Gen Art-a national arts, fashion, and entertainment organization that's been promoting emerging artists for the past 14 years-opened the doors to its inaugural Vanguard New Contemporary Art Fair yesterday at the residential property Charcoal Studios in Miami's Wynwood arts district.
The four-day fair-which runs alongside Art Basel Miami Beach-is presented by Fage Total Yogurt and includes eight artists who are defining new art movements from pop surrealism to urban contemporary. Gen Art hopes the art fair will increase dialogue about new contemporary art movements.
Opening early yesterday for press and select guests, the fair also welcomed children from Miami's Arts for Learning, an education program that uses techniques such as museum and gallery visits to inspire creativity in kids.
The young guests visited the venue's Fage Studio, which featured four works inspired by the yogurt brand, including a moldable clay wall where the kids could engrave their names, courtesy of the Design Group of Miami. The pieces would later be auctioned off to benefit the Arts for Learning.
"We're excited to celebrate emerging artists at the Vanguard New Contemporary Art Fair and support artists through Arts for Learning, " said Ioannis Papageorgiou, president and C.O.O. of Fage USA Dairy Industry Inc. "With the creation of the Fage Total-inspired artworks and by pushing creative boundaries and challenging convention, we continue to embrace and celebrate the passion that the brand evokes."
In an Astroturf lot adjacent to the 7,500-square-foot studio, Gen Art will host a series of panel discussions over the next three days on topics such as the art of branding, plus a special presentation by a graffiti research lab known for its laser-generated graffiti.
The fair will host an official opening party following the exhibit's closing tonight and wrap up at 6 p.m. on Sunday.