Last month a handful of Design District galleries and art spaces such as Locust Projects, Spinello Gallery, and Dimensions Variable, opted out of the Second Saturday celebration, opting instead to have their openings on the third Saturday with successful results. Earlier this month, inclement weather drove down traffic in the Wynwood area, where receding crowds at Second Saturday Art Walk already seem to have become a trend.

A lot of the action has moved away from Wynwood within the last year or so, be it Locust Projects in the Design District or alternative spaces like Twenty Twenty Projects forging out into the outskirts of Hialeah. They’ve basically turned their backs on the Second Saturday crowds who seem more interested in free booze and the social scene than they are in art. But can art scene thrive in Miami with no regular gallery night?

Take Fredric Snitzer Gallery, one of the most established in Wynwood. They represent some of Miami’s highest quality artists. Also, they’re able to sell work on a consistent basis. They have a reputation that dates back to the days when the art scene centered around Coral Gables and not Wynwood. The gallery would be successful no matter what part of the city it was located. They don’t have to bribe gallery goers with alcohol to come to their openings. In fact, their receptions often end later than most, usually around 9 p.m., just when activity begins to peak on Second Saturday evenings. They simply don’t need that excess traffic.

Galleries like these will survive with or without Second Saturday, but it’s difficult to say the same for spaces that have yet to be established. Miami is not a pedestrian friendly city. How do you establish such a reputation within the art community if there is no foot traffic to your gallery?