We may be weeks away from enjoying all there is to offer during Miami Art Week, but there’s already plenty of incredible works to check out this very second! This year’s edition of No Vacancy, presented by the City of Miami Beach in collaboration with the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Authority and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a must-see for anyone with a passion for art.
Featuring site-specific installations all across the city, the juried art competition features 12 different artists and collectives transforming 12 hotels into works of art. The goal is to support local art makers, provoke critical discussion and establish the hotels as art destinations, especially as the city turns into a creative playground for Art Basel Miami Beach.
🎨 How does No Vacancy, Miami Beach work?
First, each selected artist or collective received a $10,000 commission to create their art projects at an assigned hotel. Artists were drawn from a call for submissions issued by the city and selected by representatives from the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Committee, Cultural Arts Council and MBVCA.
A total of $35,000 in prizes will be awarded during No Vacancy, with a juried prize of $25,000 to the winner selected by a panel of art world professionals and $10,000 for the artist voted on by the public. You can vote for your favorite here!
🎨 Where can I find this year’s public art projects?
- Avalon Hotel: Artist Andrea Myers presents “A Soft Pixelation,” a textile-based installation composed of hundreds of repurposed, donated T-shirts sewn into a pixelated patchwork field.
- The Betsy Hotel: Collaborative duo Liz’N Bow presents “Portal to Niña,” an installation that transforms the iconic Betsy Egg into an entryway to the artists’ surreal, femme-centered universe.
- Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club: Artist Denise Treizman presents “Wish You Were Here,” a large-scale tapestry woven from pool noodles and playful found objects.
- Casa Faena: Artist Pepe Mar presents “Tropical stomping grounds,” an immersive installation that reimagines 15 years of his work — much of it inspired by South Beach ephemera — into a vibrant self-portrait.
- The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club: Artist Edison Peñafiel presents “Florida Florarium,” a monumental textile installation composed of a suspended garden of elongated fabric banners.
- International Inn on the Bay: Artist Nathalie Alfonso presents “BayScape—,” a light drawing that transforms the second-floor window band into a translucent, ever-shifting landscape mirroring the bay beyond.
- Kimpton Surfcomber: Artist Patty Suau presents “Unexpected Encounters,” an interactive installation that merges mirrors with life-size figure drawings to create optical illusions evoking moments of affection.
- The Miami Beach EDITION: Artist Amanda Linares presents “Tierra Húmeda,” an installation of clay tiles and graphite drawings on wood that explores the intertwined relationship between land and memory.
- Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach: Artist Evelyn Sosa presents “No Place is Far Away,” a living archive of migration that begins with a simple yet profound question: What object did you take with you when you emigrated?
- Riviera Suites South Beach: Artist Fabiola Larios presents “Heartware,” a suspended constellation of pink piñatas studded with screens, mirrors, and live-feed cameras.
- The Shelborne By Proper: Artist Lee Pivnik presents “Wellspring,” an installation that traces the flow of water through the Floridian landscape: its capacity to hold memory, shape ecosystems, and foreshadow the region’s future.
- Sherry Frontenac Hotel: Artist James Sprang presents “Take Me Home,” an immersive installation honoring the vibrant spirit, cultural depth, and communal joy of Caribbean carnival.
Now in its sixth year, No Vacancy Miami Beach will be running until Saturday, December 20. These artworks are completely free to check out, so you have no excuse!