Miami Beach Hosts the 2019 Art Basel as part of the Art Week

Miami Beach is feeling a bit more crowded this week as the city hosts Miami Art Week 2019, Art Basel and all of those satellite shows and art installations that surround the global art event in South Florida.

Art Basel begins Thursday and runs through Dec. 8. at the Miami Beach Convention Center while Miami Art Week is already underway and also runs through Dec. 8.

"For the 18th consecutive year Miami Beach will be the center of the art world," shared Mayor Dan Gelber. "Art enthusiasts will experience this international event in the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center, and they will also have access to the various Public Art installations throughout our city."

There are 269 galleries participating in Art Basel, and even more fairs, exhibits, and openings that make up Miami Art Week.

A few of the highlights include Wynwood Walls, known for the largest concentration of street art in the country. Wynwood Walls is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Art Africa Miami is celebrating its 9th year in Historic Overtown.  It was created to showcase works from the best emerging and established artists from Africa and African heritage.

There's also the city's first Art in Public Places project called Order of Importance, by Argentinean conceptual artist Leandro Erlich. It features a traffic jam in the sand with 66 life-sized sculptures of cars and trucks in imaginary gridlock.

New this year, the city will be offering Art Week Ambassadors on Thursday, December 5 through Sunday, December 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at trolley stops located along Washington Avenue at 10 Street, 15 Street and 17 Street as well as on Collins Avenue and 46 Street.

These cultural guides will offer visitors and residents information on the various Art Week art fairs, insight to the exhibits and offerings in Miami Beach's best cultural institutions, maps on how the Miami Beach Trolley can get them there quickly and comfortably, and fun facts and figures about Miami Beach.

Source: CBS News