Miami Design District founder and CEO Craig Robins spoke to Dezeen about developing creative communities in an exclusive live interview to kick off our Dezeen x Miami Design Talks collaboration.
Hosted by Dezeen's editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, the interview was the first instalment in a series of conversations broadcast on Dezeen as part of Design Miami 2020.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's Design Miami festival features a programme of digital events taking place alongside physical exhibitions and activities located within Miami Design District.
In 2000, Robins and his partner L Catterton began acquiring buildings in the then-neglected neighbourhood. The Miami Design District has since been developed into a shopping destination and hub for architecture and the arts.
In 2005, Design Miami launched its inaugural fair at The Moore Building, a former furniture factory in the heart of the district, which was built in the 1920s.
Now, after fifteen years in another location, the festival returns to its original home for its 2020 edition.
Robins is Miami-based entrepreneur, real-estate developer and art collector who develops creative communities that integrate art, design and architecture.
In 1987, Robins founded real-estate development company Dacra, which helped to revitalise Miami's South Beach in the late 1980s and early 1990s by restoring the area's art deco-style landmarks.
Robins' development of the Miami Design District in the early 2000s inspired the creation of Design Miami and its sister festival Design Miami/Basel.
Robins is now chairman of the fair, which he owns in partnership with Art Basel producers MCH Swiss Exhibition.
Robins is also the founder and chairman of the Anaphiel Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting arts education.
In 2006, he was presented with the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Museum Design Patron award at the White House in Washington DC.
The full programme for the Dezeen x Miami Design Talks collaboration can be found here.