If you’re a believer that at Art Basel Miami Beach, the parties are as crucial as the megawatt art being bought and sold, today is your lucky day. 

It’s been announced that painter Kehinde Wiley and music producer and dynamo collector Kasseem Dean—a.k.a Swizz Beatz—will be kicking off the fair with a star-studded night of cocktails and conversation, organized by Creative Minds Talks, on Monday, December 2. 

A view of Kehinde Wiley’s artist residency, Black Rock, in Dakar, Senegal. © Kehinde Wiley, photo: Mamadou Gomis.

This is not a party for the sake of a party, however. The longtime friends have come together for a good cause, with profits from the evening going to support Black Rock, a new artist-in-residence program created by Wiley in Dakar, Senegal. 

“I founded Black Rock because I wanted to invite unique thinkers from across the world to join me in Dakar and become a part of this creative evolution,” Wiley said. “Art, in any form, is about dialogue. I am proud that Black Rock is doing the work to inform a new global discourse about what Africa means today.”

Dean—who, alongside his wife, singer Alicia Keys, is a prominent contemporary collector—served as an active inaugural committee member for Black Rock and was integral in selecting the first round of resident artists. 

“Kehinde is an artist that I have always admired, who pushes beyond the limit of what is possible,” Dean said. “It is my pleasure to be on stage with him, and my hope is that our conversation will inspire the next generation of creatives.”

Kasseem Dean (a.k.a. Swizz Beatz) is an active art collector. Along with his wife, Alicia Keys, he has become a prominent figure in the contemporary art world. Courtesy of Tracy Nguyen.

Following a Ruinart champagne reception at Miami Beach’s New World Center, Wiley and Dean will be sitting down for a dynamic conversation centering around activism, philanthropy, and creating spaces for new voices. The evening will mark Wiley’s first public conversation since the unveiling of his historic public sculpture, Rumors of War, in New York’s Times Square.

The evening’s organizer Creative Minds Talks are famed for their know-how in orchestrating dynamic conversations between cultural heavy-hitters, but are likewise regarded for their focus on philanthropic engagement and supporting the next generation of thinkers. In keeping with the spirit of the event, Creative Minds Talks has invited 120 students and teachers to attend the conversation.

For a lucky few, the night will just be getting started, and will continue with a lux VIP rooftop party. Both Wiley and Dean will be in attendance, and acclaimed DJ Gardy Girault will be spinning throughout the night. 

Tickets for the conversation are available at the Supporters and Friends levels, and tickets to the VIP party are available for purchase here.