The other night I participated in an innovation in the arts in our community at the Betsy Hotel in South Beach, a venue well-known for its supports of the arts.

The Betsy Ross (original name) was designed by architect L. Murray Dixon. It opened in 1942 at the height of Miami Beach’s Art Deco era. Its Florida “Georgian” Style stands out from neighboring Art Deco hotels. At that time, the Betsy did not stand alone; the President Madison, the White House, and the Jefferson Hotel were all examples of the Colonial Georgian style. The others have fallen victim of the wrecking ball, unfortunately.

The Betsy has always stood out for innovation and taking a stand. In 1953, a time when people of culture were faced restrictions in Miami Beach, Black church pastors and wives in Miami for a conference stayed there. The hotel hosted the first trans art festival in 2014. It served as the headquarters of the National Women’s Political caucus during the 2017 Democratic Convention.

Since 2012, current owners of the the Betsy Hotel established the Writer’s Room in honor of their father, poet Hyam Plutzik (hyamPlutzikPoetry.com). The Writer’s Room pays homage to the many ‘writing rooms’ that existed in 1940s hotels. More than 1500 writers, artists, and more have been residents in the Betsy Writer’s Room.

The owners purchased a neighboring property, the historic Carlton in 2016. The Carlton, facing Collins Avenue, was originally designed in the 1930s by architect Henry Hohauser. Hohauser and Dixon are noted as two of the fathers of the Art Deco District.

The owners were faced with how to connect the two buildings. Their answer is an outstanding public art piece suspended four stories in the air, known locally as “The Orb.” It isan egg-shaped pedestrian bridge concealing the passageway that seamlessly connects the Betsy with the revitalized Carlton.

The Orb’s polished white surface is occasionally activated by images projected on it. It is usually part of the annual No Vacancy project (see posts 12-21-20, 12-5-23, 12-1-24, 12-25-25) during December’s Art Week bringing pleasure and amazement of those passing by. Throughout the year addition projections are shown to coordinate with activities taking place.

Just last week was such a time. Local artist [dNASAb] (https://dnasab.net/) was commissioned to create a work focusing on the coming FIFA matches. The other night the public was invited to see the official unveiling of the new state-of-the-art projection system and a teaser of the new innovative immersive art work.

The evening was filled with wonder and delight. We all enjoyed delicious pizza bites at the Alley, the Betsy’s trattoria serving Roman-style pizza.

And don’t forget one example of our local wildlife – is it an alligator or a croc – guarding the alley from unwanted traffic!