This past week/weekend art industry professionals, art collectors, artists and art enthusiasts alike swarmed to Miami for Art Basel Miami and what can only be described as — art overload! I had to join in the fun! Excited to conduct a 5-day-long all-out assault on art fairs, events, special exhibitions, exclusive parties, street art, public art, meetings, and art commerce, I devised my plan of attack.

Once I wrapped my head around the myriad number of choices, I settled on seeing as much as possible…not everything. I packed my bags, my VIP passes, and my schedule and headed south.

Using airbnb.com, I booked a luxury apartment in a perfect South Beach location. Though the apartment was great, I arrived to a broken toilet. Inconvenience! They fixed it, but I missed much of the ABM Vernissage party, which was a drag. Metered parking also posed minor challenge–next time I’m getting a place with valet! (One Miami parking ticket was enough.)

I arrived in Miami Wednesday night and stayed through Sunday. During my whirlwind stay, I visited over a dozen art fairs, checked out a couple of swanky VIP parties, enjoyed tons of great art, and met inspiring people.

Walking all of the art fairs and viewing all of the artwork in one place is thrilling. At the parties, after getting through the guest list, the drinks flowed and the beautiful people came out in force.

I really enjoyed the VIP opening party at Aqua 11 on Wed. night. With an electric energy in the air, Aqua 11′s band was kickin’, and they offered cocktails and hors d’oeurves a-plenty. Aqua 11′s open air design, courtyard palm trees, and art deco vibe created the fun Miami vibe I hoped for. As I wandered into each hotel room/exhibit, I discovered another great new “gallery” to see.

The Pulse Miami VIP preview brunch on Thursday morning rocked! After seeing amazing art and chatting with great gallery owners I retired to the courtyard for brunch. I enjoyed bacon, eggs, a muffin and a mimosa while swaying on a hammock and soaking up the sun.

Another amazing and impressive fair, Art Miami, hosted some of my favorite works of the weekend.

Cease and desist! Pool Art Fair for independent artists got ousted from their hotel host because of fire code issues! They relocated to a disappointing scene. If you witnessed this exhibition tragedy, give Pool another chance. I’ve been to their New York edition, and (when they comply with fire codes) they always please.

The little SEVEN art fair (with only seven galleries showing) surprised and impressed. They left a fair-goer wanting more than just seven!

Art Basel Miami weekend provides a high-energy, exciting, party-filled collection of galleries and artists where you can explore art, and sunny Miami in December is a sweet place to do it! If you go next year, The Bare Square will see you there!

- Jen Wallace