It’s official: Art week is in full swing in Miami, storming the scene with a seemingly endless array of art fairs, art events, and exhibitions. Sprouting up around the celebrated Art Basel and Art Miami fairs are a bumper crop of exquisite art fairs and events, sure to please every palate. What do these stellar satellites have in common? It’s not just pretty pictures: All offer up a mind-boggling array of entertainment, from music and film screenings to live performances, and even food-tastings. Many of these shows spotlight the best and brightest of the emerging talent set, from nearly every artistic discipline across the board. The list of events is so extensive that we couldn’t possibly include all there is to see and do in South Beach, but we can give you a glimpse, and suggest a few of our stand-out favorites. Regardless of your taste, there is something to tempt every art-lover, from counterculture creations to traditional art fare and everything in-between.

Check out MutualArt’s all-star list of the best, the boldest, and the most breath-taking events happening now in this Florida hotspot!

Urban Utopia: Graffiti Gone Global (GGG) -- One of the hottest genres in the art world is making headlines in Miami...and all over the world. The inventive Graffiti Gone Global is back for its fifth year, presenting the works of stunning street artists working in urban contemporary art and design. This year’s show features the creations of artist and curator Billi Kid, along with the work of designers like Branger Briz and celebrated architect Marc Frones. GGG will be exhibited on the very streets that inspired this genre, alongside dancers, musicians, and food vendors, truly paying homage to the urban culture that gave it life. If you’re looking for an upbeat event that will pander to your senses...hit the streets with this “global” event! (Left: Image from GGG).
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Be Still Our Beating Heart: Pulse Miami -- Now in its seventh incarnation, one of Wynwood's lights-out fairs soars again with 90 galleries from across the world, presenting exhibitors from 13 countries and featuring artists from all walks of life. Pulse Miami promises to be one of the swankiest satellite fairs on the circuit, sending off 2011 with a bang. This edition of Pulse offers an unprecedented amount of ambitious installations and large-scale sculptures, including Mac Premo’s The Dumpster Project: a 30-yard dumpster containing thousands of found objects assembled into a massive collage-installation. The show presents powerful contemporary photography (arguably the Fair's primary focus), installation, and mixed-media works. Some highly-anticipated highlights are the provocative pieces of the infamous Natacha Stellmach, who will be creating an installation of paintings and images, and the return of the PULSE Play video lounge series, curated by artist Lucie Fontaine.
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More than meets the Eye: NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance) -- Don’t let the title fool you, NADA is full of things to see, and this unique fair continues to see star-studded success year after year (many galleries from last year’s fair completely sold out their booths by the end of the opening preview). And NADA’s efforts aren’t for nothing (pun intended) - the Fair's organizers are dedicated to their cause, to “explore new or underexposed art that is not typical of the ‘art establishment’.” Held annually at the iconic Deaville Hotel, the works presented are always edgy and refreshing, represented by some of the world’s youngest contemporary art galleries. (Left: A view of the historic Deauville Hotel, where NADA takes place annually) More on NADA Art Fair Miami Beach

Scope Out the Avant-Garde: Scope Miami 2011 -- Last year the highly-successful Scope celebrated its 10th anniversary, and this year the fair is back with even more cutting-edge creations for the art-loving masses. How much more? Try to picture work from 80 international galleries, in-step with the event’s innovative take on solo and group shows, with film, music, and performances - all happening in an 80,000 square-foot pavilion. The superstar Scope is a fair favorite in cities across the world, accruing sales over $100 million, with over 350,000 visitors. It’s the place to be to check out emerging artists and the avant-garde art they love to make.
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Sculptures from the Inside Out: Sculpt Miami 2011-- Simply titled and simply put, Sculpt Miami showcases everything sculpture, featuring both indoor and outdoor sculptures made from every medium imaginable. The fair highlights both new and established artists in the field, and encourages the use of original materials and innovative techniques in contemporary sculpture. Discover the very tangible, tantalizing world of this varied media in all of its multi-faceted forms.
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Representing the Unrepresented: PooL Art Fair -- Taking their cue from the French tradition of artist fairs, PooL is the preeminent US fair devoted to unrepresented artists, and serves as a meeting place to forge new connections within the art world. Now in its eleventh year, this unique fair does away with frill and presents the raw, untapped talent of emerging artists. The simple, modest approach of the PooL Art Fair offers dealers, collectors and the general public an exciting alternative to the typical art fair experience. Hailed as a priceless resource for the artistic community and the art-loving public, PooL creates a social network for outstanding unrepresented artists and the large public of contemporary art professionals.
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Hotel with an Indie Art Flair: Aqua 11 -- Giving us another excuse to check in to one of our favorite Miami sleep-spots, Aqua 11, with its distinctive West Coast flavor, returns for its seventh year. The fair goes back to its roots - at the infamous Aqua Hotel where it started in 2005 - and features fresh faces from the West Coast in a relaxed, hotel courtyard setting. Affordable and out-of-the-ordinary goods are on display (with an emphasis on promoting strong new talent), but works from late greats like Ansel Adams and Diane Arbus will also be available for purchase in this intimate setting.  More on Aqua 11

Get in the Zone: Zones Art Fair -- This nifty niche fair is full of local flavor, in every sense of the word! Curated by Miami-based artist Charo Oquet, a strong local vibe runs through this fair, focusing on up-and-coming artists as well as emerging Caribbean art. ZONES also offers a sense-ational detour from the typical maze-like art-fair set-up, including a food-tasting session, talks, cocktails, exhibitions, video screenings, music, performances and publications. Expect the unexpected, from sculpture, painting, video performance and installation work.
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The Drive to Create: The Aleloop Art Mobile Installation & Music Festival -- One artist, ten Mini Coopers, forty performers...for those looking for something a little different, this is definitely not your average art event. It’s a traffic-stopper...literally! Artist Aleloop stylized 10 Mini Coopers, which will be part of a moving installation travelling through four Miami neighborhoods. At each stop, the 40 performers (traveling four to a car) will hop out of their vehicles to create a multi-sensory flash mob that is sure to delight.
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Crossing the Threshold: Verge Art Fair Miami -- After its successful Miami debut in 2009, this snazzy buffet of art offerings is back, once again striking palatable balances that won't leave you feeling hungry for fresh talent. Staying true to its credo: “Verge is an ongoing experiment in art, markets, ideas and the art culture,” Verge plays with the art fair concept through a variety of special programs and artist platforms. Each year, Verge explodes with a variety of innovative creations and projects, and this year is no exception. 2011’s highlights include a drawing show featuring the works of more than 50 artists, and “Tomorrow Stars” which exhibits the hottest emerging young international art stars chosen by a panel of jurors.
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(Left: Hell by Melissa Maddonni Haims, 2011. (Installation view at Goggleworks, Reading, PA). Courtesy of the artist and "Tomorrow Stars")

Intelligent Design: Design Miami/ -- Design Miami is the global forum for all things design, with the intent of celebrating design culture and commerce. And as the only AB satellite fair that exclusively highlights design, this celebration is welcomed eagerly by audiences year after year. All facets of design are featured: from fashion to furniture, architecture to art collectibles. Limited editions of modern-era homes and commercial furnishings are on view from firms based in New York, Paris, London, and Brussels. In addition to discussion panels and lectures, the fair also features live performances - giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how desgners create their works.
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Far East Finds: Art Asia Miami -- The premier fair for Asian Art returns to Miami for its fourth year, promoting contemporary art with exciting new works from Asian artists from all over the world. Art Asia has been the leading platform in promoting Contemporary Asian Art from the entire Asian Diaspora, exposing this vast and varied genre to art world professionals and the general public. This year’s focus is on Near, Middle, and South-East Asian artists, and will see the return of the ever-popular ART ASIA Presents, which includes special projects like Abdallah Akar’s One Thousand and One Nights, and Emerging Voices from Iran and the Iranian Diaspora.
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