For a week each December, Miami is bursting at the seams with collectors, artists, and cultural savants for Art Basel Miami Beach. During the fair’s largest global edition, the city turns into a spectacle of art, fashion, and events for the informed. But the version of Miami revealed during ABMB is only one layer of its intricate identity. As a beacon of culture, the city pulsates with vibrant diasporic communities, acclaimed hospitality, and serves as the reference point for recreation—all while being a postcard of paradise.

These layers are understood with fluency by Art Basel Miami Beach Director Bridget Finn, who has been leading the fair since 2023 with conviction and merit. The Detroit born, New York resident has become an honorary local, with her time in the city shaped by early childhood visits and nearly twenty years of working for galleries in fair booths, now spending countless hours exploring the city throughout the year, away from the noise. At the fair, you’ll see her milling about the Miami Beach Convention Center, managing the complex ecosystem of artists, dealers, collectors, and brand partners. Throughout the year-long process of building the show, she’s present on the ground, encountering Miami at a more measured pace.

Bridget gives Document Journal’s Katie Rex an intimate look into the places and spaces that invigorate, inspire, and provide moments of peace in the Magic City.

Katie Rex: During the year leading to Art Basel Miami Beach, how are you interacting with the city?

Bridget Finn: I love realizing the show. It’s the most exhilarating, intense, and gratifying period of my year. Being in Miami during Basel’s off-season, there’s a very different feel to the city. I’m able to see the local exhibitions and enjoy all of what Miami has to offer. I get to spend time with the community and with the unique facets of the city that make the show possible.

I’m able to get a close view of who’s shepherding Miami’s institutions, what their priorities are, and also, the incredible amount of reinforcements that Miami has for the arts.  Being able to get into that part of Miami Beach’s infrastructure has been so thrilling.

Most recently at the Pérez Art Museum, I saw Woody De Othello’s show, which is incredible. and I’m such a fan of that institution. They recently honored Craig Robbins and Jackie Soffer at their annual fundraising event, who were incredible pillars of DACRA and the Design District.

I’m always doing private collection visits, going to galleries, meeting dealers, and going to artist studios.

Katie: What neighborhood feels like your personal sanctuary?

Bridget: You know, I really do feel the most at home on the beach. I spend the most time there. It’s such a unique city and place; an incredible blend of experiences.

When I arrive in Miami Beach, I’m usually within walking distance to MBCC and I love to check out what’s happening in the immediate vicinity.  On Lincoln Road, Oolight Arts is a non-profit space that has a new director this year [named] John Abodeely. I think he’s going to do such exciting things for the artists that are part of their residency. Something that people don’t really have an awareness of is that you can do artist studio visits in their facility.

Also, the Bass Museum, it’s incredible! They currently have a show with Jack Pierson, which explores his relationship with Miami Beach and is excellent. There’s also an assume vivid astro focus piece that was gifted to the museum, which is now permanently installed. The work has been burning in my brain since the mid-2000s. It’s so full of energy and life. There’s this incredible feeling of the world of, like, fashion, music, and partying converging in that artwork, harnessing this time period. It serves as a living reminder of the incredible collectors and collections that have permanently impacted how we view contemporary art.

I also love visiting Allapattah, which is the newer neighborhood to the conversation where a lot of the young galleries have popped up. It’s also where the Rubell Museum, the non-profit Locust Projects, Voloshyn Gallery, Mindy Solomon Gallery, KDR, and Andrew Reed Gallery are located. Don and Mera Rubell had organized a walking tour for their museum members of the new local galleries in the area and hundreds of people showed up on a Saturday afternoon. This is so meaningful; collectors of that caliber shepherding a younger collector community into understanding the passion for contemporary art offering them an entry point to build on their own.

Katie: Let’s say you had a day to yourself in Miami, where could someone find you?

Bridget: I’ve never been a huge vacationer. The fun elements of that for me are to really get to know the city, and further connect with the art scene. To have a genuine understanding of what it means to be part of the creative community.

To start, I would get to the beach before anyone else is out there, especially during the show. A fun social experiment is to hit the boardwalk around 7am. You’ll see every art dealer you’ve ever met running 15 miles before they step foot in the MBCC. You will not see me doing that, But I do like to go to the beach early, and Often will, you know, go take a quick swim, get back, have breakfast, and then, if I’m probably gonna go to the artist’s studios and then I would hit the galleries, because Who better to talk about art with than art dealers?

I owned a non-commercial art space, with 3 other women who are still some of my very dearest friends, for 10 years. So for me, having a moment to go to artists’ studios and see what’s happening is where I feel most excited, comfortable, and connected to what brings us all together in an art sense. In Wynwood Norte, I like to go to Bakehouse Art Complex. It’s a nearly 40 year old non-profit that offers over 60 studios, so it’s a big complex. It’s run by Cathy Leff, who used to be the director of the Wolfsonian. It’s had a wonderful revitalization in the last handful of years, where the studio spaces are totally free. I mean, that’s a rarity and such a huge gift. There’s a massive Purvis Young mural in the backyard that is stunning.

I would also go to Oolite, grabbing a quick bite, getting a coffee, and indulging in all the conveniences of Lincoln Road. Oolite has exhibitions and open studios from time to time.

Every time I’m there, I drop in on our galleries, even if maybe they’re not actively participating in the show for the coming year. I try to see what everyone is doing, and a lot of those dealers I’ve known for a long time. Nina Johnson in Little Haiti, Voloshyn, and El Apartamento in Coral Terrace.

Katie: When dining, where would you suggest for someone visiting during ABMB to give them the cultural scope of what Miami has to offer?

Bridget: You need to have more than a couple of days to really dive in on the cultural influence of what makes that city tick, right? I tend to really lean in and love the restaurants that feel very definitive of Miami Beach.

And I would say, starting with an incredible Cuban sandwich is 100% the way to go. I always love going to Puerto Sagua at 700 Collins Ave. I’ve been going to this restaurant since the early show days. It’s such a great place to go with a group of people and it’s so delicious. I love walking all the way up and down Collins, and this always gives me the opportunity to do it.

I love Mandolin Aegean Bistro in the Design District. If you’re planning in advance, it’s much more of a full evening experience and you need a reservation. It’s coastal Greek food that is just absolutely phenomenal, and I would say order everything, it’s a crowd favorite. I know I’m not alone in my love for Mandolin.

Back to South Beach is a more formal Greek restaurant, Milos, that’s incredibly fresh and delicious. The service there is phenomenal and feels like a warm greeting to arrive in Miami Beach.

In terms of fresh fish options, Azabu Miami Beach is a sushi restaurant that’s fantastic. I also love sitting around the pool at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. It has the quintessential Miami Beach, “sitting-by-the-pool,” ambiance. It’s so lovely and feels like a welcome change of pace in the midst of a very hectic week.

Miami residents know how to dine very well and like to take time enjoying their meals. In terms of the local fare, Joe’s Stone Crab is a staple. The Stone Crab Wedge Salad and gin martini diet is alive and well at Joe’s. If you’re looking for a late night option, La Sandwicherie. I don’t know that one year has passed without me getting one of these delicious sandwiches since I started going to ABMB. It’s a fantastic French sandwich shop that’s open until shameful hours. A place that’s newer in my life is a Michelin recommended taco shop called Taquiza, which moved from South Beach to North. And then, I spent much of my youth at places like Club Deuce after dinner. Miami is so incredible for so long it’s been celebrated for its incredible nightlife scene, but it’s also so adaptable. If you choose a path of wellness, it’s there to support you in having vibrant green juices and yoga in the morning. That’s been a beautiful re-entry for me in terms of self-preservation. I lean more towards that now, having great meals and staying present.