january 7
Just what we need: another immensely bloated art event featuring more canvases and more sculpture than anyone has wall or floor space for. Really, how many Ertes can one person own? Find out when miles of art go on display today through Tuesday at Art Miami '99. More than 100 dealers of modern and contemporary works show their stuff in Hall B of the Miami Beach Convention Center (1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach). The festivities begin at 6:00 this evening with a gala collectors' preview honoring distinguished artist Nam June Paik. The show runs from noon to 7:00 p.m. tomorrow through Sunday, noon to 9:00 p.m. Monday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday. Admission is ten dollars. Call 305-696-6749. (NK)
friday
january 8
Known for her revealing literary portraits of Mississippi, Eudora Welty also photographed Southern life extensively. Welty's pictures of churchgoers, children, and other subjects are among the more than 100 shots by prestigious photographers on display in Photography from the Martin Z. Margulies Collection at the Art Museum at Florida International University (SW 107th Avenue and Eighth Street). In contrast to Welty's rural landscapes, Lewis Hine's 1930s skyscraper construction photos and Weegee's urban crime shots are also included in the exhibition. Other modern and contemporary photographers represented include Thomas Struth, William Eggleston, Berenice Abbott, Dorothea Lange, and Robert Frank. The photographs, part of the collection of local art patron and collector Margulies, will be on view through February 13. In conjunction with the opening, Keith Davis, fine art programs director of Hallmark Art and Photography Collections, will deliver a lecture at 8:00 p.m. A reception follows. Admission is free. Call 305-348-2890. (JC)
saturday
january 9
There's a bit more to film and video than action blockbusters like Enemy of the State and cheeseball romantic comedies such as You've Got Mail. Some people actually use the stuff to make art. Tonight from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) take a look at an eclectic selection of short works in Contemporary Film and Video by acclaimed artists Tacita Dean, Tom Downs, Mona Hatoum, Liisa Roberts, and Sophie Tottie. Dean employs film as a means of questioning time. Downs creates fragmented narratives featuring text, images, and sound. Hatoum layers text, images, and narration in her work. Roberts uses film to explore form and time. Tottie investigates the relation between historical and biographical time. Admission is free. Call 305-531-1001. (NK)
Internationally renowned conductor Nicholas McGegan leads the New World Symphony in a concert featuring the music of Lully, Handel, and Purcell as part of the fundraiser Go for Baroque! to benefit Project YES, an educational organization that aims to prevent suicide and foster healthy development of gay, lesbian, and transgender youth. Also on the bill: baroque songs by soprano Nancy Argenta and baritone Philip Cutlip, and dance by Catherine Turocy and Carlos Fittante. The concert takes place at 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 541 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $25, $40, and $100. The more expensive ones will gain you entry into a preconcert cocktail party at the Albion Hotel or a postconcert bash with guest artists and musicians at Britto Central. Call 305-663-7195. (NK)
What better way to spend a fine Miami winter day than in the great outdoors? What better place to spend it than at the Fruit and Spice Park (24801 SW 187th Ave., Homestead), where the Redlands Natural Arts Festival goes on from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. today and tomorrow. Frolic through the park's collection of exotic fruit and nut trees, shop for handmade arts and crafts, watch demonstrations of wood turning and see how antique flywheel engines work, check out wildlife exhibits, and gorge yourself on an array of international foods. Admission is three dollars. Kids under age twelve get in free. Call 305-247-5727. (NK)
sunday
january 10
Get a double dose of inventive scatman extraordinaire Mark Murphy tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. at the Van Dyke Cafe (846 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach). Known for his lyrics to many tunes, among them "Stolen Moments" and "Red Clay," the seven-time Grammy Award nominee began recording in the late Fifties and has a ton of albums to his credit, including 1981's beat-poetry- inspired Bop for Kerouac. Cover charge is ten dollars. Call 305-534-3600. (NK)
monday
january 11
As a kid you watched Sesame Street every day. The show taught you how to recite the alphabet, how to count, and how to get along with people who were different from you. Thirty years have elapsed and you still have fond feelings toward the odd denizens of the neighborhood: Grover, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Ernie, and Bert. Well, a few celebrities feel the same way you do, and they've harnessed their happy memories to make artwork for the traveling exhibition Art from the Fuzzy and Famous, which commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Children's Television Workshop, the show's creators. The exhibition, which is on a twelve-city tour, includes props from the show and works by Julia Roberts, Kevin Kline, Tony Bennett, Katie Couric, former first lady Barbara Bush, and Carly Simon. Its final destination is New York City, where the works will be auctioned to benefit three children's charities. Fuzzy and Famous is on display at the South Dade Regional Library (10750 SW 211th St.) from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The show runs through January 22. Admission is free. Call 305-375-5180. (NK)
tuesday
january 12
You adore orchids, but you can't exactly afford to spend your life surrounded by them. One thing that won't bust your budget and is sure to soothe your need for the beautiful and expensive flower is Susan Orlean's recently released book The Orchid Thief. Long known for her comprehensive profiles in The New Yorker, Orlean relates a complex true story of plant smugglers, South Florida swamp explorers, and the bizarre orchid collectors who go to unimaginable lengths to possess them. She reads from her book at 8:00 p.m. at Books & Books, 296 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables. Admission is free. Call 305-442-4408. (NK)
wednesday
january 13
There'll be a whole lot of stepping going on in Miami during the next twelve days when Riverdance, the exuberant show that spawned the Irish dance-and-music trend and made an egomaniacal megastar of Michael Flatley (who eventually defected and spawned the rival musical Lord of the Dance) stomps its way into town tonight. The extravaganza of Irish tunes and dance, which examines the development of Irish dance in relation to other cultures, features music by Bill Whelan, whose original compositions and lyrics on Riverdance -- the Album earned him the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and sold more than one million copies worldwide. Performances take place Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m., with 2:00 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday, and a Sunday evening show at 7:00 at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Tickets range from $45 to $65. Call 305-673-7300. (
