Last summer, when Art Basel called Maike Cruse about directing the fair’s flagship edition in Switzerland, she didn’t need to think twice. The veteran director previously served a three-year stint as Art Basel’s communications manager in the early 2010s, but afterward relocated to Berlin where she spent a decade holding positions at the KW Institute of Contemporary Art and the Berlin Biennale before spearheading Gallery Weekend Berlin. Throughout that time, she never missed a single edition of Art Basel, delighting in the annual pilgrimage to the tight-knit Swiss city to immerse herself in one of the most crucial nodes of the blue-chip art market. The fair was growing quickly, launching well-attended editions in Hong Kong and Paris, as well as bolstering online sales thanks to a strong digital program during Covid.

During that period of rapid growth, Cruse also noticed how Art Basel was amounting to so much more than the million-dollar sales unfolding in the busy halls. Thanks to the density of galleries and project spaces popping up in Basel’s walkable central core, the city had been blossoming into a bona fide cultural destination. So for her inaugural edition as director of Art Basel’s high-profile Swiss fair, she decided to tap into the city’s vitality. Beyond the 285 galleries bringing hotly anticipated works to Messe Basel, art commissions will be sprinkled all around the city.

Expect a reconceptualized Parcours sector, which brings site-specific works by the likes of Alvaro Barrington, Mandy El-Sayegh, and Rirkrit Tiravanija to nearby Clarastrasse. The Merian, a newly introduced venue at the erstwhile Hotel Merian, will stage curator-hosted concerts and performances well into the night. Perhaps the biggest draw is the ambitious recreation of Agnes Denes’ seminal Wheatfield—A Confrontation on Messeplatz. Originally planted and harvested in the shadows of the looming World Trade Center in the early ‘80s, the installation endures as a triumph of Land Art and a reminder of humanity’s role in worsening ecological calamity.

As Cruse says, perhaps there’s still much to learn from the gesture. Ahead of the busy fair, she spoke with Surface about her vision for the first Art Basel under her direction—and why it’s so important to venture outside the busy halls.

Have a news story our readers need to see? Write to our editors.

Reach the design world every morning. Find out more about advertising in the Design Dispatch.

The summer-spirited Brazilian fashion label founded by Patricia Bonaldi is the latest newcomer to Miami’s Design District, tapping Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger of BoND Architecture to translate the trademark femininity of its Brazil stores to its South Florida presence. The effect begins before one even sets foot inside, thanks to a pink wood-slatted exterior facade further accentuated by an impression-making arched entryway. Terrazzo, stone, and metal interiors, along with curvilinear geometric elements, exude femininity and sense of place without veering into cliché. A massive silk flower by artist Hana Form and suspended from the ceiling spans the first floor—a reminder that even tasteful fashion and interiors are meant to be noticed.

This month, Southern Guild is staging the opening of three solo shows from Adam Birch, King Houndekpinkou, and Madoda Fani at its Cape Town gallery. In “Like Something Being Said,” Birch, an arborist, shows a new series of large-scale functional timber sculptures that capture an unexpected degree of fluidity. Houndekpinkou harnesses his Beninese heritage, Parisian upbringing, and travels to Japan to inform “Six Prayers,” a show of six ceramic vessels that draw from West African and Japanese culture, spirituality, and tradition. To cap it all off, Fani, who works in ceramics, brings together domestic objects as a “mapping of Black masculinities” to challenge Black heteronormative standards in “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.”

At the end of May, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala that brought together artists and patrons in support of the museum’s programming. The night raised $1.42 million and featured a musical performance by Martha Redbone. To top it all off, attendees were treated to a surprise “explosion event” in the form of gunpowder art by Cai Guo-Qiang, who debuted his 25 Comets over a finale toast in the museum’s courtyard.

When was it? May 24

Where was it? Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA

Who was there? Kristy Edmunds, Joe Thompson, Nick Cave, Bob Faust, Helga Davis, Bill T. Jones, Carol LeWitt, Chris Doyle, Gary Lichtenstein, Ann Hamilton, and Son Lux.

Original BTC was founded in 1990 by Peter Bowles. Breaking convention, Bowles was the first designer to use bone china in lighting, paving the way for his pioneering investment in British manufacturing. Original BTC has since grown but remains committed to using the best quality raw materials to their utmost capability, and paying great attention to concept and form.

Surface Says: The lighting across Original BTC’s collections celebrate British craftsmanship. From nautical Ship’s Well Glass lights to the factory-inspired Titan Pendant fixtures, the brand’s products carry on a tradition of well-machined style.

A rātā resembling Tolkien’s sentient Ents snags a “tree of the year” award.

The skull of a prehistoric “giant goose” has been discovered in Australia.

For the first time ever, SpaceX’s starship lands successfully in a test flight.

Roblox has been around since 2006, but is coming for real-world retail.