Alcova Design Fair Expands to Miami During Art Basel Week

Alcova, the Milan-based design fair founded by Joseph Grima and Valentina Ciuffi, will launch its first US edition in Miami from December 6 to 10, 2023, coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach. The event will occupy two historic venues along Biscayne Boulevard: the Selina Gold Dust Motel, a restored Mid-Century modernist motel with rooms arranged around a central pool, and the Emancipator Boatyard, a former wooden racing boat factory from the 1940s now designated a historic monument. The venues are connected by a footbridge over the Little River canal. Alcova Miami aims to replicate the success of its Milan format, which transforms underused buildings into exhibition spaces for research-driven design and immersive installations. Curators Grima and Ciuffi told Artribune they see an opportunity in the US, where few international design fairs exist, to offer an alternative during the established art week. They emphasized that while Alcova resembles a curated exhibition, it functions as a fair promoting emerging designers, small businesses, and material startups seeking to expand their audience and explore new markets. The Miami edition is hosted in the MiMo District, near the Design District's luxury showrooms and across from Miami Beach's Art Basel and Design Miami venues.