Construction is in progress and Majestic Properties is setting up its sales office at Miami developer Alessandro Ferretti's Artécity at 2100 Park Avenue on Miami's South Beach.

Artécity was tastefully designed by award-winning Arquitectonica. Artécity's homes will be offered at prices ranging from the low $200,000s to $1,000,000, for an overall average of $450 per square foot, quite reasonable for a fine neighborhood close to the beach and close in to downtown Miami and its cultural centers.

The $100-million, 185-unit condominium complex of 2 new and 3 renovated buildings will be completed just across the street from the Bass Museum of Art and the Miami City Ballet - directly behind Miami Beach Library on Collins Avenue - in a dignified, low-rise neighborhood area, well back from the hubbub and clutter of the tourist strip. In addition to the quiet enjoyment of their premises, owners will enjoy exclusive artécitycard memberships in said cultural institutions and several other premier cultural centers as well, including the New World Symphony located five blocks away on South Beach's classy Lincoln Road Mall.

I barged in on Monarch Property's Ana V. Austin as she was setting up the Artécity sales office in anticipation of the arrival of the condominium documentation. Her gracious Southern hospitality gave me good cause to imagine how urbane art buffs and art critics might view Artécity. Artécity is, by the way, a short stroll from the Art Basel show held annually at the South Beach Convention Center - a critic remarked of the 2004 show that it is not your usual international showing of a few fine pieces framed by modern and postmodern clutter. Fine art is as rare, and the best of it is as infrequently encountered as are the most beautiful of all women, who are said to be one in a million. I believe art buffs critics will like what they see and what they feel in Artécity and its cultural surroud, and one or two critics might want to take up residence there.

I happen to be a frustrated art critic. Wherefore as a discriminating Artécity resident I would keep several differences in mind, for that is the objective of a discerning mind, is it not? For instance, there exists a marked difference between being "artistic" as advertised, in the specious sense of arty or artsy-craftsy, and being artful. There is a great divide between ephemeral clutter and timeless art: the former is wasted and discarded; the latter is forever saved and kept close to heart. Moreover, there are differences between meaningful creation and utter confusion; between reading about creativity and actually being creative. And there is a literal difference between mumbo-jumbo and grammar, not in the dead-letter, technical sense of the term, but in the highest and most flexible sense, that grammar is the best expressions of a living language, wherefore we have occasional to believe that fine authors will contribute to Artécity Life.

Dancers will love Artécity Life, I'm sure. If I were an Artécity dancer, I would not confine myself to hip-hopping about the stage like a kangaroo. A performing artist does not try to be different just to be different, but wants to be truthful to the beauty of her project. That is, she strives for truth when making her differences. She does not flip flop around and jump up and down just to be different, as novices are wont to in order to gain an audience for a few moments. We might not recognize the ballerina's stock-in-trade tombe pas de bourree glissade grande jete, nor may we know precisely what she means by it, yet her art releases us from the gravity of existence as she flies into the wings, that we may experience the lightness of being.

Graceful life sells itself to the discriminating eye, therefore, and to that end creative developer Alessandro Ferretti and his select associates are disposing of clutter and making way for Miami Beach Art District's cultural center for the art of urbane living - Artécity. After taking up residence there, the emphasis shall be well placed on the artful urbanity of living Artécity Life. Artécity Life shall be unique, not merely another echo of an "ism", but a tasteful choice. After all is said and done, the best technique is not meant to be discerned by the general audience, although many of Arquitectonica's meticulously designed details shall be noted well by the critic's well-trained eye.

Martha Graham had a discerning eye, figuratively speaking, for many things, especially placement. She discerned the need to place her choreography on the best, most suitably located stages At the very outset of her long career, hence she swiftly rose to the heights of her profession. Now Artécity is a well-placed stage, and I think residents shall soon appreciate the performances thereon as well as at the cultural centers thereabout, all within walking distance if not a short drive from Artécity.

Since nothing is perfect, I have no doubt there is plenty of room for improvement of Artécity Life despite my praise of the project. But for what it's worth, this is my honest perspective on the future of Artécity Life.

Feedback from the developer's publicist:

Enough is enough Mr. Walters. Insulting my client, his ad agency and all those involved is not going to get you anywhere.... Your opinion is unsolicited and unwanted at this point... Mr. Haggman and nearly everyone else in town that covers real estate (and art for that matter) has written about the project already and will continue to do so. Why not find a topic that is not so well covered and then you can perhaps start clean and get where you want to go.

Dindy Yokel Publicity Counsel