MIAMI BEACH, FL (NOVEMBER 13, 2006)-Designer Todd Oldham will be hosting one of the most anticipated parties of Art Basel Miami Beach on December 9th. Featuring an installation by New York-based artist Daniel Joseph, entitled “Drunken Letters to Stray Balloons,” the party will be the first exposure to Oldham’s newest project on South Beach, The Fairfax. Oldham has teamed up with James Beard award-winning Chef Tony Mantuano, from Chicago’s Spiaggia Restaurant, and developer and restaurateur Larry Levy to open The Fairfax, a luxury boutique and proposed fractional ownership resort in South Beach. Located on 18th Street and Collins Avenue, The Fairfax will also feature Enoteca Spiaggia, the first expansion of Levy Restaurant’s 23 year-old acclaimed Spiaggia in Chicago.

The installation will be sponsored by The Fairfax and the Wolfsonian-Florida International University, a museum and research center and major supporter of Art Basel Miami Beach. It will be showcased in The Fairfax, currently being renovated by Oldham and will give guests a ‘first-hand look’ at what this innovative designer will be bringing to South Beach in 2007. Chef Tony Mantuano, who will be opening Enoteca Spiaggia in the property, will be catering the event. The event takes place from 6 – 8 pm.

Drunken Letters to Stray Balloons, an installation encompassing personal ephemera, paintings, drawing, sculpture, and video, considers social rituals of celebration and partying as presented through the artist’s personal history. The show will not only be reflecting on the joys of crowding together, but also exploring the dark nature of those ‘crazy’ nights.

About the Fairfax
Upon completion, the Fairfax is proposed to feature 53 high-end fractional ownership suites available for sale in deeded quarter ownership real estate interests. Included in the fractional ownership program, the residence owners receive memberships that entitle them to privileged access to the rooftop, including a private dinner club and pool, a private beach club, health club and spa. Members also receive the services typical in a high-end hotel, including 24-hour multi-lingual concierge, daily housekeeping, room service from Enoteca Spiaggia, airport pickup and valet parking, as well as some unique features including pre-arrival grocery shopping, including owners’ favorite wines and spirits, and placement of personal items prior to arrival. The Fairfax will also be a member of the exclusive Registry Collection, where owners have reciprocal use in a luxury assemblage among the finest resorts and homes in exclusive destinations around the globe.

The property is undergoing extensive renovations and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2007. Fractional sales of the 53-suite property are scheduled to begin in December 2006.

About Daniel Joseph Daniel
Joseph’s art consists of painting, installation, performance, video, work on paper, and music. Showing in New York and internationally, Joseph’s highly successful debut Chelsea solo exhibition this past June at BUIA Gallery, “I Don¹t Even Have to Ask, I Already Know,” received great critical acclaim and was reviewed in The New Yorker and highlighted in The Village Voice and Time Out. In addition, Joseph was invited this past September to be a visiting lecturer at The Art Institute of Chicago for his collaboration on the well-received FOREST film project. Daniel Joseph’s works have been published in various books and art magazines such as Heavy and K48 with other press credits including Paper Magazine, Flaunt, Visionaire, Vice, The Daily News, The New York Times and The Village Voice amongst others.

About Art Basel Miami Beach
Art Basel Miami Beach takes place from December 7 - 10, 2006. The international art show in Miami Beach (Florida) is the American sister event of Art Basel in Switzerland, the most important annual art show worldwide for the past 37 years. Art Basel Miami Beach is a new type of cultural event, combining an international art show with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events including music, film, architecture and design. Exhibition sites are located in the city's beautiful Art Deco District, within walking distance of the beach and most hotels and restaurants.

About The Wolfsonian–Florida International University
The Wolfsonian–FIU is a museum and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, political, and technological changes that have transformed the world. The approximately 120,000 artifacts that comprise The Wolfsonian collection range from fine art, graphic design, and political propaganda to furniture, rare books, and ephemeral materials such as postcards and travel brochures. Since opening to the public just ten years ago, The Wolfsonian has developed and disseminated critically acclaimed exhibitions, publications, and educational programs that highlight the impact of design in shaping the modern world. Its vast patrimony of primary source materials provides unparalleled opportunities for scholarship and appreciation, making it a unique resource for local, national, and international audiences.

The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Fla. Admission is $7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children six-12; free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, children under six, and Miami Beach residents with ID. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from noon-6pm; Thursday and Friday from noon-9pm; and is closed on Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at www.wolfsonian.org.

The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Continental Airlines, the preferred airline of The Wolfsonian; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; and Karla Conceptual Event Experiences.

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