Miami Beach announced Ximena Garrido-Lecca as the winner of its 2025 Legacy Purchase Program, acquiring her copper-rope work "Modulations – Sequence XXIX" for the municipal collection. The piece, shown with Livia Benavides Gallery, was selected by public vote and has been installed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Separately, the sixth edition of the No Vacancy public-art program placed 12 site-specific installations in hotel lobbies across the city, running from November 13 through December 20, with $35,000 in total prizes.
These initiatives matter because they demonstrate Miami Beach's shift from a mere host of the annual Art Basel fair to an active cultural producer with year-round programming. The Legacy Purchase Program builds a permanent municipal collection that includes artists like Sanford Biggers and Amoako Boafo, while No Vacancy transforms hotel lobbies into cultural infrastructure and supports local Miami-based artists. Together, they reflect a maturing strategy that leverages Art Week's global attention to foster long-term civic engagement and cultural visibility beyond the December art-market frenzy.