Art is synonymous with Wynwood. As you walk the neighborhood streets and gaze at the walls, color explodes everywhere. International and local artists use building façades as their canvas. But while you're busy focusing on what's at eye level, you might miss a whole other world of public art: what's beneath your feet.
In the early days of Miami's arts district, murals were the biggest draw — aside from the galleries and the ever-popular monthly Second Saturday Art Walk. A few years ago, artists began to tap into the untouched realm of stenciling their works and words onto sidewalks. Although the practice isn't legal, plenty of law-breakers use the protection of night to spray the ground. The practice has taken flight in other cities, such as Boston, where poets write passages on sidewalks using a special spray activated only by water.
So far, we haven't found any hidden messages in Wynwood, but we did take a stroll through the area and spotted our ten favorite works of art on the ground.
10. This ice-cream cone
Ice cream is tasty, right? That's what the folks at Serendipity Creamery thought when they turned their pop-up shop into a permanent fixture in Wynwood. To let customers know the shop is open, the owners took advantage of the ground to garner some foot traffic. These colorful stenciled cones can be found mostly along NW Third Avenue and 26th Street (because the creamery is located
9. This soldier shooting
Earlier this week, we celebrated Memorial Day and honored our veterans and armed forces. So this stencil of a
8. This retro TV set
The combination of Wynwood and hipsters is like peanut butter and jelly — some people love them together; others roll their eyes at the thought. And nothing is more anti-mainstream than a vintage TV set. Look how cute it is with that
7. This poem by @habitualpoet
The most prevalent type of sidewalk art here is poetry. People love sharing their unique voice with
6. This colorful beetle by Feik
Bugs are generally hated creatures, but this multicolored beetle (is it a beetle?) looks more inviting than harmful. The rendering is by famed artist Feik, from São Paulo, Brazil. The painter is known for his use of vibrant hues to depict his version of creatures found in nature. This guy really has a thing for insects.
5. This barcode and flower by Kaï
A little cartoon hand reaches out from behind bars to try to grab a little piece of nature. Something about this piece is sad. To whom does the four-fingered, white-gloved hand belong? What is behind the bars? Is this a picture of a dystopian future where simple things like flowers are lost to us because technology and consumer goods have taken over our lives? So many questions.
4. This poem by R.M. Drake
In 2014, a little-known Miami poet found himself thrust into the spotlight thanks to Kim Kardashian-West. The celebrity and her sisters posted short poems on their Instagram accounts, and soon after, @rmdrk amassed thousands of online fans. He currently has 1.5 million followers on the photo-sharing site. It's unclear if the writer himself or a really big fan stenciled his works in Wynwood.
3. This Place 2 Kiss by Alexis P.
Let's face it — romance is everywhere. Especially when you throw art
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2. This rendering of Donald Trump
Despite the fact that presidential hopeful Donald Trump won the state of Florida in the Republican primary, there are still those locals who (thankfully) despise the man — particularly, it seems, the makers of Ilegal Mezcal. The Spanish in this piece translates to "Donald is an idiot." (But some Spanish speakers use the term "pendejo" to mean "pussy" or "pubic hair," so take your pick here.) The photo above was taken in front of the Wynwood Building on the corner of NW 27th Street and Third Avenue and has since been sprayed over with gray paint. Perhaps someone found it a wee too offensive. In any case, other stupid Trumps can be found along NW 25th Street.
1. This stencil by @Michelles_Scriptures
In 2009, when Wynwood was nothing like it is today, author Michelle Morgan wanted to share her writing with a broader audience. And what better way than on the streets of a budding new arts district. Although the goal really is to be on a wall in Wynwood, Morgan likes the idea of inspiring passersby who might be feeling low and looking down instead of up. The artist has about 12 stencils — and more than a hundred renditions — spread throughout the neighborhood.
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