PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI NAMES STEPHEN STARR EVENTS AS RESTAURATEUR AND EXCLUSIVE CATERER FOR NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART MUSEUM COMPLEX

MIAMI – July 23, 2013 – Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), opening in downtown Miami’s Museum Park in December 2013, has named Stephen STARR Events as the exclusive restaurateur behind the Museum’s waterfront bistro and catering for special event rentals at its new, state-of-the-art facility. The Museum, Miami’s newest waterfront event venue, has already begun renting its spaces for weddings, special events, corporate meetings and more.

Under the leadership of Principal Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants is behind some of the nation’s most acclaimed restaurants including and Morimoto, as well as Bal Harbour’s Makoto and Steak 954 at the W Fort Lauderdale. Stephen STARR Events is the exclusive catering company for major cultural institutions nationwide including New York Botanical Gardens, the Museum of Art, the New-York Historical Society, the Rubin Museum of Art in New York and the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, as well as high profile cultural events including the New York Botanical Garden’s Conservatory Ball, MoMA’s Armory Party and more. PAMM is the region’s first cultural institution to partner with Stephen STARR Events.

“We are excited to expand our catering and events services in the market with a world class partner like the Perez Art Museum Miami,” comments Stephen Starr. “I believe the combination of our incredible food and services and the museum’s cutting-edge setting will make PAMM a truly sought out event space.”

Pérez Art Museum Miami, designed by internationally-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. It is centrally located in downtown Miami, just across the bay from South Beach, and at the intersection of Miami-Dade County’s metropolitan centers. With sweeping views of Biscayne Bay, sprawling outdoor plazas with lush vegetation cascading from the canopy’s overhang, and a variety of modern indoor spaces, the new PAMM will be a premier event venue in South Florida. The facility features: unique meeting spaces for corporate events and business meetings; waterfront event space for weddings and receptions; an auditorium for presentations and performances; a state-of-the-art media lab; and more. The three-story building will sit upon an elevated platform and below a canopy, both of which will extend far beyond the Museum’s walls, creating a shaded veranda and plazas with fresh bay breezes, allowing visitors to remain comfortable and protected from the elements while outdoors, and contributing to the building’s green features. The Musuem was designed to achieve Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design) Certification, serving as a model for future growth in the downtown Miami area.

“We really appreciate the artistic approach that Stephen Starr and his team take when creating culinary experiences,” said Leann Standish, deputy director for external affairs. “We have already received great interest from people looking for a venue for everything from waterfront weddings to film screenings and performances, and STARR Restaurants Catering Group will be the perfect partner to ensure magical event experiences for our clients and their guests.”

Full-service catering production will include audiovisual support, décor and floral design. Bookings are available by calling Hollie Altman, PAMM director of special events and sales, at 305.375.1789 or emailing [email protected].

Further plans for the Museum’s waterfront restaurant will be unveiled this fall.

About Stephen STARR Events Stephen Starr has played a major role in transforming Philadelphia into one of the most vibrant food cities in America with restaurants like Buddakan, Morimoto, The Continental, Barclay Prime, Continental Mid-Town, El Vez, Jones, Alma de Cuba, Pod, Parc, and more. He currently oversees more than 30 restaurants in four states, including Steak 954 at the W Fort Lauderdale and Makoto in the Bal Harbour Shops in North Miami.

Stephen Starr and Simon Powles founded the Starr Restaurants Catering Group and Stephen STARR Events in 2008. The restaurant group's full-service catering and special events division includes clients such as the New York Botanical Gardens, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the New-York Historical Society, the Rubin Museum of Art in New York and the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton NJ. With delectable cuisine, stellar service, hip music and cool settings, Stephen STARR Events brings the experiences of the wildly successful Starr Restaurants to the world of catering and special events. For more information, please visit www.starrevents.com. Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/StephenStarrEvents or follow us on Twitter @StarrEvents.

About Pérez Art Museum Miami Pérez Art Museum Miami, opening in December 2013 in downtown Miami’s Museum Park, is focused on collecting and exhibiting modern and contemporary art that represents Miami’s cultural diversity, while providing progressive educational and community programming. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the cutting-edge facility will provide room to showcase growing collections, expanded exhibition space to bring more world-class exhibitions to Miami- Dade County and an educational complex. Pérez Art Museum Miami was originally founded as Center for Fine Arts, and was strictly an exhibiting organization with no collection of its own. In 1996, as part of an institution-wide reorganization, the museum was renamed Miami Art Museum and dedicated itself to collecting and exhibiting international art of the 20th and 21st centuries with a special emphasis on art of the Americas. In January 2011 work began on a cutting-edge building with generous spaces to showcase its art holdings and attract more top caliber exhibitions. For more information, please visit pamm.org, find us on Facebook, facebook.com/perezartmuseummiami, or follow us on Twitter, @pamm.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Museum is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts; with the support of Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners. It is an accessible facility.

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