Have you found yourself wandering around Art Walk recently wondering where the party's at? You're mulling around on the sidewalk once the galleries have closed and Wood, Lester's, and Gramps have all reached capacity with overflowing lines a stretching nearly a block and all you think is, What is there to do? This Saturday will afford you a different option for your monthly debauchery that falls on September's second weekend with plenty of people, plenty of art, and plenty of booze. It's called the Future Artist Foundry.
Started by Neal Sarin, founder of CreativGlu; Kraig Knight, the founder of Big Cups which, according to Sarin, "throws the biggest Beach Party in Jamaica and is in the process of bring the process to Miami"; and Tony Chia, who provides the venue in the form of a warehouse space where he's opening an Italian café, Café Babbo, this will be the second volume of the Future Artist Foundry in Wynwood. The first time around, the party got so lively, the organizers had to go on a liquor run in the middle of all the action. This time, they're hoping to do it even bigger.
"I came up with the idea for Future Artist Foundry because we [CreativeGlu] wanted to throw a recurring party that would give our users - local artists from different industries - an opportunity to showcase their talent and collaborate with each other in a sole environment," Sarin explained.
The concept for the event goes hand in hand with the purpose of Creativglu.com, which allows local artists to create viewable profiles and upload their work in various medias and provides freelance opportunities through competitions for jobs with local businesses. Painting the Miami New Times new offices in the Wynwood Building is one of the current opportunities that's open for voting, allowing CreativGlu users to vote for their favorite imagistic pitch out of the 35 works of art submitted by other users in their bid for the gig.
It's a mutually beneficial mechanism that ideally can help generate a lot of movement, work, and exposure for Miami artists and simultaneously allows Miami businesses, from small start-ups to larger establishments, tap directly into a competitive pool of talent to bring fresh blood and bright ideas to their company. And perhaps what's most brilliant about it is the range of styles and mediums represented on the site. From Zac Negron's fascinating surreal mindscapes in his particular color palette, to this writer's own writings, to every other vestige of the artist's purview you can imagine.
"The first event was a great success..." Sarin proclaimed, "For the second volume, we want to continue to build and evolve the concept and focus on making each event bigger and better than the last by constantly switching artists and performances and involving new local bands to create a truly unique experience each and every time."
As for what kind of gathering you can expect, this volume of the Future Artist Foundry will feature live music from Dinosaurs 'N Disasters and a DJ set by Sweet Willie, as well as a curated exhibition featuring five CreativGlu artists. Sarin wanted to make it clear that the idea is for this party to be inclusive, not exclusive. All good vibes welcomed here.
"We want to attract artists and art lovers of all ages and backgrounds to come party with us," he began. "We're not sticking our noses up to anyone. We're all about cultivating the creative community and we believe the best way to do that is to be open to all audiences as long as they have a mutual respect for the arts and know how to have a good time."
Doors open tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at 97 NW 25th St., Miami. Visit the event Facebook page.
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