A Week Without Art

Keith Haring

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Did anyone else feel the need to recuperate after a week of massive overdosing from art events? Not that I've chosen to subtract art from my life but after Art Week I needed a little break. On Monday I reviewed all the photos that I had taken during Art Basel Miami Beach. (If there was a recurring theme for the week it was Kate Moss, there were images of her in almost every tent.) At that time I was able to examine the art at my leisure without the crowds, which I must say, were pleasantly distracting for the most part. At many of the shows and events I found myself staring at the people sometimes more than at the art. Of course there were so many people that could have been labeled as walking art or otherwise dressed so stunningly that they screamed to be stared at. For that reason I always return to the Miami Beach Convention Center for another day to view the art since the Vernissage is all about the people. As the week progressed the New Yorkers and visitors from abroad slowly acclimated to ways of tropical living and their dress became more casual. While opening nights of UNTITLED and DesignMiami had guests dressed to the nines, by the end of the week the crowds were mostly dressed in casual wear. 

Locals Aurora Rodriquez (Editor of Where South Florida) and Wendy Doscher-Smith

As I local I've learned to dress accordingly and since I live only blocks from many of the events I was able to change often while others dressed for the day. As an art lover I feel so lucky to live in a city that hosts such an event as Art Basel Miami Beach and Art Week. Because it's such an incredible week of art opportunities I throw myself into the mix and try to experience and see as much as possible. Even though I gave it a valiant try, I was not able to do all that I had scheduled for myself. There were parties and events that I missed but I also stopped at events and visited parties that were not part of my itinerary. This week was less a week of recuperation but a week of back to work and getting back to normal life again. Monday's emails were filled with Basel recaps, post event photo coverage, and press releases hoping to continue the Art Week coverage beyond the week of art. At the same time emails for holiday parties began pouring in but I was not quite ready yet. Overdosing on art was not as much a problem as the masses of people that filled most events and the streets. Don't get me wrong as it's a wonderful thing to have so many people visit Miami and spread their wealth but my threshold for crowds is much lower than that for art. While I was still enjoying the art from Art Week via my hundreds of photos I was not ready to jump into the holiday party scene. 

How I felt without the Internet!

On Wednesday my WiFi was down. Being one that is chained to my computer daily, I freaked. Luckily all my deadlines had been met. Without being connected to the internet I felt cut off from the world. A quick trip to Starbucks revealed that the world was still spinning and Facebook was still posting without me. I took it as a sign from the Universe and decided to take a vacation from my computer and got so much done. I finally cleaned my desk and got rid of all signs (and press passes) of Art Week. I did laundry, washed dishes, cleaned my entire apartment, grocery shopped, and planned my life, all without the aid of the Internet. 

My pile of dirty dishes was not quite as high as this installation at SCOPE...but almost.

What I discovered was that I'm addicted to my computer or the online world. Usually when I'm at a lack of something to do I'm on my computer searching websites, schmoozing on Facebook, or watching a missed TV show on Hulu. I realized that I had been using the computer as a reason to escape from responsibilities of life. By the end of the day I felt a rush of pride from all that I had accomplished but also, yes I admit it, wondered what was happening online. Who had emailed me, what were they talking about on Facebook, and had I missed any important Tweets? Back home, I found my WiFi was working once again and after a day of chores was ready to face the world again. Where could I mingle among a crowd of people without having to push and shove? The perfect solution was the showing of the film Amadeus at the New World Center. There I joined friends without having to stand in line and we could enjoy the film in silence. Before the film began they screened one of the video installations the previous exhibition at the Bass Museum of Art. So it wasn't really a week without art. That's not a possibility in my life. "The heart is a museum, filled with the exhibits of a lifetime's loves." (Diane Ackerman