Thursday, November 5
This Thursday, Miami Dade College's Museum of Art + Design will present "Childhood Memories From the Other Side of the Water," a visual autobiography depicting childhood experiences and recollections of Cuba by artist Eduardo del Valle. The collection will feature a series of photographs never before exhibited.
Over the past nine years, del Valle has worked on a visual autobiography of experiences and observations associated with his childhood, specifically recollections of Cuba from 1951 to 1961, when he lived in the country before leaving at the age of 10. The project features 88 photographs in which he re-created memories and shot them entirely outside the island. The project is also accompanied by a fully illustrated 126-page catalog that will be available for purchase in 2016.
The director's preview and artist talk will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Freedom Tower (600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami), inside the Cuban Cultural Diaspora Gallery. Admission is free. The exhibit will be on view through August 28, 2016. Call 305-237-7700 or visit mdcmoad.org.
Friday, November 6
In case you hadn't heard, Miami is rapidly becoming tech central. Creatives and innovators are moving here by the boatload to make cool things happen, and it's this kind of attitude that has led to Miami Make Week.
A ten-day celebration of creative co-working, the event will include workshops, panels, open houses, networking opportunities, and other gatherings — all revolving around a design contest where teams will pitch their home-design prototypes to a panel of local product experts at the closing event. Winners will score all kinds of swag.
For those who want to bask in the glory of geniuses (and get schooled by them), there are plenty of ways to engage, including a launch party at the LAB Miami, an Upcycled Illuminations event at Moonlighter Makerspace, mold-making at Little River's Miami Industrial Arts, and a digital logo design workshop at North Dade Regional Library. There's something for even the tech-unsavviest of attendees.
Miami Make Week kicks off Friday at the LAB Miami (400 NW 26th St., Miami) and runs till November 15 at various locations throughout Miami. Admission is free. Visit miamimakeweek.com.
Every now and then, the upstanding citizens of Miami need to get a little wild. The best bashes, however, provide both fun and worthy causes to absorb all your hard-earned cash. For the past five years, the Coral Gables Museum has done just that with Party on the Plaza.
Presented by the industrious under-40 crowd in the Coral Gables Museum Young Associates, Party on the Plaza brings the community together for a night of entertainment that benefits the museum. For the fifth-annual shindig, the museum welcomes guests to its Miami's Vice night, an evening dedicated to indulging your vices, all tinged with an '80s Miami Vice theme. In true Vice style, the party will feature cars, boats, a casino, and an '80s cover band — plus DJs, street art, a champagne bar, an open Bacardi bar, and food from Coral Gables eateries. The dress code is cocktail attire, and you can go the extra mile with a Don Johnson twist.
Party on the Plaza will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at Coral Gables Museum (285 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables). Presale tickets cost $50 and include 10,000 casino chips; general admission at the door costs $60, but no chips. Call 305-603-8067 or visit coralgablesmuseum.org.
As a city with a still-growing arts reputation, hearing from icons in the industry is essential. In that vein, contemporary museum ICA Miami's ICA Speaks lecture series shines the spotlight on artists and curators behind some of the art world's most influential movements. Highlighting artists represented in the permanent collection, ICA Speaks allows visitors to hear directly from the creators, all for free.
This edition of the lecture series welcomes Richard Tuttle, who since the mid-1960s has made a lasting impression on postminimalist work through sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, artist's books, installation, and furniture. Tuttle's work exists in the space between painting, sculpture, poetry, assemblage, and drawing. Without a specific reference point, his investigations of line, volume, color, texture, shape, and form are imbued with a sense of spirituality and informed by a deep intellectual curiosity. For his talk, Tuttle will discuss new work and old projects in Miami, as well as the speculative future of art.
The ICA Speaks lecture begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Palm Court (140 NE 39th St., Miami) and is free with RSVP. Call 305-901-5272 or visit icamiami.org.
For ten days in November, the world's biggest auto manufacturers and auto aficionados will come together in a blissful, oil-soaked marriage at the Miami International Auto Show, with 40-plus car-makers showcasing more than a thousand new cars. In what is perhaps one of the more exciting aspects of the event, fans will have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of these latest automotive offerings during daily Ride & Drive events, featuring the newest innovations from Ford, GMC, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota. Not to be outdone by the tech wizardry of modern cars are a slew of grand, old beauties waiting to be admired. Both Memory Lane and Havana Classics pay homage to the glory and style of the antiques, a treat for car buffs who value the magnificence of vintage masterworks. Some of the show's other signature events include Topless in Miami (not what you think, pervs; only convertibles to be ogled here) and Million Dollar Alley, a showcase of decadent and ludicrously expensive vehicles.
The Miami International Auto Show will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center (1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach) this Friday through November 15. Admission costs $15 for adults and $6 for children; little ones 5 and under get in free. Call 305-981-1448 or visit miamiautoshow.net.
Saturday, November 7
"Avant-garde pop" is not a genre you hear every day, but it's a perfect analysis of Matthew Dear's adventurously catchy electronic productions. His music transports you to a better place, a place where you can dance freely and love openly, but he brings it with an edge that's still cool enough for the cool kids. That is to say he can sometimes get weird, but in the best way possible. Richie Hawtin and Carl Craig are fans, and come Saturday night, you too can catch the bug.
Dear will perform as the very special first guest in a new party series presented by Bardot (3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami). Once a month, Marinate will bring internationally renowned DJ-producers to the carpet for long-form DJ sets designed to show what talented people can do given free reign. Just make sure you wear your dancing shoes, because you'll be on your feet for hours.
Rounding out the evening will be performances by local music-makers Legs Benedict and Jeremy Ismael. The show starts at 10 p.m. and is suitable for everyone ages 21 and older. Tickets cost $15 to $20. Call 305-576-5570 or visit bardotmiami.com.
With Miami's ever-growing intersection of cultures, the city's musicality continues to evolve. From EDM and reggaeton to Afro-Cuban, there is something for nearly every musical taste, including jazz aficionados. Though jazz nights can be found all over Miami-Dade, the area is an undeniable hub for Latin jazz performers and enthusiasts. Celebrating the unique genre, Miami Dade College's Live Arts and Kendall Campus present the ninth-annual Jazz Under the Stars, featuring Grammy-winning Latin jazz icon Paquito D'Rivera, whose career spans nearly six decades.
The Cuban-born virtuoso of saxophone and clarinet and master of jazz and classical alike, D'Rivera has won 14 Grammys and a recent nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album for Jazz Meets the Classics. D'Rivera's works reveal his widespread musical interests, ranging from Afro-Cuban rhythms and melodies to classical origins.
Hosted by CBS 4's Marybel Rodriguez, the evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a "Taste of Jazz" preshow event, which will feature fare from local restaurants and gourmet eateries. The concert will begin with MDC student and faculty performances. The Jazz Under the Stars concert starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at MDC Kendall Campus' Fred Shaw Plaza (11011 SW 104th St., Miami). Tickets cost $25 for the general public and $10 for MDC students with ID. All proceeds will benefit MDC Kendall Campus students pursuing degrees in music, theater, and dance. Call 305-237-3010 or visit mdclivearts.org.
Wouldn't it be nice for bicyclists and nature enthusiasts alike to have a space to call their own? No, it doesn't necessarily have to be controlling half a street in the middle of a car-heavy intersection in downtown, but more like a scenic route for one to ride slowly and take it easy. That's where the Ludlam Trail comes in. The trail has sprung from an abandoned railway corridor that runs from Dadeland Station north to Miami International Airport and can "accommodate large green open and natural spaces, community gardens, bike and running paths/trails, playgrounds, and provide green pathways for commuting."
As the organizers' mission statement goes, the "rail to trail transformation will create a new safe and beautiful mobility choice and green space for the South Miami community." Not a bad mission at all.
Join Friends of Ludlam Trail and Florida East Coast Industries on the inaugural bike ride down the trail at A.D. Barnes Park (3401 Sunset Dr., Miami) this Saturday at 10 a.m. The event is free and will be followed by a 2 p.m. picnic featuring food and kids' activities. Visit ludlamtrail.org.
Sunday, November 8
Rather than throw on your dancing shoes, take a seat inside Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St., Miami) and prepare to watch others stun you with their own performance on the Mid Stage. FUNDarte, in association with the auditorium, will present Flamenco Frequencies, by the Casa Patas Foundation.
Flamenco Frequencies is a performance artwork that mixes contemporary sensibilities with the cultural tradition of Casa Patas. The flamenco performance brings to the Miami stage Karen Lugo, an award-winning choreographer and dancer, who offers a repertoire sure to thrill individuals who adore the flamenco art form and those who have never experienced it. The star herself says of the event: "We vibrate with everything that exists in this universe — can't stop, we don't want to stop. We seek to elevate our own vibration and that of everything that surrounds us."
The event this Sunday at 7 p.m. is part of FUNDarte's series No Borders, which celebrates Miami's diverse culture by featuring contemporary works from Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Tickets cost $30 to $50 and can be purchased online or at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium box office. Call 305-547-5414 or visit fundarte.us.
In case you hadn't noticed, coconuts are kind of a thing here. While they inexplicably cost $4 apiece at Winn-Dixie, they're literally growing on trees everywhere you look and falling onto sidewalks and probably striking nice, old retirees on the head.
Coconuts are a part of the Miami experience, and so is their namesake, the Coconuts Music Festival. This year's edition of the annual musical tribute to all things tasty and tropical will feature a daylong live concert (with Mr. Nice Guy, Mojo Scoundrels, and the Rockaholix), family activities, and tons of coconut edibles.
There'll be fresh coconuts to drink, food trucks selling Caribbean eats, coconut shot put, and coconut casting, plus tons of other coconut-themed craziness. Funds will benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars' local efforts, plus the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade's efforts to boost the tree canopy at Haulover Park, which includes planting new coconut palm trees.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Haulover Beach Park (10800 Collins Ave., Miami Beach). Admission is free. Parking costs $7 per car and $15 per bus or RV. Visit miamidade.gov/parks/haulover.asp or call 305-947-3525.
Wednesday, November 11
Miami's gridlocked roadways are so bemoaned by locals and visitors alike that it has become a cliché — albeit an accurate one. Thanks to lots of dedicated public transit activists, wheels are turning (so to speak), but maybe not as quickly as most would like.
Enter Wheels, a new conference designed to help South Florida become the nation's next green mobility hub.
Headquartered in South Miami, the five-day affair will feature bike rides, train rides, a parade led by King Mango Strut founder Glenn Terry, and the first South Miami Bike-In Street Bash, with live bands and free beer. At least 10,000 people are expected to abandon their cars and opt for alternative transportation during the event, which runs this Wednesday through November 15.
The schedule also includes a twilight bike ride, a trail run, a ride with the Everglades Bike Club, a Magical Mystery History Tour, and plenty of other activities to keep everyone's wheels spinning for the week. Don't miss the safety training, with a demonstration on how to use bikes with trains and buses. Early registrants will receive free helmets and bike tune-ups. Visit wheelsflorida.org.
