Before Santa comes his little elves descend upon Miami and take over our town for the biggest, baddest art fair in all of the land. They erect little art villages all along the beach and the bay for more than 13 official art fairs and the original fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center. And they make our city look incredible. It's not just the influx of art minded people or the sheer number of artworks shipped to Miami from, well, everywhere, it's the thoughtful and precise ways that the spaces are designed to celebrate the best parts of our city. While you were busy running the party circuit by night and snapping pics of your favorite art works, I was the planning geek photographing my favorite tents. This is the unauthorized story of Art Basel and Miami Art Week according to your Global Owl.

Scope Miami:

First stop, Scope Miami. Every year the tent entrances becomes more elaborate and creative. Chalk it up to Design Miami, the furniture art fair, which might have been the first to do this. Sadly I did not get tickets to Design Miami this year, but above is a stunning example of how art becomes architecture at Scope Miami. Long strands of colored plastic move with the ocean air and the monochromatic color scheme from bright red to pale yellow just works. The covered path through the sand is like your own personal runway to excellence.

Pulse Art Fair:

Next stop, Pulse Art Fair. The entrance at Pulse was a little more subtle. Pulse Art Fair was a few miles north of Scope in the Middle Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach. It was also smack in the middle of the sand facing the ocean. Long bits of sheer, black fabric were hung from the top of the tent structure a few feet above the entry floor. The effect was more ethereal, but also kind of annoying when we were waiting in line for to enter the fair because it kept hitting me in the face! What I like about this entrance is how it was open on both sides- the street side and beach side.

It connected nicely to this existing beach path with runs the entire length of Miami Beach.

The tent perfectly aligns with the beach path and beyond to the ocean. Yes, the ocean in Miami Beach really is that blue! To all my friends and family further north, jealous?!