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Beyond Basel, Art Is A Lifestyle For Founder Of Faena District

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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – Welcome to the Faena District which stretches through three blocks of Miami Beach.

Collins Avenue, from 32nd Street to 36th Street is the Faena District, founded by Alan Faena, an Argentine-born entrepreneur. He opened the Faena Hotel exactly one year ago. Since then, he's added elements and spaces around the hotel to create a neighborhood rooted in the arts.

"For me, it's not about a business or a hotel. For me, it's about elevating. For me, it's about elevating people, giving them an experience that will make them be a better person," said Faena.

The hotel itself features remarkable works of art throughout such as the priceless Damien Hirst mastodon that is fully enclosed and temperature-controlled.

The interiors were designed by Faena along with moviemaker Baz Luhrmann.

For Art Basel week, Faena created a pop-up dome where art events will be happening throughout the weekend. It is free and open to the public from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. It's also accessible from the beach!

"We have a great program in there every night. Every day we have talks and depending on the day, we have great agendas. It's all related to different art exhibitions that we are doing," said Faena.

Ximena Caminos is in charge of all the artistic collaborations throughout the Faena District.

"We invite artists from all over the world to come in and collaborate. We design experiences that are free and open to the public," said Caminos.

Across the street from the hotel is the forum where art exhibitions and events will happen, such the Madonna benefit concert Thursday night.

Then there's the Bazaar, a pop-up village created for this arts week featuring works by artist Pedro Friedeberg and a fully curated boutique with clothing jewelry and accessories.

"Faena Bazaar is to give our guest and our community something new every time they come," said Faena's Fashion Consultant Faskelly Framel.

For Alan Faena, it's a cultural and artistic vision he wants to share with everyone.

"Faena for me is about my life and how to share my life and to do what I consider to be good for the people," he said.

Click here for more information on all events at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach.

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