Pérez Art Museum Miami Announces Six New Communities for PAMM Inside|Out

This February, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) will launch the second edition of its Inside|Out program, which brings high-quality art reproductions from the museum’s permanent collection to the community. Last year, PAMM launched Inside|Out in three South Florida areas: Hialeah, Homestead, and West End. In 2017, PAMM is doubling the Miami-Dade sites included in the project. Biscayne Park, Opa-locka, and Overtown will see this year's round of installations beginning in the spring. Then, over the summer, the reproductions will rotate to Little Haiti, North Miami Beach, and Surfside.

Last year, Inside|Out took 30 reproductions from PAMM’s permanent collection to the three participating cities, but this year, more than 50 artists from the museum's permanent collection will be featured, including the Colombian figurative artist and sculptor Fernando Botero and the Haitian-born American painter and sculptor Edouard Duval-Carrié.

“Being Miami-Dade County’s museum, it’s important for us to engage the community in unique ways. Inside|Out brings a breath of fresh art to everyday life and fosters spontaneous interactions with art in the community,” says PAMM director Franklin Sirmans. “We’re honored to participate in this innovative program for the second year in a row and are excited to connect with each community in such an impactful way.”

“There’s something very powerful about seeing works of art in person. You become completely immersed. Inside|Out brings that experience to people, directly in their communities. And an amazing thing happens: Entire neighborhoods, entire communities, start to talk about art,” says Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at the Knight Foundation.

The Inside|Out program, says Anita Braham, manager of adult programs and community partnerships for PAMM, is her organization's attempt to spread the love of art and make it more accessible to those who otherwise might not be able to experience it.

"Community engagement is at the heart of the goals of our institution, and through PAMM Inside|Out, we are able to make art more accessible and a part of everyday life," Braham says. "We are bringing art beyond the walls of our museum and making it a part of greater Miami communities, because Pérez Art Museum Miami is their museum. Through Inside|Out, we strive to make art a part of everyday encounters so that all community members are able to appreciate it in their own way on a daily basis."

The average joe might not be familiar with some of the famous artists spotlighted by PAMM, but guests who visit the project sites can rest assured the re-creations are those of works that are classic and legendary. Though it might be difficult to choose a favorite.

"Selecting a 'crown jewel' of the collection would be about as difficult as picking a favorite child, but some of the collection highlights include works by Roy Lichtenstein, Morris Louis, Wangechi Mutu, and Faith Ringgold. Works by local artists José Bedia and Edouard Duval-Carríé are also sure to be a hit," Braham said.

For those worried they might not be able to see multiple pieces in the same day, fret not, Braham says: Seeing many of the works wouldn't take much more effort than your average cardio workout at the gym. Visiting all 50 pieces, however, would take a hard-core art lover with some dedication.

"The Inside|Out 2017 layout would make for a great light walk or a leisurely bike tour. Seeing all 50 works in both sets of three communities during both the spring and summer installations would be quite a feat but would definitely make for a great Miami road-trip day," Braham says. "The collection of 50 reproductions will be dispersed throughout Biscayne Park, Opa-locka, and Overtown in spring 2017 and across Little Haiti, North Miami Beach, and Surfside in summer 2017. The works will leave a different footprint on each area depending on how residents typically travel around their community.

"In Little Haiti, we’re creating a widespread map that covers key cultural and park areas that will be perfect for a planned bike tour. In Opa-locka, we’re working toward a great central walking trail from the ARC to the old city hall and back around through Sherbondy Park.

Inside|Out, a program funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, was conceived by the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2010. Since then, four cities have participated in the traveling art reproduction event, the latest being Miami, now with a total of nine stops. After becoming a hit in Detroit, the program was granted $2 million over three years by the Knight Foundation to expand Inside|Out to communities across the nation, including Miami, Philadelphia, and Akron, Ohio.