With limited time and a countless number of contemporary art fairs to comb through, Arlington Cultural Affairs left snowy DC and headed down to Miami Basel. Above Welmoed Laanstra, Arlington Public Art Curator; Cynthia Connolly, Ellipse Arts Center Director; and Angela Jerardi, Transformer’s Development Associate begin their weekend at the Beautiful Loser’s party on South Beach.

The Beautiful Losers Portfolio is a print collection made up of a loose-knit group of American Artists in the 1990’s who where “influenced by popular underground youth subcultures of the day — skateboarding, graffiti, street fashion and independent music.” Artists include Basquiat, Henry Chalfant, Larry Clark, Robert Crumb, Glen E. Friedman, Futura, Keith Haring, Ari Marcopoulos, Raymond Pettibon, Pushead, Craig R. Stecyk III, Andy Warhol, Thomas Campbell, Cynthia Connolly, Cheryl Dunn, Shepard Fairey, Phil Frost, Mark Gonzales, Tommy Guerrero, Evan Hecox, Jo Jackson, Todd James, James Jarvis, Any Jenkins, Chris Johanson, Spike Jonze, Kaws, Margaret Kilgallen, Harmony Korin, Josh Lazcano, Geoff McFetridge, Barry McGee, Ryan McGinley, Ryan McGinness, Mike Mills, Os Gemeos, Stephen Powers, Terry Richardson, Clare E Rojas, Rostarr, Ed Templeton and Tobin Yelland.

Lisa Marie Thalhammer, Ellipse Arts Center Educational Programmer; Welmoed Laanstra, Arlington Public Art Curator and Cynthia Connolly, Ellipse Arts Center Director stand in front of a giant bamboo mosaic art mural at the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation in Miami’s Wynwood Design District.

Above is artwork by Megan Whitmarsh seen at New Image Art in Aqua Hotel on South Beach and below is artwork by Anila Rubiku seen at Nada Art Fair. Both artists will exhibit work in the upcoming Ellipse Arts Center exhibition, THE THREAD AS THE LINE: Contemporary Sewn Art, on exhibit May 2, 2008 through July 12, 2008.

After hours and hours of contemporary art one must never forget the importance kicking back under a Palm tree out side the Nada Art Fair. Five fairs down and a trillion left to cover.

Welmoed Laanstra, Arlington Public Art Curator sits in front of Scope Miami’s Solar Pavilion 2 an installation by Matthew McGuinness, an emerging artist whose work presents alternative and sustainable visions of community in an urban culture, and Situ Studio, a research, design and fabrication practice which operates at the intersection of architecture and a variety of other disciplines.

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