Thursday, May 28:
Despite the advances in gender education in the United States, our perceptions of gender roles are so ingrained that most don't question those beliefs' origins. Pérez Art Museum Miami's latest Adult Workshop will allow patrons to explore our conditioning regarding gender and identity through its exhibition "Victoria Gitman: Desiring Eye." In the 19-work exhibit, Gitman's hyper-naturalistic oil paintings depict everyday items in a luxurious light — flea-market necklaces and vintage purses become larger-than-life concepts.
Participants will take part in a short gallery discussion led by local artists OMM Sistas, followed by a group exercise. The guests will work together to create a vocabulary for Gitman's purse paintings and use the information to interpret common gestures perceived as "masculine" and "feminine" and what defines those characteristics.
The workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at PAMM (1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) and costs $85 for members and $100 for nonmembers. Call 305-375-3000 or visit pamm.org.
Miami Dade College's Museum of Art + Design (600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) debuts "Neighborhood Reclamation," an exhibition by local artist Michael Vasquez. Fresh off his inclusion in an exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Vasquez creates paintings that typically depict street gangs, the poor, and their culture. His MDC MOAD show will be a slight divergence from his more familiar work. Instead of concentrating solely on portraiture — his speciality — Vasquez presents "alternate, deconstructed, and optimistic environments" for the communities that feature prominently in his work. It's a representation of the kind of landscapes that typically mark underserved communities and generally go unrepresented on the walls of art museums. Vasquez's paintings will be free of the people who generally define his work so that viewers can focus solely on the environments of waste and poverty.
MDC MOAD will host an opening reception for "Neighborhood Reclamation" this Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibition is on view through July 12. Museum hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission to the museum is free. Visit mdcmoad.org.
The term "multitalented" gets thrown around more than it should, but one artist deserving of the praise is Rosie Herrera. A classically trained lyric coloratura soprano, Herrera is also a Miami-based dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre. She has been commissioned by the Miami Light Project in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center and the American Dance Festival in 2010, 2011, and 2013. Her latest work, Cookie's Kid, is a solo dance choreographed and danced by Herrera that explores what's behind our inherited muscle memory.
The theater work interprets Herrera's experience growing up with her strong Bronx mother and her Cuban-refugee father and uses powerful movement to portray her cultural history. Exploring iconic cultural references — from La Lupe to Chuck Norris and Walter Mercado — as well as Afro-Cuban dance and trance dance as the basis for movement, the artist investigates how these seemingly unrelated idols are connected by themes of rebellion, strength, and vulnerability.
Showtime is 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at the Light Box at Goldman Warehouse (404 NW 26 St., Miami). Tickets cost $25 for general admission, $50 for VIP, and $15 for students. Call 305-576-4350 or visit miamilightproject.com.
As part of its effort to connect three of Miami's major cultural neighborhoods — Wynwood, the Design District, and downtown — the Arts + Entertainment (A+E) District recently announced its latest lineup of cultural events in the area. This month, the A+E District will reprise its series Movies Under the Stars when the Miami International Film Festival presents Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive.
The 2013 vampire film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won an award for Jarmusch's soundtrack. In the complicated love story, the protagonist vampires — allegorically named Adam (played by Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) — ruminate on the music, science, and memory, as well as the ultimate complexity, of humanity.
The free screening, which takes place in the lot of the future Canvas Condos, also includes complimentary wine by Barton & Guestier and bites by Coyo and Gaucho Ranch. RSVP is required, and guests must be at least 21 years old to attend. The screening takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday at 90 NE 17th St., Miami. Call 305-625-0949 or visit aedistrictmiami.com.
Saturday, May 30:
Force comes in many forms: as a Jedi power, a cadre of cops, and most important, nature's fury. As hurricane season approaches, the last item is on the minds of many South Floridians. We've lucked out for the past several years, but that won't last forever.
At the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, families can enjoy a daylong lineup of weather-related learning during "Feel the Force: Hurricanes and Other Hazards."
There will be all kinds of hurricane-related activities, including the chance to be a TV meteorologist in the Hurricane Broadcast Center, meet hurricane hunters, battle a local weatherman in the Wild and Crazy Weather Challenge, build a hurricane-proof house, and much more.
Plus, kids and adults alike can learn how weather works, how forecasts are made, and what's expected during this year's hurricane season (fingers crossed). Attendees will also garner useful info about how to hold down the fort during a natural disaster — short of doomsday prepping, that is.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science (3280 S. Miami Ave., Miami). Visit miamisci.org.
As Miami grows with blinding speed, it's important to keep in mind where the city comes from. So too is it important for MOCA North Miami (770 NE 125th St., North Miami) to dig into its roots as the museum ventures into a new chapter. For MOCA's first exhibition under new management (and lighter half of its previous collection), "Temporary Autonomous Zones" shone a light on more than 50 local artists concentrating on the theme "intentional community." The phrase "temporary autonomous zone" — "TAZ" for short — comes from anarchist author Hakim Bey's concept of spontaneous and authentic community structures undefined by and free from social expectations and political control.
In this case, "temporary" is the key word, because MOCA's TAZ exhibit must come to a close — but not without a stellar going-away celebration. In the spirit of TAZ, Saturday's closing reception will bring more local energy into the space via performances by bands Pocket of Lollipops, Marilyn Loddi, and Dracula.
Join the wild cast of characters as they reflect on statements made and impressions felt. The party begins at 7 p.m. and is free with regular museum admission of $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Call 305-893-6211 or visit mocanomi.org.
Orchestra Miami is taking Noah's Ark to Liberty City. The professional ensemble, now in its eighth season, will not only present Benjamin Britten's opera based on the biblical tale but also engage three esteemed local groups to collaborate and participate. Students from Liberty City Sings Performance Project, African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, and South Florida Youth Symphony will perform alongside the full orchestra, as Orchestra Miami founder and artistic director Elaine Rinaldi conducts both performances.
Britten, a 20th-century British composer, wrote Noye's Fludde in 1958. He crafted this version of the story of the ark and the great flood specifically for children. In his notes, he even specified that the work should be performed in a church or large performance space rather than a professional theater or traditional concert hall. Michael Yawney will direct this production featuring Lloyd Reshard Jr. as Noye and Jouvanca Jean-Baptiste as Mrs. Noye.
Showtimes are 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday at Miami Northwestern Senior High School (1101 NW 71st St., Miami). Tickets cost $5 to $25, with discounts for students and seniors; residents of Liberty City are admitted free to the 4 p.m. show. Call 305-274-2103 or visit orchestramiami.org.
Sunday, May 31:
Your standard editing work probably involves Instagram filters, Snapchat stories, or Photoshopping a flatter stomach, but this Sunday's Edit-a-Thon offers an editing effort that's a little more meaningful.
In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, the Edit-a-Thon, hosted by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is all about immortalizing American Jews via Wikipedia. Guests will get to edit and create pages about notable events and figures throughout history. Using the info and unique objects in the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU collection, participants can upload and enhance the online encyclopedia.
In case you're a Wikipedia newbie, no worries: Basic editing training will be provided — just be sure to bring your own computer. Oh, and there'll be refreshments too. Spend the day making your mark on the world, because even after we're gone, Wikipedia will most definitely live on.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at JMOF-FIU (301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Admission is free, but space is limited, so RSVP at bit.ly/JMOFeditathon or call 786-972-3175.
Haitian Heritage Month is fast approaching its end. For the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, it's a time to spotlight the art and culture of a community whose roots add so much vibrancy to Miami's landscape. The organization's four-part series, META, will conclude this month with "META 4: Endurance," a film and visual arts exhibition at the Arts & Recreation Center (ARC).
"Endurance" celebrates Haiti's vast contributions to humanity and features artists Asser Saint-Val, Guy Syllien, James Brutus, and Nzingah Oniwosan, in addition to filmmakers Dudley Alexis and Jason "Fitzroy" Jeffers.
The opening reception for the exhibit runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the ARC (675 Ali Baba Ave., Opa-locka). The reception is free and open to the public; RSVP by Friday. Call 305-687-3545 or visit opalockaart.com.
Tuesday, June 2:
One topic that's guaranteed to set people off on a tangent is women in film. The lack thereof, the kinds of roles, the objectification via the male gaze — the discussion points are endless. That's why a film festival organized by women for women about women is a powerful thing. Cue the tenth-annual Women's International Film & Arts Festival (WIFF), happening all over the city during Miami Film Month. The six-day fest will include workshops, film screenings, and nighttime parties, all to celebrate the ladies. Featured speakers will be actresses Raven Goodwin and Latarsha Rose, as well as Tamara Gregory, senior vice president of development and production at BET Network.
The festival runs this Tuesday through Sunday at various locations, with headquarters at the Deauville Beach Resort (6701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach). The opening-night film, Awaken, will kick off the festivities Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Le Jardin Theatre (195 NE 78th St., Miami). Tickets for the opening-night party and film cost $95; individual screenings cost $15. Visit womensfilmfest.com.
Wednesday, June 3:
Well-known thriller writer Nelson DeMille brings his recurring protagonist John Aloysius Corey, a character he debuted in the 1997 novel Plum Island, back to literary life for his seventh outing in Radiant Angel. Corey is a beer-drinking, uncouth bastard with an appetite for younger women. A former homicide detective with the NYPD, the 60-year-old has a knack for problem solving that has made him a popular and demanded character. Even DeMille himself didn't see Corey returning after Plum Island.Trading Yemeni terrorists for a Russian threat in this novel, DeMille brings to life aspects of a new Cold War brewing around us, set in his beloved New York City.
If the radiance of a nuclear holocaust spooks you and keeps you up at night, join DeMille for lunch this Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. as he reads from Radiant Angel at Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables). Purchase of the book ($28) includes two tickets and a glass of wine with lunch, but truth be told, you'd be better off with a cold beer and pigs in a blanket dripping with deli mustard.
