Lionstone Development Engages Miami?s Art Community with Sneak Preview of 6th
Annual Masters Mystery Art Show
Fundraiser Benefits Florida International University?s Master of Fine Arts in
Visual Arts Program
Miami, FL, November 16, 2009 -- Four hundred local business leaders, art
enthusiasts and members of the Florida International University arts and design
community recently attended an exclusive sneak preview and cocktail reception to
celebrate the upcoming sixth annual Masters Mystery Art Show (MMAS) at FIU?s new
Patricia & Philip Frost Art Museum.
Guests enjoyed live music by students from the
FIU School of Performing Arts as they perused artwork that will be available for
sale during the 2009 MMAS.
Supported by the Lowenstein family, owners of Miami-based Lionstone Development
Group, the MMAS is one of the most important fundraisers benefitting FIU?s
prestigious Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts (MFA) program.
Proceeds from last
year?s MMAS, which totaled more than $30,000, provide students with support for art
exhibitions, artist?s lectures, workshops and conference travel.
The sixth annual MMAS will be hosted Wednesday, December 2nd with a private
cocktail reception to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach and a public showing for
one day only on December 3rd from 12-7pm.
This international fundraising exhibition
gathers prominent business and community leaders and art collectors at the
exclusive Lionstone Development-owned The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach.
During MMAS,
more than 1,000 works are displayed anonymously, creating an artistic ?whodunit? as
guests buzz around the mini masterpieces and try to identify works by famous
artists and new talent to add to their collections.
Previously, celebrities and
famous artists have contributed works for sale during MMAS, including John Legend,
Rachel Ray, Carlos Betancourt, Romero Britto, Andy Garcia, Gloria and Emilio
Estefan and Rosie O?Donnell.
All proceeds benefit FIU, specifically the school?s
MFA program.
?The Masters? Mystery Art Show is one of the most important annual fundraisers for
the South Florida arts community, and we seek to attract new and existing artists
and supporters to the event each year,? said Martin Elortegui, Lionstone
Development?s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing and a major force behind
the MMAS since its inception.
?Through the funds gathered by this event, we are
providing talented artists with the opportunity to master their craft at FIU, and
help bring national recognition to South Florida?s rich artistic and cultural
community.
Contributing to Miami?s cultural expansion of the arts is an initiative
embraced by the entire Lowenstein family, and we hope many others will join us to
continue this mission.
?
FIU President Mark B.
Rosenberg thanked Elortegui and the Lowenstein family for
their constant passion for the arts, creation of the MMAS and overall support of
FIU?s MFA program.
He also invited attendees to join the Lowenstein family in
supporting the MMAS and helping to continue the program?s success.
The Lowenstein family has proudly supported the MMAS program since 2003.
An
extension of the Lowenstein family?s personal passion for the arts, the Lowensteins
created the MMAS in conjunction with FIU to offer a platform to generate awareness
and support for valuable art education programs and showcase up-and-coming artistic
talent from the Miami area and beyond.
About Lionstone Development
Miami-based Lionstone Development, owned by the Lowenstein Family, has a 30-year
track record of owning, developing, leasing and managing hospitality, gaming and
residential properties throughout South Florida and the Caribbean.
Lionstone
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