Art fans will want to make a trip to Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, to partake in the resort’s new extensive on-site art program. The program invites guest to experience art in two ways: in the garden and in the gallery.
In partnership with museologist Carlina Stubbe and her foundation Arte Fits, the property is hosting an evolving collection of cutting-edge ephemeral art and a unique landscape of installations. For the more traditionally minded, the property is also home to a curated selection of original artwork and sculptures from local Puerto Rican artists.
Stubbe’s Arte Fits program searches around the world to find art suitable for display at Dorado Beach, looking for pieces from unconventional and inventive artists to commission one-of-a-kind pieces from to display in a variety of places on site. Thanks to Arte Fits, Dorado Beach guests are treated many Art-in-Nature displays that last as long as the elements will allow before being replaced by a new piece later on. Displayed pieces are also photographed and can be found throughout the Reserve after they’re gone. For those who missed a specific installation, Stubbe is available to answer guest’s questions about pieces that are no longer at the Reserve.
Dorado Beach’s permanent collection of art features many pieces by the Reserve’s resident artist Sofia Arsuaga. Arsuaga provides guests with complimentary tours of all the pieces, which include visits to the resort’s Livingston Library, infinity pool and Encanto Beach Club Bar & Grill among other spots of interest. Arsuaga played an essential role in curating the collection of traditional art currently on display throughout Dorado Beach by partnering with established and emerging Puerto Rican artists like Aileen Castañeda, Cecile Molina Machargo, Anna Nicholson, Luis Torruella, and Eduardo Cabrer; Dorado Beach now offers an impressive selection of pieces, many of which were commissioned especially for the resort.
During Arsuaga’s tours, guests will learn the story behind each piece and its artist, as well as learn about Puerto Rican art as a whole. For those with an extra interest, Dorado Beach also offers the opportunity to visit, shop and have special pieces commissioned at some of the top private art studios and galleries within Old San Juan. For those looking for their own pieces, Arsuaga arranges meetings for guests with an artist she feels most closely represents their own preferences and interests.
Coming up in the arts at Dorado Beach include artist cocktail parties, where guests can converse with specific artists over cocktails while admiring art. Arsuaga will also soon be offering workshops in her art studio for guests of the Reserve. The classes will teach painting, mixed media mono-printing and pottery.