Tomorrow, I’ll be driving straight across the Everglades to cover Art Basel Miami Beach, North America’s largest art fair held annually in South Florida since 2001.  The show is an offshoot of the Art Basel festival held each year in Switzerland which has planted its flag in a decidedly sunnier setting, giving art exhibitors, collectors, admirers and hangers-on a good reason to flock to Florida at the onset of cold weather.

The overwelming majority of the press coverage on Art Basel Miami Beach 2008 thus far has focused on the effect the incredible shrinking economy will have on the art market.  The predictions are dire, as they are for virtually everything else involving money these days.  However, here on TakePart this will not be the narrative regarding this show.  Our aim is to show you great art from a socially and environmentally active perspective, and with so much art at both the original Art Basel Miami Beach show and the myriad satellite festivals that have popped up around it like Aqua Art Miami, Green Art Fair, Bridge Art Fair and Photo Miami there should hopefully be plenty of good stories to tell.

Meanwhile you can get yourself a little taste of the event by checking out this funny, well put together YouTube video of some of the excesses of the festival:

You can takepart in helping disadvantaged inner city children study art by checking out Inner City Arts.

LINKS:

ARTINFO: A surprisingly steady and solid beat at Art Basel’s day two

New York Observer: A Quick Report from Art Basel: Mood is Subdued

Cool Hunting: Barack Obama at Art Basel Miami Beach 2008