It had been a whirlwind week of a bustling Miami Art Week, so Thursday’s dinner in the Meditation Garden of the Standard hotel was a welcome vibe shift into a paradise oasis surrounded by tropical foliage. The occasion warranted a very special night, as Maestro Dobel Tequila hosted the event to celebrate the launch of Artnet’s Innovators List 2022, featuring 35 vanguard names who are forging the future of the art industry.

It was a synergistic evening of art innovators mingling with tequila innovators. The cocktails and conversation flowed.

An intimate table was set in a tropical paradise under the stars. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

Johannes Vogt, head of post-war and contemporary art at Artnet Auctions, with Julia Halperin, executive editor of Artnet News. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

The ocean breeze wafted in from the water and a canopy of stars twinkled overhead. Within the garden, tables were laid out sublimely in crisp white cloths with towering vases of lilies and orchids. Guests—a list kept small enough to feel intimate but large enough to feel festive—dined on Florida citrus salad and lamb chops, followed by chocolate torte.

The secret ingredient for a perfect fete. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

Innovators Tina Rivers Ryan and Ariel Hudes. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

“We developed the Innovators List to recognize people who were doing truly original work to move the art industry forward,” said Artnet News’s executive editor, Julia Halperin, in her introduction. Among the art-world attendees were the innovators in town for Art Basel Miami Beach, including Nadine Knotzer, cofounder of Carbon 12; Magnus Renfrew, global director of the Art Assembly; Nicolas Smirnoff, head of media relations for Serpentine Galleries; Tina Rivers Ryan, curator of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum; Christian Luiten, cofounder of Avant Arte; and Ariel Hudes, of Pace Verso. The spirited conversation centered on Web3 technologies and change agents, aided by Maestro Dobel Tequila cocktails.

The festivities are about to begin. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

This wasn’t Maestro Dobel’s first art-world excursion. Fairgoers have become accustomed to the luxury-tequila brand’s tranquil Artpothecary hubs at Frieze New York, Frieze London, and of course Art Basel (in 2019 the artist Julian Mayor debuted his Dobel collaboration at Design Miami, a nearly eight-foot-long sculptural bar in steel and mirrors).

Maestro Dobel Atelier 2022 Extra Anejo Tequila comes in a chic bottle and is produced by combining vintages from the different phases of the aging process. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

The night culminated in a toast from Luigi Rodriguez, Maestro Dobel’s Agave Ambassador, who brought the evening full circle. Rodriguez eloquently described the innovation behind the ancient and culture-steeped process of coaxing elixir from the prized plant. It was a night of alchemy, magic, and innovations, both scientific and artistic.

Maestro Dobel 50 Cristalino is a triumph of tequila innovation, born from 11 generations of mastery. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

Ethan Rafii, Avant Arte’s Christian Luiten, and art-focused realtor Jonathan Travis. Photo: Edin Chavez Photography.

For more on Artnet’s 2022 Innovators, please read the entire list here, and check out Dobel for further information on their tequilas and art endeavors.