Bet the Ranch on healthy living

If you’re familiar with the Canyon Ranch brand — with its flagship Tucson, Ariz.-based health and wellness resort, where those with the cash get away and get fit — entering Miami Beach’s Canyon Ranch is kind of what you’d expect, if a little more Miami. Ponytailed mothers and daughters lounge in Lululemon. Couples in their twilight years and track pants sip smoothies. Men of a certain age in gym shorts and earbuds stretch out their quads.

If you’ve never heard of Canyon Ranch, as my husband had not before we arrived for a recent weekend stay, you might be in for something of a surprise. The woman who checked us in said, in faux astonishment, staring at the beverage clutched in my husband’s hand, “You can’t drink Diet Coke at Canyon Ranch!” (His response was to chug it. Sufficiently shamed, subsequent Diet Cokes were consumed furtively and off property.)

TWO-BEDROOM TOWNHOUSE WITH DEN, $3.2 MILLION: This oceanfront, two-story, 3,105-square-foot, fully furnished residence is designed by Saccaro USA, the Miami outpost of the Brazilian furniture and interior-design firm. It includes 3 1/2 bathrooms, a kitchen with a cooking island, Sub-Zero and Miele appliances and Italian cabinets, two balconies and selections from Saccaro USA owner Katia Silva, including hand-stitched Brazilian rugs, driftwood tables, textured wallpaper and pieces from designers including Roque Frizzo and Tina Azevedo. Agent: Michael Sadov, Pordes Residential, 786-245-8379

The confusion on his face deepened as she handed us a schedule of exercise classes, a gym bag and a water bottle. As we settled in, even I was impressed by the level of commitment the guests and the resort maintain.

At Canyon Ranch, fries are made from sliced artichoke hearts (mmmm) and bagels from hemp (meh). Everyone works out and, in between, spends hours in monkish brown robes and rubber slippers moving between saunas and “igloos,” rain showers and foot baths.

This is where you go to relax on heated chaises and spend a fortune on spa treatments. (My 50-minute prenatal massage cost $150.) A detox retreat.

Or in Miami, where there are 430 separate condo residences along with the 150 sold-out hotel-condo units, possibly a lifestyle.

Just four years ago, Miami’s Canyon Ranch was another sad example of a big idea gone bust. WSG Development had finished the complex, which included the renovation of the old Carillon hotel flanked by the construction of two brand-new residential towers. A large portion of the condos had sold pre-construction for prices exceeding $1,000 per square foot. Then the economy collapsed. The developer defaulted on loans. Lehman Brothers, the lender, reclaimed the project. And most of the buyers walked away.

It’s taken two brokerages, a 25 to 30 percent price slash and a lot of time for the project to turn around. But turn around it has.

“We started off in the $600s to $700s a square foot,” says Mark Pordes, CEO of Pordes Residential, which Lehman hired to sell the remainder of the building in 2010. “We slowly started to graduate the price as we saw traction in 2011.”

Of the more than 300 units his firm was tasked with selling, Pordes only has three townhouses and “nine or 10” developer units that have yet to come to market. The townhouses are priced upwards of $800 per square foot.

“We came in, we really outreached to the market, we sourced our network, we really had a streamlined marketing plan,” says Pordes, whose firm has something of a reputation for coming in and saving stalled projects. It sold the rest of One Bal Harbour and Terra Beachside, other struggling Miami condo developments. But there are fewer struggling buildings to save in Miami these days.

“We’re looking into some deals in northern Florida, condos on the beach in the Panhandle area. We’re looking at some things in Las Vegas, and we’re looking at some new pre-construction opportunities, because there aren’t a lot of standing inventory opportunities left in Miami and in Aventura and Sunny Isles,” Pordes says. “We’re getting calls and we’re busy.”

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Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community

If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.

And that is all by design.

In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech startup community and its position as the gateway to Latin America.

Many of the events — ending with Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference — are after Art Basel. That’s also why the third annual AVCC was moved to Dec. 13-14 from its previous mid-November dates.

“Our message is come for Art Basel, and stay for AVCC,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor who is on the steering committee of the venture capital conference and several other Innovate MIA events. And all week, there will be plenty of opportunities for Miami’s entrepreneurs, creatives and investors to mingle with their counterparts from all over the Americas and beyond.

In addition to the AVCC, there’s Incubate Miami’s DemoDay, where its class of startups present their companies, the martial arts-inspired TekFight and HackDay, which dangles a $50,000 cash prize. Endeavor, the global nonprofit that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies, is bringing its two-day International Selection Panel to Miami, and Wayra, an international accelerator, is holding a one-day event to showcase its promising startups from Latin America and Spain. It’s all part of Innovate MIA week: “I don’t think anything like it has ever been organized here in South Florida,” Cappello said.

The AVCC will be the big draw, with about 300 people expected to attend the two-day event at the JW Marriott Brickell. The conference, themed “Data, Design & Dollars,” will feature thought leaders from all over the world, particularly Latin America, and presentations by 29 selected companies. This year, the format has been overhauled and energized, with lots of short talks and more time for question-and-answer sessions and networking, said Jerry Haar, associate dean of FIU’s College of Business, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and AVCC co-chair.

The AVCC’s 36 speakers include Martin Varsavsky, Argentine tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Viatel, Ya.com, Jazztel and FON; Hernan J. Kazah, co-founder and managing partner at Kaszek Ventures and co-founder of Mercadolibre; and Jason L. Baptiste, CEO and co-founder of Onswipe. There’s also Michael Jackson, former COO of Skype and now a venture capitalist; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of Miami-based CareCloud; and Bedy Yang of 500 Startups.

Chosen from more than 100 applicants, the 29 presenting companies hailing from all over the Americas will be giving either two-minute or five-minute pitches, fielding questions from a panel of judges and competing for prize packages valued at about $50,000. Eight of the startups are from South Florida: itMD, Kairos, Trapezoid Digital Security, Esenem, LiveNinja, OnTrade, Rokk3r Labs and Zavee.

The presenting companies have “proven innovation, proven management teams and the ability to scale well and be a pan-regional player,” said Faquiry Diaz Cala, president of Tres Mares Group and co-chair of AVCC. “The word is out this is a great place to come and pitch to great investors in addition to potentially being one of the prize winners.”

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State high court denies appeals by former Sweetwater cop slated for execution

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday denied appeals by former Sweetwater cop and mass killer Manuel Pardo, who is slated to be executed next week.

Prosecutors said Pardo, 56, and cohort Rolando Garcia committed nine murders during the 1980s, ripping off drug dealers and people who could implicate them in the crimes. At a 1988 trial, he admitted the murders, saying he was ridding the streets of the “scum of the earth.”

At trial, lawyers for Pardo — a former highway patrolman, Boy Scout leader and decorated Navy veteran — argued he was insane at the time of the crimes.

After Gov. Rick Scott signed his death warrant in October, Pardo’s lawyers asked Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Stanford Blake to stay the execution, saying Pardo had not been given all the public records associated with his case and that back in the 1980s he was incompetent to stand trial.

Pardo’s lawyers also said state’s method of lethal injection was “cruel and unusual” punishment. Blake denied the appeals.

On Tuesday, the Florida Supreme Court upheld Blake’s decision, saying Pardo’s claims about lethal injection were based on “pure speculation and conjecture.”

Pardo is slated to be executed Dec. 11 at the Florida State Prison in Starke.

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Toshiba’s 10-inch Excite 10 SE tablet sells for $349.99, comes with Jelly Bean

While every other company is busy chasing the 7-inch tablet market, Toshiba (TOSBF) is keeping its eye on people interested in 10-inch tablets. Its new Excite 10 SE Android tablet is fairly similar to its Excite 10 LE, sporting a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 resolution display, NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, 3-megapixel rear camera, HD front camera, microSD card slot and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It doesn’t have the iPad’s eye-popping Retina display or the Samsung (005930) Nexus 10′s crisp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution with 300 pixels per inch, but it’s more than adequate for most basic tablet tasks. And at $ 349.99, it’s not a bad deal for a 10-inch tablet. The Excite 10 SE goes on sale December 6th and will be available from ToshibaDirect.com and select retail stores. Toshiba’s press release follows below.

Toshiba expands excite family of tablets with new 10-inch model

New Excite 10 SE Tablet Powered by Android 4.1 Starting at $ 349.99 MSRP

IRVINE, Calif. — Dec. 4, 2012 — Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of the Excite™ 10 SE tablet, a multimedia-rich tablet with a 10.1-inch touchscreen, powered by Android™ 4.1, Jelly Bean. The Excite 10 SE offers an affordable option for people looking for a powerful and versatile tablet for the home, starting at only $ 349.99 MSRP[i].

“Our Excite family of tablets continues to grow with options to suit a wide range of consumer needs, from portability and gaming to versatility and power,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “We designed the Excite 10 SE to be a full featured tablet that offers a pure Android, Jelly Bean experience, while maintaining an attractive price point.”

The Excite 10 SE features Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, which improves on the simplicity and usability of Android 4.0. Moving between customizable home screens and switching between apps is effortless, while the Chrome™ browser and new Google Now intelligent personal assistant and Voice Search apps makes surfing the web fast and fluid.

Slim and light at only 0.4 inches thick and weighing 22.6 ounces[ii], the Excite 10 SE is encased with a textured Fusion Lattice finish, making it comfortable to hold and easy to carry. The tablet offers a vibrant 10.1-inch diagonal AutoBrite™ HD touchscreen display[iii] plus the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 Super 4-PLUS-1™ quad-core processor[iv] that delivers smooth web browsing and outstanding performance for games, HD movies and more.

Stereo speakers with SRS® Premium Voice Pro create an optimized audio experience for music, video and games, while providing greater clarity for video chatting via the tablet’s HD front-facing camera. The Excite 10 SE also includes a 3 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus and digital zoom for capturing HD video and photos. Featuring a wide range of connectivity, the tablet includes 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® 3.0, as well as Micro SD and Micro USB ports for expandability. The tablet also charges conveniently via the Micro USB port.

Availability

The Excite 10 SE will be available starting at $ 349.99 MSRP for the 16GB model at select retailers and direct from Toshiba at ToshibaDirect.com on December 6, 2012.

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The President’s fading red lines

Benny Avni

Red lines aren’t what they used to be.

President Obama warned beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad on Monday against using Syria’s chemical weapons. Problem is, Assad’s apparently already violated an earlier Obama ultimatum.

Meanwhile, China threatened last week to prevent some vessels from traveling in one of the world’s busiest commercial shipping lanes — a move that risks crossing another oft-stated American red line.

Start with Syria. Obama, who’s reluctant to get involved in the civil war there, nevertheless said in August that if Assad’s chemical arms are “moving around or being utilized” — well, that “would be a red line for us.”

Fast forward to Monday: “The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable,” Obama said.

Why the shift from “move” arms to “use” them? Well, Assad apparently already moved them. According to numerous credible reports, this week someone started to move the weapons around and prep them for use.

Obama, who’s mulling naming a new national-security team, clearly needs time before deciding how to handle the danger.

And a major danger it is: Syria may well have the world’s largest stash of chemical weapons. As the central government crumbles, major weapons of mass destruction could end up in the hands of al Qaeda, Hezbollah or other unsavory actors.

In other words, the August red line was drawn correctly. Now someone (Turkey? America? NATO? Israel?) must obliterate or at least secure Syria’s chems — or the whole region goes boom.

Now to the Pacific, where Washington has long declined to take sides as major players there clash over rights to fish or ocean-drill for oil or natural gas. Friend or foe, America’s stance on these escalating territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas was simple: Solve it. Use diplomacy or international mediation. Don’t expect us to take sides.

Those talking points contained one exception: Our navy, the world’s largest, will guarantee freedom of navigation in the region. If shipping lanes aren’t open for all — well, that’s a red line for America.

But China Daily and other Beijing media reported last Thursday that as of Jan. 1, police in China’s southern province of Hainan will be allowed to board and seize control of foreign ships that “illegally enter” Chinese waters.

Chinese waters?

On Beijing’s maps, Hainan province included several islands that are also claimed by Vietnam. Meanwhile, at least five countries are clashing with China over sovereignty in other flashpoints across the South China Sea. And China, Japan and Taiwan similarly lock horns in the East China Sea.

Obama has long promised to turn his attention to the Pacific, now facing a host of transitions. The economic balance of power is shifting Beijing’s way; Japan faces a national election on Dec. 16 — and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is consolidating power with his family’s usual missile-firing antics.

In Beijing, meanwhile, Xi Jinping, who just assumed power as Communist Party chairman, is intent on translating his nation’s rising economic clout into military dominance. China just introduced its first aircraft carrier (and last week even tested launching a plane from it), and is upgrading its garrisons across the South China Sea.

Yes, Beijing’s current military doctrine is (asEdward Chenof Taiwan’s Institute of America sums it up), “We’re not firing the first shot but we won’t let the second shot take place.” Yet the new policy in Hainan inches ever closer to violating that policy by initiating hostilities.

That is, of course, if Obama sticks with our stated “red line,” a cornerstone of US policy in the Pacific for decades. And Pacific Asia is the region Obama says we now must cultivate (albeit with fewer aircraft carriers, which he compares to outdated “horses and bayonets.”)

Regardless of Obama’s “pivot,” America’s leadershipremains indispensible in both the Pacific and the Mideast.

So as 2013 nears, China and its neighbors wonder about America’s commitment to freedom of navigation; Syria and its neighbors wonder if chemical weapons will finally force America to intervene — and the mother of all red lines, on Iran’s nukes, is yet to be drawn.

Friend and foe alike wonder which of all these declared and undeclared ultimatums will force Obama to finally act in his second term — and which of America’s red lines will fade to gray.

Twitter: @bennyavni

Have a comment on this PostOpinion column? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving

This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.

Only two of those are from Miami.

While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation from beach-and-party scene to arts destination in the years since its 2002 Miami Beach debut, the region’s gallery identity is still coming into its own.

“Certainly Miami as an art town registers mightily because of the foundations, the collectors who have done an extraordinary job,” said Linda Blumberg, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of America. “I think there’s a definite international awareness there. But the gallery scene probably has a bit of a ways to go. That doesn’t mean it’s not really fascinating and interesting.”

The gallery business, especially where newer artists are concerned, is a game of risk, faith and passion. Once a gallery takes on an artist who shows promise, they become an evangelist on their behalf, showing their work in-house and at fairs, presenting it to museums and curators and potential collectors and bearing the cost of that promotion.

For contemporary artists, most galleries take work on consignment, meaning they get a cut of as much as 50 percent when works sell. While local art galleries have been growing in number and popularity in the last several years — just try to find parking during the monthly art walk in Miami’s hot Wynwood neighborhood — even some of the area’s top art dealers say that while business overall is good, they struggle in the local marketplace.

“Our problem is that we have to do lots of art fairs in order to connect with the market that we need to connect with to sell the work that we have,” said Fredric Snitzer, a Miami-Dade gallery owner for 35 years. “The better the work is, the harder it is to sell in Miami. And that ain’t good.”

A handful of serious collectors call Miami home and store their own collections in Miami, including the Braman, Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz families. But outside a relatively small local group, many gallerists say, their clients come from other parts of the country and world.

And some gallerists point out the troubling reality that even the powerhouse Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin could not stay open in Miami for more than a few years.

“The fact that big galleries have not been able to sustain their business models in South Florida tells you we’re obviously not at this high established point,” said gallery owner David Castillo. “It’s not like we’ve arrived, let’s sit back and watch Hauser & Wirth open down the street.”

Still, Miami’s gallery business has come a long way since the early 1970s, when a few dealers on Bay Harbor Island’s Kane Concourse were selling high-end pieces but the local scene was hardly embraced.

Virginia Miller, who owns ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables, first opened in 1974 to showcase Florida artists, though her focus soon added an international scope. She and other longtime observers credit several factors for Miami’s transformation, including the community’s diversity, the establishment of important museums, the Art Miami fair that started 23 years ago, the presence of major collections and, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach.

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Son of slain Miami Gardens car wash owner: ‘He put his own life before someone else’

When Dameion Peart got the phone call from his uncle, he didn’t believe it. He drove to his father’s Miami Gardens car wash to see for himself. He hoped the news wouldn’t be too bad, or maybe the shooting happened someplace else.

He pulled up, saw flashing lights and police tape, and knew it was true.

His father, Errold Peart, had been trying to protect a customer Sunday afternoon from armed robbers at the car wash he ran at Northwest 191st Street and First Place.

The robbers turned their gun on Peart, killing him.

“He put his own life before someone else,” his son said.

Now, Peart’s family began the unexpected task of planning a memorial. He was five days away from his 60th birthday.

He won’t get to see his daughter, Mishka Peart, 23, graduate from the University of Miami’s medical school.

“It’s just sad,” Dameion Peart said. “It was unnecessary.”

When the community heard of the shooting, they started dropping by the scene. They were the ones who lived nearby, longtime customers and friends, each with their own tale of how his father had helped them through the years.

They talked about the times Peart, 59, didn’t charge for carwashes to people short on money. They told Dameion Peart, 32, how his father would give money to people who needed help paying for water and electricity, never asking for the money back.

They shared stories about people who couldn’t get jobs because they had convictions — until Peart gave them work.

One of the younger employees told him it was Errold Peart who convinced her to go back to school.

“He was a very good, kindhearted person and a good father at the same time,” Dameion Peart said. “The community where his business is located, he really helped them out here.”

Errold Peart hailed from Jamaica, where he played cricket and worked at one point at a school for problem children, his son said. He eventually came to the United States, where he continued to play cricket for the USA national team.

Peart represented the USA in five matches at the 1990 International Cricket Council Trophy in the Netherlands, where the batsman was the team’s leading scorer, ESPN reported. The USA made it through the first round that year before losing in the second, according to ESPN.

At first, Peart worked with an airline, his son said, but later decided to open his own business.

He started the car wash more than a decade ago, his son said. He chose the location because it was near a busy stretch of U.S. 441 and near Florida’s Turnpike, the Palmetto Expressway and Interstate 95.

“It was like a landmark,” Dameion Peart said. “Everyone knew him.”

But Peart worried about safety.

“He didn’t like guns. But every year, around this time, for the past three years he got held up at gunpoint and people tried to rob him,” Dameion Peart said. “The last time they even followed him home.”

So Errold Peart got a concealed weapons permit.

On Sunday afternoon, he noticed a pair of young men trying to rob a customer. Errold Peart went out to try and stop it, his son said, only to be shot himself.

The men ran away, leaving behind the customer and a bleeding Peart.

Miami Gardens Police still were looking for the suspects on Monday.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

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Kristen Chenoweth Dating a Former Bachelor Star Jake Pavelka

Kristin Chenoweth has a surprising new beau!

Video: Jake Pavelka Dishes on his Chippendales Gig

The singer/actress, 44, confirmed to People Magazine that she is indeed dating a somewhat infamous alum of the Bachelor franchise, Jake Pavelka.

"We have been spending a little time together," confessed Chenoweth of her budding courtship with Pavelka, 34.

Related: Kristin Chenoweth Talks On-Set Injury

People reports the couple has been dating since meeting at an event in October.

Chenoweth adds she has a new-found gusto for life, following her devastating head injury on the set of The Good Wife in July.

"I've realized life is short," she said. "I want to do things that make me happy."

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Spreading the wealth — and choking US growth

The Issue: The battle in Washington over taxes and spending, and their impending economic impact.

***

It’s interesting that many people continue to think that President Obama wants a settlement to avoid the fiscal cliff. He doesn’t (“Growth Is All That Matters,” Editorial, Dec. 1).

He wants to go over it and then use the resulting complaints to reduce taxes on those making less than $250,000 and restore social spending cuts. Then, presto, he becomes the tax-cutter-in-chief and defender of the poor and middle class.

Obama couldn’t care less about economic growth. He cares about wealth redistribution and equality of outcome.

Republicans need to take this to heart and deal with him accordingly. Sean McDowell

Atlanta

Obama wants to raise taxes on the wealthy.

He speaks out of one side of his mouth of millionaires and billionaires. Out of the other side, he cites families making $250,000 as rich. Something is very wrong with this picture.

Melanie Coronetz

Manhattan

Republicans should make a pledge to see if liberalism works. It could bring great benefits to the country for years to come.

If four years of taxation on job creators and spending on unions bring this country to its knees, as it most certainly will, it will be worth it to gain a clear answer on liberal policies once and for all.

Let Obama and the liberals have their way, so they’ll own the results of their policies.

Steve Gidumal

Orlando, Fla.

Republicans should agree to raise income taxes on individuals making $1 million and couples making $1.5 million — the real rich — combined with an agreement by the Obama administration to use zero-based budgeting for 2014 and the rest of the term.

Zero-based budgeting would provide a true cost of government that could establish a baseline for how much entitlements would need to be adjusted.

At the same time, Republicans should explain on television why raising taxes during an economic downturn is a bad idea because it reduces consumer demand and that America’s debt problem comes from overspending, not low tax rates.

Max Rugemer

Oakton, Va.

The “party of no,” “obstructionist” Republicans should handle the current budget deal the Democrats put forth exactly the same way they did with Obama’s health-care deal — zero involvement — if they want to galvanize the base and make big gains in the 2014 midterms.

Alan Alberts

Thornton

Surely, the fiscal cliff is meaningless to Obama and the Democrats. They extended the Bush tax cuts, rather than making them permanent, and then went on a $6 trillion borrowing, spending and regulation spree with impunity.

They intend to raise taxes beyond merely letting the tax cuts expire on Jan. 1, which, coupled with the coming costs of ObamaCare, will decimate businesses, jobs and the middle class.

America has already been deceived, betrayed and pushed off the fiscal cliff. A hard landing and a deeper recession are dead ahead.Daniel Jeffs

Apple Valley, Calif.

I suggest a referendum on whether tax rates should be raised for those with high levels of income and that eligibility to vote on this referendum be restricted to those who actually paid income tax the preceding year.Don Murray

Manhattan

Now that Obama has laid out his opening bid for negotiations, here’s an idea for House Speaker John Boehner: On the revenue side, he can call for the elimination of state and local income-tax deduction.

That’s about $50 billion per year and hits the blue states the hardest. It should be no problem, since they voted for higher taxes anyway.

On spending cuts, how about $6 trillion over 10 years? Start with cutting Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Education, and the balance can go to entitlements. Based on the balance of Obama’s bid, this is equally balanced.

Brian Daniel

Manhattan

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The business behind the artist: Miami’s art gallery scene still evolving

This week, thousands of art collectors, museum trustees, artists, journalists and hipsters from around the globe will arrive for the phenomenon known as Art Basel Miami Beach. The centerpiece of the week: works shown at the convention center by more than 260 of the world’s top galleries.

Only two of those are from Miami.

While Art Basel has helped transform the city’s reputation from beach-and-party scene to arts destination in the years since its 2002 Miami Beach debut, the region’s gallery identity is still coming into its own.

“Certainly Miami as an art town registers mightily because of the foundations, the collectors who have done an extraordinary job,” said Linda Blumberg, executive director of the Art Dealers Association of America. “I think there’s a definite international awareness there. But the gallery scene probably has a bit of a ways to go. That doesn’t mean it’s not really fascinating and interesting.”

The gallery business, especially where newer artists are concerned, is a game of risk, faith and passion. Once a gallery takes on an artist who shows promise, they become an evangelist on their behalf, showing their work in-house and at fairs, presenting it to museums and curators and potential collectors and bearing the cost of that promotion.

For contemporary artists, most galleries take work on consignment, meaning they get a cut of as much as 50 percent when works sell. While local art galleries have been growing in number and popularity in the last several years — just try to find parking during the monthly art walk in Miami’s hot Wynwood neighborhood — even some of the area’s top art dealers say that while business overall is good, they struggle in the local marketplace.

“Our problem is that we have to do lots of art fairs in order to connect with the market that we need to connect with to sell the work that we have,” said Fredric Snitzer, a Miami-Dade gallery owner for 35 years. “The better the work is, the harder it is to sell in Miami. And that ain’t good.”

A handful of serious collectors call Miami home and store their own collections in Miami, including the Braman, Rubell, Margulies and de la Cruz families. But outside a relatively small local group, many gallerists say, their clients come from other parts of the country and world.

And some gallerists point out the troubling reality that even the powerhouse Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin could not stay open in Miami for more than a few years.

“The fact that big galleries have not been able to sustain their business models in South Florida tells you we’re obviously not at this high established point,” said gallery owner David Castillo. “It’s not like we’ve arrived, let’s sit back and watch Hauser & Wirth open down the street.”

Still, Miami’s gallery business has come a long way since the early 1970s, when a few dealers on Bay Harbor Island’s Kane Concourse were selling high-end pieces but the local scene was hardly embraced.

Virginia Miller, who owns ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables, first opened in 1974 to showcase Florida artists, though her focus soon added an international scope. She and other longtime observers credit several factors for Miami’s transformation, including the community’s diversity, the establishment of important museums, the Art Miami fair that started 23 years ago, the presence of major collections and, of course, Art Basel Miami Beach.

Read More..