Design Miami/ today announces a return to the Miami Design District, the home of the first ever Design Miami/ fair, for its sixteenth edition, November 27th to December 6th. The 2020 edition of Design Miami/ will be staged by way of a new curated selling exhibition concept, Design Miami/Podium, which invites both gallery and studio participation, creating access for individual designers and leading galleries alike. This new typology aims at flexibility and international touring capability through its composition of individual pieces and reformatted larger presentations by select major galleries.
To ensure the wellbeing of its staff, exhibitors and guests, Design Miami/ has implemented health and safety protocols in consultation with the University of Miami Health System and has extended the runtime to ten days, to facilitate viewing at low capacity. Taking advantage of the recently launched Design Miami/ Shop, Design Miami/ will be more accessible than ever, with multi-channel sales efforts facilitating participation from regional collectors and international clientele.
The Moore Building exhibition marks a return to the same venue that launched the fair in 2005, this time bolstered by the dynamic surroundings of the architecturally-led Miami Design District, throughout which Design Miami/’s programming will extend. The central Design Miami/Podium exhibition will be housed across the historic building’s four floors which surround “Elastika,” the striking architectural intervention by late architect Zaha Hadid and commissioned by Dacra president and Design Miami/ founder Craig Robins. The fair is a cornerstone of the diverse cultural programming slated for the Miami Design District during this vibrant week in Miami.
“Despite the circumstances of this year, it’s with pride that we welcome Design Miami/Podium to where it all began. The Miami Design District has grown and evolved since the first edition of the fair and this year acts as the perfect backdrop to an indoor/outdoor staging of the world’s greatest collectible design” – Craig Robins, Founder, Design Miami/
Design Miami/Podium will take on a theme entitled America(s). Overseen by Curatorial Director Aric Chen, the timely exhibition calls into question the meaning and understanding of America and its identity through the juxtaposition of important works of design and craft. Chen, the Chicago-born, Shanghai-based curator worked with Design Miami/ galleries to select the works, while inviting independent studios and makers as well. The result is a provocative survey of design history inextricably linked by provenance while at odds in meaning.
“Historically, America—whether referring to the United States or the wider region that includes it—has meant many things to many people. More recently, notions of ‘America’ have been questioned, challenged, and revised in ways that suggest we are at a critical turning point for what America means, not just to Americans but the world at large” – Aric Chen, Curatorial Director, Design Miami/
Broad in scope, and including both American and non-American designers, the exhibition will span Shaker objects and early 19th-century Navajo textiles, alongside objects loaned from The Wolfsonian-FIU museum, to works by 20th century figures including Wendell Castle, Greta Magnusson Grossman, George Nakashima, the Black ceramicist Earl Hooks, Chinese immigrant craftsman Po Shun Leong, and George Nelson’s “Five Leaf” chair from the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Particular emphasis will be placed on contemporary makers, including Roberto Lugo, who revisits traditional Euro-American ceramic traditions through the lens of Black and other histories and Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, best known for their interventions on the US-Mexico border wall, who will be presenting their 3-D printed clay cookware drawn from the traditions of the Taos and Picuris Pueblos of northern New Mexico. These, alongside the Haas Brothers, Ini Archibong, Stephen Burks, Misha Kahn, Katie Stout, Ronald Rael, Pedro Barrail, Paul S. Briggs, Malcolm Mobutu Smith, and others.
The exhibition will also feature the in-progress debut of Common Ground, an expansive gesture of reconciliation by Adam Silverman for which the Los Angeles-based artist has assembled, with the aid of volunteers, clay, ash and water from each of the 56 US states and territories. The materials will be combined into a single clay from which Silverman is making ceramic pots and dinnerware that will be distributed back to public institutions and used to connect people through organized, communal dinners in each of those territories.
Alongside the flexibility found in the new exhibition concept, Design Miami/Podium welcome reformatted partner exhibitions. Design Miami/ is pleased to welcome Perrier-Jouët and Fendi back this edition with new partners to be announced in November.
“Since 2012, Maison Perrier-Jouët is proud to have nurtured, alongside Design Miami/, enduring ties with the world of art and design through collaborations with outstanding talents from all over the globe. These extremely challenging times offer us a tremendous opportunity to renew our commitment to the fair which, year after year, has maintained its status as a key event on the international art calendar” – Axelle de Buffevent, Creative Director, Perrier-Jouët
Following the launch of Design Miami/Shop in June, the 2020 edition of the fair will have a vastly expanded online presence including virtual programming for the many collectors and enthusiasts around the world who are unable to visit in-person this year.
“While we recognize the challenges with hosting a physical event this year, the return to the Miami Design District for an extended fair will allow us to progress with a format that offers opportunities to our galleries and partners to support their businesses while also providing a safe and controlled environment for our visitors. We’re delighted that our exhibitors have responded so enthusiastically and that we can progress with the many visionary galleries and designers that make Design Miami/ so successful year on year” – Jennifer Roberts, CEO, Design Miami/
Schedule of Events/
Preview Day/ Friday, November 27
/ Members + Collectors Preview/ 12–5pm
/ VIP Preview/ 5–7pm
Public Show Days/ 12–1pm for private groups only on all public days
/ Saturday, November 28/ 12–7pm
/ Sunday, November 29/ 12–5pm
/ Monday, November 30/ 12–7pm
/ Tuesday, December 1/ 12–7pm
/ Wednesday, December 2/ 12–7pm
/ Thursday, December 3/ 12–7pm
/ Friday, December 4/ 12–7pm
/ Saturday, December 5/ 12–7pm
/ Sunday, December 6/ 12–5pm
For more information, visit http://www.miamidesigndistrict.net/
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