Critics Pick

The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is in town for the second year -- and not the last, say organizers. NADA was a favorite in 2003 as it brought to Miami Beach 45 contemporary art galleries and nonprofit groups from around the country and from Europe. The sense of camaraderie and optimism was palpable and contagious (no wonder, with a motto like this: "Encouraging nonadversarial approaches to exhibiting and dealing art"). This year the gathering has expanded to 60 galleries and has moved to a new location, downtown's Ice Palace, a venue with open floors, high ceilings, and an outdoor garden. Just two local galleries will be showing: Miami's Rocket Projects and Kevin Bruk Gallery. -- Alfredo Triff

New Art Dealers Alliance

December 2-5, 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. Thursday, noon to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, Ice Palace Studios, 59 NW 14th St., Miami.

Lovers of architecture must not miss the Art Basel conversations program entitled "Architecture for Art: The Limits of Art and Architecture." The star of the day is Rem Koolhaas, one of the most important designers alive. A theorist with many books to his credit, Koolhaas's Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan is a classic. The museum world is becoming an ever-expanding shopping mall, and Koolhaas is struggling with the idea (he just finished the Guggenheim Museum in Las Vegas). These are some of the questions to be debated by the panel: What are the opportunities and risks of museum architecture? When do architecture and art limit each other? Will architecture be a defining factor for the future of the museum? Panelists include Kathy Halbreich, director of the Walker Art Museum, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. Terence Riley, curator for architecture at MoMA, moderates the event. -- Alfredo Triff

"Architecture for Art: The Limits of Art and Architecture."

December 4, 10:30 a.m., Art Collectors' Lounge, Miami Beach Convention Center, entrance D.

Described as a "large-scale urban intervention" OmniArt redefines the idea of the neighborhood as a "work of art." Warehouse spaces, vacant lots, and streets along NE Second Avenue just west of the Performing Arts Center (under construction) are being transformed into sculpture and performance sites. This is a collaborative effort among the Miart Foundation, Florida International University, the University of Miami, and the City of Miami's Community Redevelopment Agency. Nearly 60 artists and curators will occupy three warehouses and smaller venues to present a full range of art, from performance to installations to paintings and photographs. Among the Miami artists participating are Carlos Betancourt, Edouard Duval-Carrié, and Tina Spiro. Betancourt's installation En la Arena Sabrosa continues his use of sand and the ephemeral. Don't miss Cuba's Tania Bruguera and her dramatic piece Autobiografía (for details, see page 13). Also look for the work of MacArthur "genius grant" recipient Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle. A professor of architecture and a multidisciplinary artist, Manglano-Ovalle is known internationally for his elegant installations dealing with personal identity and community. -- Alfredo Triff

OmniArt

December 3, 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., NE 2nd Avenue at 13th Street, Miami.

FRISBEE is a free-flying, fledgling art fair organized by New York curator Anat Ebgi to "challenge the constitution of an art fair." Emphasizing overlap among creative disciplines, FRISBEE features artist performances, collaborative projects, and activities that engage participation by the public. Look for the Self-Esteem Salon, perpetrated by New York artist Cheri Nevers, various documentation of New York artists Chris Verene and Christian Holstad's performance hilarity, a site-specific audio-visual extravaganza by Brian Belott, and the release of a FRISBEE limited-edition artist's book by New York/Miami artist Jen DeNike. Painter Elizabeth Huey, a grown-up, Yale-finished Henry Darger, shows her manic, narrative collage paintings. Alexandre Singh's performance of An Instructional Lecture on Economix, will take place at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, December 4, in the hotel's conference room. In addition to Ebgi, other FRISBEE participants include ARENA (New York), Byron Cohen Gallery (Kansas City), and Capsule Gallery (New York). Curators include Miami's José-Carlos Diaz (Worm-Hole Laboratory). -- Michelle Weinberg

FRISBEE Art Fair

December 2-5, Thursday through Saturday 3:00 to 9:00 p.m, Sunday 2:00 to 8:00 p.m., Cavalier Hotel, 1320 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 646-281-1112.