Jul
1
Art Times Journal
More from Bonita Springs
Culturally Speaking
There I was, planning my annual Ladies Fish-Off trip to Ft Lauderdale, FL, when I got an invitation to go to Miami for a “hard-hat” tour of Seafair’s Grand Luxe. It meant staying an additional day, but what a neat idea. I accepted the invitation and after the Fishing Tournament (I didn’t place but wasn’t skunked!) I rented a car and drove down to Miami to see the Ship. I was met my head of operations Jeff Lawson who took me on a tour of the 5 levels that included 28 gallery spaces, sky deck bistro with a concert stage, open-air champagne and caviar lounge and international coffee bar, and a Fine Dining Restaurant. Workers and supplies were everywhere. Lights, wall coverings, carpet, and lots and lots of cables were waiting to be connected. Each booth will have WIFI, Music piped in with Bose speakers and air-conditioning. Nothing was completed, but I could see from what was already done how it would come together. Seafair’s Grand Luxe is a fine art yacht where prestigious American and European Galleries will exhibit their Fine Art, Decorative art, Antiques and Estate Jewelry. The 228-foot, 2,800-ton shallow-draft ship, built in Seattle, Washington, is having the final outfitting done by Merrill Stevens in Miami, Florida. This is the idea. Galleries (more than 100 dealers have reserved space aboard the Grand Luxe, most for multiple segments of the tour) have signed on to the project for a minimum 4-week segment. The ship will travel from the Fall of 2007 through Summer 2008 to 38 affluent coastal cities along the eastern seaboard for a 5-day invitation-only dockside Expo. The managing partners and principals of Expoships, David and Lee Ann Lester, founders of the Palm Beach International Fine Arts & Antiques Fair in 1997, have organized more than 40 international events in the United States and abroad. They are excited about their idea for a variety of reasons: the dealer’s cost of participation for each port visit is significantly less than that of a typical art fair, and known Collectors are invited to a fair that in many ways is custom-fitted to their desires. The “narrow-casting” marketing model is especially appealing to dealers because only audiences that have been pre-qualified economically, and then categorized by artistic interest will be invited to attend-thereby allowing onboard dealers to know in advance exactly who will be visiting the ship. There may be additional events at each stop. At most locations, the opening will be a fundraiser for a museum or organization. The first stop September 25-30 is Greenwich, CT and SeaFair has partnered with the Bruce Museum, and will host an opening night vernissage black-tie gala that will benefit the Museum’s education fund. I’m excited about this project; the entrepreneurial skills that have brought the concept to a reality are phenomenal. The first segment of the trip continues on to Port Washington, NY; NYC, NY; Westport/ South Norwalk CT and the second segment continues on to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Alexandria. For more information, log onto: www.expoships.com. What a great idea!!!