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To me, “the most wonderful time of the year” happens in early December: Art Basel. Unfortunately, this weekend came and left as quickly as a Florida cold front. It did make an impact on the city of Miami though. While some out-of-towners come for entertainment rather than art, Art Basel itself boasts visitors of up to 75,000 people, including more than 140 international museum and institution groups. Art Basel brings in about $13 million for the city of Miami, making it one of the biggest events of the year and a huge boom for Florida’s economy.

University of Miami students ventured to Art Basel events over the weekend.

“I think a lot of students make an effort to get to Wynwood, but the actual convention center show, not so much,” junior Jamie Servidio said. “Wynwood has a ton for free galleries, which is ideal for students.” Art Basel offers a reduced ticket rate for students, but forking over $30 is hard to do when events in Wynwood are free.

Students like junior Claudia Fernandes-Hernandez think Art Basel is an experience that comes once a year and is worth the splurge.

“Art Basel is basically like Christmas for artists and art enthusiasts in Miami,” she said.

Besides exploring exhibits and galleries, select students from UM are also chosen to exhibit their work in the various shows in Miami. Senior Sarbani Ghosh was chosen to exhibit her work during Art Basel weekend.

“Two of my works were displayed in the Starry Night Exposure, a Program booth at SELECT Fair on Miami Beach,” she said. “It felt utterly amazing to be exhibited because it was a culmination of all the hard work I’ve done over the past four years. Getting that kind of exposure in a big art festival is amazing.”

words and photo_rori kotch.