The James Royal Palm is The James brand’s third location and first hotel in Florida. Joining sister properties in Chicago and New York City, The James Royal Palm is an ideally-situated, oceanfront beach retreat with interiors designed by Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio. The James defines luxury liberated from tradition; this core philosophy is evident in the properties’ residential yet social environment and personal, intuitive service. The James Royal Palm will feature 179 guest rooms and 211 studios and suites, the majority of which have ocean views. Located on world-famous Ocean Drive on Collins Avenue at the beach.
The James Royal Palm will include a selection of art pieces created specifically for the property; and an Artist in Residence program, which will include works that will debut at the hotel’s official opening. In addition, through a strategically selected menu of partnerships with local art institutions, guests will benefit from specially-created programs that appeal to travelers from all walks of life.
Artists chosen as part of this collection are both local to Miami and internationally-based, and will include Slim Aarons, Loriel Beltran, David Drebin, Michael Dwek, Vincent Laforet, Portia Munson, Gavin Perry, Alex Prager and Carrie Sleh. A key part of the overall collection will be a selection of original “day paintings” which will hang in the guest rooms. Created by seven up-and-coming artists – Toa Casetellanos, Audrey Gair, Patricia Gutirrez, Bethany Kalk, Evan Rottet, Joanna Silver and Liza Silvestre – these “day paintings” are the quick, spontaneous exercises each painter executes to start their day of work and perfectly encapsulate the free, breezy style of Miami. Each of the four artists was asked to consider the subject of “The Bather” when beginning their work, ensuring that each of the 150 original “day paintings” has the concept of socializing in the water as its theme. This will specifically complement the fact that nearly every room, suite and loft at The James Royal Palm will have a complete or partial ocean view.
The public areas also benefit from Rottet’s artistic vision. Art commissioned for The James Club, the bar area within the lobby, has much more interactive examples of art. The sofas will have works of art printed directly onto the upholstery. Also in this area of the hotel will be a memory game created by artist Troy Stanley in collaboration with Lauren Rottet. Comprised of a series of “bridges” and two-way mirror boxes, this interactive memory game will include cubes that light up and change color as they moved around the game board, thereby ensuring that each time a guest plays with the game, the piece itself changes and becomes something new for the next player.
The most interactive artistic element at The James Royal Palm will be as a result of the Cultural Collection. Chosen to reflect the variety of cultural offerings available to visitors to Miami, a list of strategically-selected local partners – Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), New World Symphony and Young Arts – were selected to participate in the program. Each partner will create a work especially for The James Royal Palm, which will debut when the hotel opens. The works will run the gamut from musical performances to sculptures, and will in many cases become a part of the hotel’s permanent collection. The program will kick off what will become an annual art event at The James which will no doubt evolve into a must-attend event year after year. Also part of the Cultural Collection will be Public School, the hip, up-and-coming design team who will be responsible for the staff uniforms throughout the hotel.
The James Royal Palm Cultural Collection partners:
Art: Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
As a leading museum in South Florida, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) North Miami will join forces with The James Royal Palm for a unique, permanent installation by local artist Jorge Pantoja. His piece, set to be unveiled in the hotel’s West Tower Lobby, will be inspired by the hotel’s permanent art collection and the curatorial statement for the whole hotel by hotel art curator, Lauren Rottet, “An Ocean Apart.” Selected as “one of the most interesting artists in Miami and creating a unique perspective on life,” says Bonnie Clearwater, Pantoja will also present selections of his work at The James Royal Palm later this year.
The James Royal Palm’s collaboration with MOCA will also feature exclusive access to special events hosted by the MOCA Shakers, a dynamic network of young professionals who develop relationships with collectors and art enthusiasts from around the world.
This is the first time that MOCA has partnered with a hotel in Miami in this capacity and format. “We are delighted to work with The James Royal Palm and applaud their initiative to bring Miami’s thriving cultural community to their guests. It provides MOCA a unique opportunity to extend its contemporary art program to the beach,” says Bonnie Clearwater, Director and Chief Curator of Miami of Contemporary Arts in North Miami.
Performance: YoungArts
An artistic resource for creative talent, the National Young Arts Foundation was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison and contributes to this country’s cultural vitality by investing in the artistic development of talented young artists. The James Royal Palm and YoungArts will collaborate on specialty projects and events throughout the year, beginning with an outdoor canvas installation titled “Untitled” in October 2012. Created by Lucia Sanchez and her father Oliver, the piece was installed in front of the hotel’s iconic fountain and driveway as a preview of the overall experience at The James Royal Palm. Lucia is among the YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leading professionals alongside actresses Vanessa Williams, Viola Davis, and Kerry Washington; four-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza, recording artists Nicki Minaj and Chris Young and many more.
“We are proud that YoungArts alumni are contributing to the artistic landscape of this historic Miami community, and look forward to our continued relationship with The James Royal Palm,” said Paul T. Lehr, Executive Director of the National YoungArts Foundation.
Fashion: Public School
Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne spent several years designing for Sean John and are now creating big waves on the international fashion scene with their own niche line, Public School. Having made their runway debut at 2012 New York Fashion Week, these graduates of the first ever Council of Fashion Designers of America Incubator Program (CFDA) are known for taking city-inspired fashion and incorporating edgy, yet refined sensibilities creating clothing that unites fashion with art and culture. The James Royal Palm tapped Public School along with their Miami-based collaborator Max Pierre to create all of the uniforms for the staff at the hotel, from front desk and concierge to the wait staff in Florida Cookery and The James Club. Combining elements of their signature style with the various facets of The James brand ethos, both Public School and Max Pierre will unveil their designs created for The James Royal Palm’s uniforms this fall and host a series of trunk shows throughout 2013.
“Our goal with this project was to ensure we kept the cultural references to the historic past of The James Royal Palm intact while injecting a slight modernity into the looks as a nod to the evolution and sophistication of Miami Beach,” said Chow. “Our choices for fabric, color and silhouette were all heavily influenced by the touch points of the experience of visiting Miami: bright, cool and fun.”
“We were influenced by Miami’s history but we wanted to twist things up a bit to reflect the kinetic energy of Miami,” said Osborne. “We’ve spent a bit of time living there, and most New Yorkers already consider Miami their second home, so it was only fitting that we were able to mesh together influences from both big cities.”
Music: New World Symphony (NWS)
With a worldwide reputation for creating unparalleled classical music experiences as America’s only full-time orchestral academy, New World Symphony (NWS) will integrate its unique program elements into the guest experience at The James Royal Palm. For this partnership, NWS has carefully curated a selection of works ranging from classical to contemporary and, later this year, will stage specially composed performance at The James Royal Palm, as well as create original works and performances intended to appeal to both hotel guests and locals.
“The James understands the importance of arts and culture and we are so proud to be a cultural partner of theirs. We intend to present classical music with its rich and historic traditions, along with an innovative fresh approach to these sounds by fusing classical music with Latin, Funk and electronic beats,” says Stacey Glassman, Senior Director of Development of New World Symphony.
art in and around South Florida
