MIAMI—Few artists are better qualified to provide a selection of Weekend Picks in Miami than Michele Oka Doner. A Miami Beach native from one of the city’s most prominent families (her father was mayor in the 1950s), she is also the creator of the first piece of art that many visitors see when they arrive: A Walk on the Beach is that 22,000-square-foot aquatic-life fantasy that glistens along the floor of Miami International Airport. The work’s subject matter is drawn from a delight in the natural world, which is typical of Oka Doner’s oeuvre, though architectural installation is only one aspect of her wide-ranging activities: She also creates sculpture, jewelry, furniture, and much else besides. She has even co-written a book, Miami Beach: Blueprint of an Eden, with Mitchell Wolfson Jr.—a scrapbook paean to their hometown.

You can see Oka Doner's art this week at the Marlborough Gallery's ABMB booth. Then, when you want to escape the fairs, check out her offbeat insider’s picks for a stimulating and entertaining weekend of art viewing. They’re almost as wide-ranging as her work, and even include an under-the-radar lunch hangout.

1. Pablo Cano: Viva Vaudeville at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Saturday and Sunday, December 8 and 9, at 2 p.m. (and continuing on weekends through December 29)
“Don’t miss Miami’s own magician Pablo Cano as he performs his puppet show Viva Vaudeville for a very lucky audience at MOCA this weekend. Amazingly, the musicians manage to be as exciting as Cano’s handmade, found-object characters.”

2. Things I have Learned in My Life, So Far: Works by Stefan Sagmeister at the Wolfsonian at Florida International University: Friday, December 7, 8–11 p.m., free for ABMB VIP cardholders
“The best meal in town will be at the Wolfsonian. Stefan Sagmeister has created a site-specific installation to be orally (as well as visually) consumed—and served up with candid photography by Jessica Craig-Martin. You will be documented gorging on Sagmeister’s artwork and can buy the souvenir at the museum shop afterward.”

3. Cristina Lei Rodriguez
: Struggling for Grandeur and Catherine Sullivan: 
Triangle of Need at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, through February 24
“Miami’s Vizcaya, one of the 20th century’s grandest homes anywhere (it’s part Venetian fantasy, part local limestone), has joined the contemporary fracas with two inspiring projects: Cristina Lei Rodriguez's site-specific installation and Catherine Sullivan's film installation. But the peaceful house and magnificent gardens are worth the trip alone. (Where else can you see so much silk and gilt in a tropical hammock?)

“Stop at Shorty’s BarBQ on U.S.1 (9200 S. Dixie Hwy) for lunch on your way back to the fair.”

4. Top Soil at Casa Lin in Wynwood, throughout ABMB.
“A small house in the Wynwood district waits to be discovered (at 55 NW 30th St.). Lin Lougheed’s Casa Lin always surprises and delights. This year, its fifth at the fair, "Top Soil" is the theme. Curated by local artist Mette Tommerup, emerging artists will install their works of art in the house and yard, creating what I hope will become my favorite wacky moment at Art Basel Miami Beach. There’s a blooming gardenia bush in the front yard as well.”

Weekend Picks is published on ARTINFO every Friday.