tim Hyde, Tony Oursler and Yoko Ono. New acquisitions include works by Hiraki Sawa, Olaf Breuning and Scott Hug.
Additionally, the Sagamore customarily invites recognized artists to create original works in a variety of exhibition areas located throughout the hotel’s interior spaces, gardens and on its oceanfront beach. Most recently, Spencer Tunick, chose the Sagamore’s exquisite architecture and pool as the setting for his latest installation (curated by Kimberly Marrero), and the resulting photos were unveiled during last year’s Art Basel.
Previous collaborations between artists creating original works with the Sagamore include photographer Massimo Vitali, multi-media artist Roxy Paine and the veteran conceptual artist Yoko Ono, who chose the Sagamore’s gardens for her world-renown interactive piece “Onochord.” In 2002, Vitali was selected to kick off the very first Art Basel Miami Beach, with his live photo shoot at the Sagamore that featured glamorous art-world guests attending the hotel’s first Art Basel Brunch, which is now held annually, and has evolved into a tent pole Miami Beach event.
