Thousands of artists and affluent art lovers convene for a week of internationally renowned programming and exhibitions each December for Miami Art Week (did you catch that Faena beach maze?), and the brands targeting them are close to follow. From exclusive soirees to public pop-ups, the best brand experiences from the 2023 event had art at the forefront and storytelling at the core. Here’s a rundown of our favorite ideas.
More on Miami Art Week:
- Max Hosts Drag Brunches and Makeovers in a Box Truck at Miami Art Week
- Four Experience Design Trends We Spotted During Miami Art Week
AMEX: NOSTALGIA… BUT MAKE IT ART
Amex Platinum and Centurion cardmembers (and their guests), as well as some high-profile celebs, evoked their childhood on Dec. 8 at an interactive gallery experience dubbed PLAY by American Express Platinum at The Miami Beach EDITION hotel. The activation, crafted in partnership with Mattel Creations, blurred the lines between art and nostalgia, with displays of iconic toys reimagined as exclusive collectibles and artworks. A building-block design theme carried through the environment, and nostalgic kids’ drinks like Yoo-hoo and Capri-Sun were served. Meanwhile, music from dj collective Donavan’s Yard kept things lively. (Partner: PlayLab)
Photo credit: Getty Images for American Express Platinum
BREAK THE LOVE TAKES A SWING AT THE ZEITGEIST
Pickleball is booming among a wide range of demographics, a fact not lost on sports booking and equipment platform Break the Love, which popped up a “PickleBasel” event in the Miami Design District on Dec. 9. The brand teamed up with French photographer JR for the event, and his artwork was exhibited throughout.
Registered attendees stopped by to play games on pop-up courts provided by FlexCourt (which were donated to charity post-event) and score tips from Ace Pickleball Club. They could also learn about Break the Love’s paddles and test them out during demos, sip refreshments provided by Gorgie and cocktails by Hey, Hei, partake in a “skin refreshment” session with Bubble and enjoy a live dj.
CARTIER OFFERS A TIMELY, TECHY BRAND HISTORY
Cartier’s rich history in watchmaking and innovation was on display in the Miami Design District, Dec. 7-22, at the brand’s signature-red-drenched Time Unlimited Exhibition, the final stop on a five-city tour. The luxurious, multiroom pop-up featured striking brand installations that expertly blended art, storytelling and technology. Floor-to-ceiling projection-mapping was leveraged throughout, and the multisensory “Technique Serves Beauty” tunnel was a showstopper (or is it time-stopper?). (Partner: Perron-Roettinger)
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ATTENDEES GRAFFITI THE WALLS AT IKEA’S OPEN HOUSE
Crowd-sourced art is typically an activity found at music festivals and sporting events, but IKEA brought the concept to Miami Art Week with an open house event that served as its debut at the annual affair. On Dec. 7, IKEA Open House Miami launched as a private press event, then opened Dec. 8-12 to members of the public, who were among the first to view the brand’s new lifestyle collection.
The experience was designed to promote “democratic design” with artistic vignettes centered on its storage solutions, like color-blocked product displays, photo and video ops, an outer space-themed blacklight room, f&b—and the opportunity to draw all over the walls of the central event space.
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JÄGER EXPERIMENTS WITH NEW-WAVE SAMPLING
Jägermeister’s iconic green bottle was center stage in “Infinite Growth,” a series of contemporary artworks created by Brazilian artist and designer Gustavo Barroso, and presented by the spirits brand, at a two-day Art Week event, Dec. 8-9. Barroso leveraged his innovative implementation of pâte de verre (French for “glass paste”) techniques to craft large-scale sculptures and chairs using Jägermeister bottles to demonstrate the many ways that glass can be repurposed.
The artworks themselves drew plenty of attention, but it was another part of the exhibition that took the cake in our book: an interactive machine installation that dispensed shots of Jäger from a Rube Goldberg-esque gadget. The installation, created by chain-reaction machine expert Zach Umperovitch, was among the touchpoints at a closing celebration for the exhibit, during which influencers and artists enjoyed drinks, art and dj sets by Betty DawL and Orange Calderon. (Agency: Civic Entertainment Group)
Photo credit: Darian DiCianno; Shane Drummond/BFA.com on behalf of Jägermeister
MAX DRIVES DIVERSITY—AND A BOX TRUCK
Max was driving a vibrant box truck—and layers of engagement—during Miami Art Week along The Art of Drag Pop-Up Truck Tour. The brand sashayed into the Palace Bar and R House Wynwood to celebrate drag and uplift the LGBTQ+ community, and it was all delivered through the lens of the network’s drag programming.
The tour kicked off on Dec. 8 at the Palace Bar in South Beach, where two seated brunches were hosted. During each experience, attendees were treated to top-tier drag shows and appearances by popular queens, like Florida native and former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” favorite Latrice Royale. There were also pop-up performances and a chance to hop on the truck and get a free drag makeover based on a Max character. Check out the full case study here. (Agency: Lupine Creative)
Photo: Courtesy of Max
NYLON TAKES OVER A PRIVATE RESIDENCE
NYLON hosted two affairs during Miami Art Week 2023: NYLON House, presented by e.l.f. Cosmetics and held at a beachfront venue on Dec. 8, and NYLON Nights, put on at a private residence on Dec. 9.
NYLON House was an experiential playground that continued the publisher’s “Youniverse” theme from Coachella, and featured a convergence of art, tech, fashion and music, including performances by renowned djs. Attendees could also check out partner experiences from Cheetos, Hilton, Vera Wang Fragrance, Sally Hansen, David Beckham Fragrance, Keys Soulcare, Patrón and Quay.
The next evening, NYLON Nights took place within in a private residence (hello, hot property) that was transformed into a cultural destination. There, VIPs enjoyed curated cocktails, dj sets and partner activations from BodyArmor and Patrón. The highlight may have been the pop-up sushi “speakeasy” from Sushi By Bou, which performed a live tuna carving on-site, then doled out fresh, late-night handrolls. (Partner: Framework)
Photo credit: Afrik Armando (NYLON House); World Red Eye (NYLON Nights)
