Artists and Musicians Pop Up in the Design District This Saturday

While the Design District may be Miami's hottest spot for luxury brands and high-end sports cars, it's also staying true to its artistic roots. The neighborhood is hosting a series of arts and culture events, and there's one on the schedule this Saturday.

Co-hosted by the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art), the lineup will feature actors, musicians, and artists popping up in various venues through the Design District with an eclectic series of shows.

"The performance series was inspired by the traditional gallery walk," says Tiffany Chestler, manager and curator of the Craig Robins collection. "There are also so many great performing artists in our community, so based on the model of walking from gallery to gallery we decided to use our neighborhood as the venue to encourage people to go from place to place to see performances."

The evening will include three different performances.

The first, by Underwater Prologue, will kick off at 8 p.m. in the atrium of the Moore Building. This show is a collaboration between artists Liz Ferrer, Jen Clay, Kalan Sherrard, and Poncili Creation. The group investigates "imaginative relationships with the sea" using video projection, object manipulation and performative sculpture.

Next up, at 8:30 p.m. at the Garden building, Ana Mendez will perform a unique, solo dance act entitled “Rebecca.” The act is a narrative performance covering the study of objects and how we use them as forms of disguise and separation.

Lastly, at 9 p.m. at the Elastika event space, there'll be live music by French Horn Collective, a lively band that plays a mix of gypsy, jazz, swing, and modern original French music—plus a swing dance performance. 

"Each event comes together somewhat organically," explains Chestler of the lineup. "This month, the first act, a performance art piece by Liz Ferrer, is curated by the ICA Miami, and will take place in their atrium gallery at the Moore Building. I met Ana Mendez through a mutual friend, and had the opportunity to work with her years back, so she was on my radar as someone I wanted to perform. the French Horn Collective will be performing later this month at Miami Theater Center’s Baba Yaga Gypsy Wagon (a Knight Arts Challenge winner) fundraiser. MTC was a solid early supporter of this program, so anything I can do to return the love."

Now your Saturday plans are all set — shop during the day, broaden your cultural horizons at night.

The event kicks off on Saturday, April 18, at the Moore Building, 4040 NE Second Ave., Miami. It's free and open to the public.