MasterMind Awards 2016 Finalists Announced

After sifting through nearly 200 entries, New Times has selected ten finalists and five honorable mentions to receive MasterMind Awards. Although only ten will be in the running for the $1,000 cash grant, there was too much talent to not include more.

The artists were contacted January 22 and all have confirmed participation in New Times' annual Artopia event, where they will exhibit their works. New Times, along with past MasterMind winners, will choose three winners from the group of finalists and award each a $1,000 grant. If you're interested in celebrating with these amazing artists, you can buy tickets at newtimesartopia.com.

In the coming weeks, we will highlight each artist, filmmaker, dancer, musician, and wordsmith with a profile piece on our website (and in print on stands February 18). But for now, meet your finalists: 
Eric Mainade, Diego Meza-Valdez, and Andres Meza-Valdes: The filmmaking team behind Boniato, which was recently accepted into Sundance. 

Liz Ferrer: A performance artist known for her art collective, Southernmost Situations, which is inspired by weird Florida history like the abandoned town of Islandia.

Marissa Alma Nick: The choreographer, artistic director, and founder of Alma Dance Theatre and the director of Tigertail Productions' ScreenDance Miami.

Magnus Sodamin: Wynwood street artist behind the latest Wynwood Walls face-lift as well as one of the creatives behind the works at Jose de Diego Middle School.

Juana Meneses and Leila A. Leder Kremer: The creators and founders of publishing company Portable Editions.  

Emmett Moore: Sculptor, designer, and furniture-maker who blurs the line between artwork and functional object, creating sculptures that hint at utilitarianism and tables, chairs, and light fixtures that look more like modern sculptures than items of everyday use. 

Allison Kotzig: A multimedia artist whose work is rooted in social protest and womanism. Kotzig splits her time between Miami and a small village in the Carpathian foothills of Slovakia. 

Jason Boogie: Remember that stellar installation of lights and sounds at the entrance of the III Points festival? That was Boogie.

Andrew Vincent: Along with his team, Vincent runs WatchMoreThings.com, a South Florida multimedia network that specializes in obscure media content.

Giovanni Profera and Josue Garaica: The performing comedy duo Juleisy y Karla (AKA "Hialeah's Finest"). The two are Hialeah chicos performing as bearded chongas all across Miami. 
And meet your honorable mentions: 

Douglas Hoezema: Miami-based Hoezema goes by the street name HoxxoH. His works can be seen on prominent buildings throughout Wynwood, such as the National YoungArts building and at Jose de Diego Middle School. 

Christian Dougnac: Cuban-American musician and multimedia artist from Miami who uses the pseudonym Pariah to explore his understanding of identity in exile. 

Rhonda Mitrani: Raised by Cuban and Argentine parents, Mitrani is a filmmaker whose documentary, Cuba Mia, premiered at MIFF and was broadcast on PBS. 

Brookhart Jonquil: A visual artists whose work has been shown at Eyebeam in New York, the Bass Museum of Art, the De la Cruz Collection, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, and the Orlando Museum of Art.

Fabian Peña: A David Castillo exhibiting artist, Peña has worked as part of the duo Elsoca & Fabian (1999-2007) and with a group of artists in the Colectivo Enema (2000-present). With these groups, he participated in numerous performances, videos, and multimedia events in Latin America, the United States, and Europe.

New Times Artopia
6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, February 18, at the Coral Gables Museum. Visit newtimesartopia.com to purchase tickets.