Art Basel by bicycle.
The art world has descended upon Miami this week. Last year, 50,000 people attended Miami’s Art Basel event, a four-day contomperary arts fair showcasing Miami’s growing cultural scene. Not surprisingly, this wonderful event, which makes Miami buzz, is held in the most walkable neighborhoods in Florida: South Beach, Wynwood, the Design District, and Midtown. With the exception of buses, there is no public transit connecting these neighborhoods (there isn’t a no-transfer option connecting Wynwood/Midtown with SoBe). So the vast majority of those attending Art Basel must drive to the various exhibits. The effects of Miami-Dade County’s unwillingness to take public transit serious once again rears it’s ugly head. Traffic comes to a standstill.
The Trolley-bus is a temporary solution cobbled together by good intentions from the City of Miami and the DDA. But the truth is, providing meaningful, reliable transportation to these neighborhoods shouldn’t be a local affair, Miami Dade Transit, our regional transit provider should be equipped to handle such a meaningful event. Moreover, the regular service in the area shouldn’t be such an abomination to begin with!
The lack of connectivity and the traffic woes between, Wynwood, the Design District, and Midtown have not gone unnoticed by the cycling community. This year the Green Mobility Network is setting up of a free bicycle valet service at O Cinema. With demand for safe, secure bike parking outstripping supply, the Green Mobility Network has found an opportunity to provide a much needed service. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to ride to Art Basel if there is a secure place to park their bicycle.
ARTcycle is an art event created to raise awareness for riders and drivers by promoting wellness and safer streets through an active lifestyle and the arts. ARTcycle’s first event will work with renowned sponsored artists who will use 15 bicycless as their canvas. Bikes will then be auctioned to raise funds and support Green Mobility Network’s Safe Streets Miami program. Both initiatives are co-sponsored by StreetEasy.
DecoBike has also gotten into the mix and they have put up temporary bike stations in Wynwood, Midtown, and the Design District. The distance between Midtown and Wywood is too far to walk for many people, but comfortable enough to bike to. Deco Bike clearly understands that there is a demand for short-haul transit during Art Basel in this neighborhood and are capitalizing on Miami Dade Transit’s inability to provide quality public transit in the this booming neighborhood. Decobike also has a partnership with Heineken. You can find out more about the Heineken Mural Project at themiamibikescene.com
A temporary DecoBike station in Wynwood in front of Wood Tavern.
Regardless of all the efforts by these various modal groups; Midtown, Design District, and Miami Beach are ripe for longer-term, meaningful transportation. The elephant in the paragraphs above, Miami-Dade Transit, is visibly absent and seemingly ill-equipped to address the needs of these burgeoning neighborhoods (Note: the eerie silence of MDT’s news feed; you can’t tell us the most recent transit update is a 3x weekly service from 8-5 in Cutler Bay, a local service not unlike Miami’s Trolley, mind you). What Art Basel long ago realized and what Miami fails to see for 51 weeks of the year, is that the “sexiness” of these neighborhoods is derived from the urban settings and spaces which comprise them.
For more information about ArtCycle and events related to biking during Art Basel please see below:
ARTcycle art bikes will be exhibited during Art Basel days, December 7-9, 2012 in 11 locations throughout Wynwood. Visitors may see all the art bikes any day, all day long or they may enjoy a bicycle ARTcycle bike tour sponsored by and departing from Fountain Art Fair – 2505 N. Miami Ave December 7th, 8th, and 9th at noon.
ARTcycle Exhibiting Artists + locations:
Johanna Boccardo + Erwin Georgi at Wood Tavern
Mariano Costa-Peuser at Cafeina | Wynwood Exhibition Center
Giselle Delgado Buraye at Kayu | Respondé
Elio Diaz Jr. (Elito) at Wood Tavern sponsored by Mack Cycle
Katy Stalfus at Fountain
Astolfo Funes at Elemental
Katiuska Gonzalez at Fountain
Lucinda Linderman at Miami’s Independent Thinkers | Armory
Nancy Martini at Gab Studios sponsored by All4Cycling
Janet Mueller at 004 Connec | Graffe Cafe
Maximiliano Pecce at Cafeina | Wynwood Exhibition Center
Sri Prabha at Giraffas Brazilian Steaks & Burgers
Gioconda Rojas at O Cinema
Aida Tejada at O Cinema
EVENTS:
Thursday, December 6th: Happy Hour at Wood Tavern 5-9pm
Art Bike: Elio Diaz Jr. (Elito), sponsored by Mack Cycle
Art Bike: Johanna Boccardo + Erwin Georgi
Friday, December 7th: ARTcycle Bike Tour 12 noon
Visit all the 15 Art Bikes
Register at Fountain Art Fair Green Lounge
Bike Support by ALL4Cycling, Miami Pace and 305 Green
Refreshments and snacks by ZICO and Kind Bars
Graffiti bicycle tour with Street.Art.Cycle and The Miami Bike Scene
Saturday, December 8th: ARTcycle Bike Tour 12 noon
Visit all the 15 Art Bikes + Wynwood walls
Register at Fountain Art Fair Green Lounge
Bike Support by ALL4Cycling, Miami Pace and 305 Green
Refreshments and snacks by ZICO and Kind Bars
Sunday, December 9th: ARTcycle Bike Tour 12 noon
Visit all the 15 Art Bikes
Register at Fountain Art Fair Green Lounge
Bike Support by ALL4Cycling, Miami Pace and 305 Green
Refreshments and snacks by ZICO and Kind Bars
December 7th, 8th & 9th: Bicycle Valet parking by Green Mobility Network
at O Cinema 9am-6pm
90 Northwest 29th Street
leave your bike & enjoy the art scene!
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Thanks for explaining the opportunities for seeing Art Basel and art in Miami this weekend by bike, foot and public transportation…and the shortcomings.
A Metrorail extension from Government Center to Design District/Midtown would solve this.
Hopefully with the renewed interest to build the Tri-Rail line on the FEC with a proposed station there on NE 36th Street and 2nd Avenue, there will be greater pressure for MDT to expand the Metro there. Too much investment and population growth is going on in that area to not warrant it.
There was a plan for a street car from downtown to design district through midtown, and it would have run over to the health district as well. Hopefully the new rail line will be a good alternative.