Need a little culture? Look no further than your very own shopping district, complete with designer stores, more bars than you can count, and now, a newly redesigned art gallery.
Project 924, which is part of the ArtCenter/South Florida, will hold its grand re-opening Wednesday. The newly revamped gallery space, which is caddy corner to Lincoln Mall's Starbucks, will be a home for non-traditional art.
If Project 924 is home for performance art and art innovation, then the Richard Shack Gallery, its sister gallery, is Project 924's traditional counterpart. Both galleries, which together make up ArtCenter/South Florida, sit within shouting distance of each other. They share a lot of the same staff, but the vision for each place is markedly different. Though the paintings in the window of the Richard Shack Gallery are modern, vibrant and full of color and sass, -- and though anywhere else they'd reside in the dominion of pop art -- in Miami, they are traditional.
Project 924, however, is more playful and hands-on, a place to experiment. Before the gallery was rebranded Project 924, there was a white wall standing in the window overlooking Lincoln Mall. Though perfect for hanging art, from the outside, the wall made the space look uninhabited. Now that the white wall is gone, the space will be a stage. "The [Project 924] space lends itself more toward experimentation and innovation," says Susan Caraballo, artistic director of ArtCenter/South Florida.
The premiere exhibit, "As the Ferris Wheel Turns," is carnival-themed and features a number of performance artists. A second exhibition, "SWEAT," featuring highly stylized broadsheets will also be on display when the gallery officially opens Wednesday, Oct. 17. Step right up, ladies and gents, to your very own neighborhood art gallery-carnival combo.
Got patchy jeans? Bring 'em over for Regina Jestrow, a performance artist, to mend on opening night. Her exhibit, called The Patch Project, is like a patching service for visitors. Alexander Guerra's "Hybrid Bunnies" is a carnival-esque game. You get three shots and need at least two to win a Hybrid Bunny Prize. (Anyone reminded of the killer bunny in Monty Python and the Holy Grail?)
And now for something completely different: The New World Symphony is scheduled to play a series called "Impromptu" at some (as of yet unscheduled) point in the night.
In an effort to avoid traffic and high parking costs, and thus attract an otherwise reticent population to visit Miami Beach, the gallery will open all of its shows on Wednesdays, instead of Saturdays. This Wednesday evening the gallery will be abuzz, and so can you. Refreshments will be served.
Project 924's inaugural exhibit, "As The Ferris Wheel Turns," opens Wednesday, Oct. 17 with a reception from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visit artcentersf.org.
--Anna Hiatt
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