Vetting
All exhibiting galleries MUST abide by the regulations listed below and provide all requested information. Each exhibitor receives an appointment time in advance of the fair. The exhibitor must be ready by this time. Failure to prepare by appointment time results in a CHF 2,000 fine.
Vetting Schedule Dates
Sunday, June 9 9am - 6pm
Exhibitors’ Guidelines for the Vetting Process
Works submitted to Design Miami must qualify as examples of Collectible Design.
- Collectible Design is defined by Design Miami, as works that exhibit a functional perspective or purpose.
- These objects must be unique, prototypes/artist proofs, or produced in editions of less than 30 pieces.
- They must also no longer be in production, and be examples of historic and/or industrial manufacture.
- These standards apply to furniture, jewelry, lighting and objects. Works exhibited in Curio booths may stray from these requirements with approval.
Show management will appoint the appropriate Vetting Committee with respect to the different categories of exhibits to be shown. The Vetting Committee has the right to examine any and all objects for any reason displayed in a booth at any time throughout the length of the fair.
Exhibitors are not permitted to be in their booth during the vetting process. However, all exhibitors MUST leave their contact information where they can be reachable, for immediate consultation, during any moment of the vetting process.
Exhibitors must abide by the final decisions of the Vetting Committee.
Dealers may contact Grela Orihuela directly in advance of the Vetting Committee regarding any suspicious material they may see during set-up. Your feedback will remain confidential. Grela can be reached via mobile number +1 786 253 9253 or email grela@designmiami.com.
Vetting Form
Though exhibitors are not permitted to be in attendance during the vetting process, they all MUST have a description listing of each object displayed or to be displayed in their booth, as no material can be added and no material can be replaced for the duration of the show. Each object must be properly attributed and correctly described using Design Miami’s Fillable Vetting Form (see button above to download), including an account of the date in which it was made, country of origin, description of materials, editions/marks/registration numbers, and statement of condition of the original form. During the examination process, the Vetting Committee will evaluate every form description for each object displayed in an exhibitor's booth to ensure that attributions and condition descriptions are not misleading. Exhibitors with on-site storage should prepare the works to be viewed by removing all packing materials.
Please prepare hard copy proof of authenticity for all historic works. Examples of proof of authenticity include:
- Historic photographs, certificates from Foundations, letters from the designer’s children and any other evidence of provenance.
- When offering the opinions of an expert about an object to the Vetting Committee, it is not enough for an exhibitor to attribute a statement to a particular expert. A supporting letter, signed by the expert concerned, must be supplied.
- If proof of authenticity cannot be supplied immediately upon request, the work will be removed from the booth at the gallery’s cost.
Visual or Fine Art
Any object that qualifies in the Visual or Fine Art category is not permitted to be exhibited at Design Miami. If any exhibitor is considering bringing work that may fall within this description, they should consult Show Management before shipping the object to avoid having the object removed from the booth during Vetting.
- Works that are part of a designer or architect’s oeuvre which are not directly related to the design process are not permitted
- Works of design made by visual artists may be exhibited, as long as they have been created as functional works of design
- All sculpture must be submitted for approval in advance of the fair.
Restoration and Condition of Objects
Any object that has had major restoration is not permitted to be shown by an exhibitor. The following descriptions constitute “major restoration”: any object that has been so restored as to exclude evidence of serious or extensive damage, marriages of parts of any kind, any subtractions, later enrichments, and any alterations that change the original character of an object to enhance its value.
Re-editions
Design Miami accepts late editions of historical work on a case-by-case basis considering these guidelines:
- The work should be created in collaboration with the original designer, not the designer’s family or estate.
- The work should have existed only as a prototype before the contemporary edition is produced.
- The work can be made in an edition of no more than 30 pieces.
- Extremely rare vintage reeditions will be accepted with the express approval of Show Management. If you plan to exhibit work at Design Miami that may qualify as a reedition or late edition of a historical work, please notify Show Management before shipping so the work may be considered and approved. Unapproved work in this category is at risk of being removed from the booth during vetting.
Period for Consideration
Design Miami allows limited-edition and rare historic design from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day. Works created before the turn of the twentieth century are permitted in the show at the discretion of Show Management.
Examination
If the Vetting Committee is in unanimous agreement that an object displayed is of deceptive origin or does not meet the guidelines of the show, Show Management will ask for the removal of the object from the exhibitor’s booth.
In the event that the Vetting Committee is unable to come to a unanimous decision regarding a piece’s validity, two members of Design Miami’s Gallery Committee will be called upon to assist in the decision-making.