Buzzy destinations beckon culture lovers with immersive experiences in fascinating locale.
Tippet Rise Art Center (Montana)
The draw: This 10,000-plus-acre sculpture garden and openair music pavilion — which opened last summer a few hours north of Yellowstone — also happens to be a working cattle and sheep ranch.
The patrons: Philanthropists Peter and Cathy Halstead (daughter of Grey Goose baron Sidney Frank) searched for years for open land on which to commission site-specific sculptures and draw in the worlds of music, art and architecture. “We knew that in some way the land would choose us,” Cathy tells Alexa.
Must-see: Cathy grew up with an Alexander Calder hanging in her living room, so it’s no surprise that his works (including “Two Discs”) dot the rolling hills. Also on offer below the silver-tipped mountains? Ensamble Studio’s concrete arch, “Inverted Portal,” and the house-engulfing tree trunks of Patrick Dougherty’s “Daydreams.”
Sleeping over: Only 100 guests are allowed to wander the property each day, unless you buy a ticket ($10 a pop) for performances by musicians like pianist Jenny Chen or the Ariel String Quartet, both playing the al fresco Domo. You can’t stay over, so check into the nearby Lazy E-L Ranch or an artsy Airbnb made entirely out of a shipping container in Livingston, 95 miles away (from $150).
Zeitz Museum Of Contemporary Art Africa (Cape Town)
The draw: The first major museum in Africa dedicated to contemporary African art and the diaspora, Zeitz MOCAA will fill 80 galleries and 100,000 square feet when it opens in September.
The patron: In 2011, when Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront was looking to turn its grain silo into something culturally powerful, it turned to former Puma CEO Jochen Zeitz, who’d been working for years with curator Mark Coetzee to build a collection of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Voilà — a museum was born.
“Helping build an institution from the ground up is like a start-up business, but it’s way more complex,” Zeitz, now a philanthropist, tells Alexa.
Must-see: The Thomas Heatherwick-designed museum will house every major image produced by New York-born, Africa-based photographer Roger Ballen between 1968 and 1982; a ghostlike animal-skin sculpture (“Emabutfo”) by Swaziland native Nandipha Mntambo and Edson Chagas’ “Luanda, Encyclopedic City” (from the prize-winning Angola exhibition at the 2013 Venice Biennale).
Sleeping over: The adjacent Silo Hotel, also designed by Heatherwick, opened in March in a 1924 building — once the tallest in South Africa.
Its 28 colorful rooms riff on industrial splendor (from $924).
Southeast Asia’s Festival Hub (Singapore)
The draw: Several world-class fairs (Biennale, Affordable Art Fair, Art Stage) come to the city throughout the year, and big-time museums, like the Singapore Art Museum, the Singapore National Gallery and the ArtScience Museum exhibit the best of the best in the region.
“Take a walk around the city and its ethnic enclaves and you’ll easily find yourself being greeted by colorful art murals and unique showcases within independent art and cultural spaces,” Angelita Teo, director of the National Museum of Singapore, tells Alexa.
The patrons: Government agencies help lure festivals and create originals, like the Singapore Night Festival, which takes place each August.
Must-see: A 1936 military facility reopened as Gillman Barracks, a “contemporary arts cluster” that houses 13 galleries, cafés and Playeum’s Children’s Centre for Creativity.
Sleeping over: Marina Bay Sands, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, looks like a spaceship, but was inspired by a house of cards. Its rooftop pool is cray-cray (from $287).
Upper Engadin (Switzerland)
The draw: This Swiss Alps region that runs for about 35 miles from St. Moritz to Sent has lured artists like Alberto Giacometti — and their wealthy benefactors — since the turn of the 20th century. Recently, a new generation has arrived for the schussing, and the personal touch of the Alpine region’s tiny towns.
The patrons: Art-world darling Vito Schnabel opened his first gallery outside of New York in late 2015, in a St. Moritz space that belonged to his godfather, gallerist Bruno Bischofberger. Italian gallerina Monica de Cardenas showcases her recent discoveries in a 14th-century Zuoz building. Meanwhile, dealer Miklos von Bartha’s son Stefan highlights one artist at a time in his 16th-century barn in S-chanf (a satellite of his family’s Basel mainstay), and the works of painter Gottardo Segantini are housed in the Segantini Museum in St. Moritz. A new contemporary art museum will fill a 19th-century brewery in Susch.
“The region is very beautiful, with a special bright light, which always attracted artists and poets,” says Elsbeth Bisig, founder of the pioneering Galerie Tschudi Zuoz, where works by local legend Not Vital are shown.
Must-see: The peak art season typically runs through April, but Not Vital also puts up installations at his stunning, 12th-century Tarasp Castle, which is open year-round.
Sleeping over: Hotel Castell in Zuoz is owned by Swiss collectors who sprinkle their trove throughout the hotel. Note the installations by James Turrell, Lawrence Weiner — and works by Mother Nature herself (from $231).
Art Basel City (Buenos Aires)
The draw: One of South America’s sexiest cities is set to become the first Art Basel Cities partner, launching a multiyear art collaboration later this year.
The patron: Patrick Foret, director of business initiatives at Art Basel, was part of the team that chose BA — blessed not only with a great climate and serious cuisine, but beautiful architecture and 80 galleries. “Culture is an integral part of the city’s DNA, which guarantees visitors a unique and inspiring experience,” says Foret.
Must-see: Details remain under wraps, but expect panel discussions, public art installations, networking events, performance art and residency programs for young artists.
Sleeping over: The original Faena Hotel + Universe anchors Puerto Madero, a neighborhood transformed by visionary hotelier and art lover Alan Faena. When you see the unicorn heads and red-velvet curtains, you’ll know you’ve arrived (from $399).
Israel Design Week (Israel)
The draw: This (entirely free) design fair hosted its first event ever inside a renovated train station in Tel Aviv last June. This summer the event will sprawl, Salone del Mobile-style, all over the city, with more than 90 parties, panels and tours of spaces usually closed to the public.
The patron: The Israeli Building Center put together a 35-member committee of architecture and design luminaries to single out the young country’s top (and freshest) talent.
Must-see: Wander through events inside the brutalist, Legolike White City Residences; the Bauhaus-style Hayarkon 96; and John Pawson’s hospital conversion in the seaside Jaffa district.
Sleeping over: Check into the 50-room Norman, built from the husks of two iconic 1920s buildings just off of Tel Aviv’s very-happening Rothschild Boulevard (from $515).