David Graziano: The Inspiration Behind Art With Me

David Graziano is the founder of Art With Me. He is an artist, creative visionary, and hospitality pioneer who approaches every project with heart and incredible attention to detail. At the age of 19 David’s passion for sculpture started his entrepreneurial career as a furniture designer making sculpture furniture out of stone and wood. David created and owned venues that defined a generation of New York City nightlife starting in the 1990’s.



David visited Tulum for the first time in the early 2000s and discovered an intense connection to the land. Heavily influenced by his experience at Burning Man, particularly the principals including the judgement-free ethos of burners, he set out to design a Tulum hotel that gave everyone from luxury-seekers to low-budget backpackers a home in Tulum. The concept worked and the result is Ahau one of Tulum’s most talked about hotels where good vibes flow freely through the winding jungle pathways.

In 2017 David began uniting Tulum hotels and the local community to launch Art With Me, Tulum's first arts and culture festival. From its inaugural year, Art With Me has brought together over 30 local businesses for a common goal: to bring more awareness to the region's environmental issues and to find solutions so that we can develop business practices that are more harmonious with our natural environment.

Two years ago, David brought Art With Me to Miami, an international arts, music and cultural festival, offering experiences across a multitude of highly creative platforms that immerse, inspire, and activate its attendees and followers.


This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s:

David first started to think about taking art seriously at a very young age after his art teacher pointed out to his parents that he was very gifted and should consider a career in art.

David’s first time in Tulum was following a friend who had invited a girl that David liked at the time– prior to that he wasn’t interested in going. Once he got there however, he immediately recognized the uniqueness of the place and continued going back any chance he could.

Early on, David thought hard and realized that the new luxury is nature. Way ahead of the curve of what’s happened since the remote economy has transformed the world, David poised himself very well by sourcing materials locally and prioritizing the preservation of the essence of places like Tulum.

The first thing David did in Tulum was he organized a concert and party for the local people of the area, where their ticket was to bring a minimum of 15 plastic bottles to be recycled. They collected over 4 tons of plastic for their first event.

When David decided to open Art With Me in Miami, it was largely due to the fact that it was an internationally recognized creative space that had easy access to resources.


Learn more about Art With Me, in Miami, November 26-27: https://artwithme.org/

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