The Knights Arts Challenge Anniversary at PAMM. Ten years ago, the Knight Foundation began funding cultural projects in Miami through the Knight Arts Challenge, a program that awarded grant money to nascent creative endeavors while coaching organizers in the subtle art of fundraising. A decade later, it's difficult to find a cultural program in Miami that hasn't benefitted from the Knight Arts Challenge. That's an achievement worth celebrating, and local creatives plan to do exactly that with a free Monday-night party combining music by Spam Allstars and Locos por Juana, art, and dance in the plaza between Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Frost Museum of Science. The foundation will also announce the winners of this year's awards. 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, December 4, in the plaza adjacent to PAMM, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; knightfoundation.org/arts-10. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.
"In Reel Life" at Miami Beach Cinematheque. Hollywood birthed some of the 20th Century's most iconic styles. But now, in the new millennium, it can be hard to feel a connection with films from back in the day. The graphic designers of Jacober Creative are bridging the gap with "IRL (In Reel Life): From Celluloid to Cellular, Recasting the Classics Through Graphic Design." The exhibit shows a collection of movie-inspired designs of ordinary objects, from a Carrie-themed water canteen to 12 custom cigarette boxes imprinted with a graphic from Desperately Seeking Susan. Browsing the show just might reignite your love of film classics. 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 5, through December 31 at Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-672-3293; jacobercreative.com. Admission is free.
New Spring at the Temple House. It looks like something out of a Tim Burton film: a white, treelike sculpture rising as tall as three people, with branches curving downward in perfectly circular arcs. At the tips of those branches, mist-filled bubbles grow and then detach, floating toward spectators below. The bubbles bounce off your clothing but burst at the touch of your hand, leaving a globe of mist that dissipates seconds later. It's not a fever dream; it's New Spring, a public art installation born out of a collaboration between the design firm Studio Swine and the clothing label COS. Catch it as part of Design Miami/ before it disappears after Art Basel. 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 6, through Sunday, December 10, at the Temple House, 1415 Euclid Ave., Miami Beach; cosstores.com. Admission is free.
Basel House at the RC Cola Plant. Don’t have the big bucks to make it to the Miami Beach Convention Center this week? Just look at the walls — they’re literally covered in art in Wynwood, and they’ve been that way since before the neighborhood had valet parking up and down Second Avenue. Basel House is taking this to the nth degree with a Mural Festival, which has invited more than 60 artists from all over the world to craft murals right before your very eyes. There will also be free music, craft vendors, and cocktails. Did we mention admission is free? Noon Friday, December 8, through Sunday, December 10, at the RC Cola Plant, 550 NW 24th St., Miami; baselhouse.com. Admission is free.
"Apex Predator" in the Wynwood Arts District. "Darwinian Voodoo" might sound like a strange chapter from your sociology textbook, but it’s actually a collaboration between Ukrainian artist Mariana Fantich and British artist Dominic Young. The two are opening a pop-up storefront for Art Basel that will exhibit a portion of the project titled "Apex Predator." Pieces include “refurbished” designer items adorned with human teeth, hair, and bones. All items at the conceptual retail store will be for sale, though they might not be appropriate to wear at your next Art Basel party. Noon Wednesday, December 6, through Sunday, December 10, at 221 NW 23rd St., Miami; fantichandyoung.co.uk. Admission is free.
Basel at the Yard: Electric Avenue at Wynwood Yard. You know what Miami Art Week was missing before the creation of this event? A fifth Basel-affiliated party in Wynwood. Thankfully, the Wynwood Yard is here to fill this fabricated void. This neighborhood nexus will be chock full of its usual vendors and cocktails, but the party is enhanced with a night of dancing. Afrobeta, Millionyoung, Eons, and DJ Lolo will make sure that even if you're just walking from one Art Basel event to the other on the streets of our favorite arts district, you'll get to groove until the wee hours of the morning. 7 p.m. Friday, December 6, at the Wynwood Yard, 56 NW 29th St., Miami; thewynwoodyard.com. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.
Courtesy of SWARM
Promenade Auto in the Wynwood Arts District. Miami Art Week isn’t just for the highfalutin types. It has spread its wings so wide that it encompasses the whole city and an array of interests. This Sunday, three blocks in Wynwood will be dedicated to Promenade Auto, which will display regional “road art” and 66 automobiles. They'll include vintage classics, art cars, and custom-built badass supercars — a block for each. Admission is free, but there will be a VIP area offering a lobster lunch for crustacean-craving Basel ballers. 10 a.m. Sunday, December 10, at 2202 NW First Ct., Miami; facebook.com/miamisupercarrooms. Admission is free.
