Outsiders typically look upon Miami’s local art scene with a sense of derision. The influx of patrons from cosmopolitan hotspots for Art Basel Miami Beach notwithstanding, local institutions have a fair amount of trouble crafting a name for themselves on the international stage. Common Field, a national visual arts network,…
Under the threat of virulent Zika mosquitoes, Wynwood’s summer art scene has ground to a halt. Gallery owners seem more concerned with treating standing pools of water and burning citronella than with luring crowds of visitors to see opening-night exhibits. Not Fredric Snitzer, owner of one of the top galleries…
For more than a decade, Miami Beach has played seasonal host to Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world’s largest art fairs. And standing at the center of the activity in South Beach is the Bass Museum, the city’s oldest and only major institution. Founded in 1963, the Bass…
Sarah Oppenheimer is an artist who works at the intersection of fine art, architecture, and engineering. Her mind-boggling installations are meant to disrupt the way we think of interior spaces through the use of mathematically based optical allusions — pieces that are equal parts M.C. Escher sketches and Alice in…
In 1803, Martina Parra, a poor Colombian woman, was accused of being a hermaphrodite by her female lover, Juana Maria. Under Spanish colonialism, such a condition was considered a crime against nature and punishable by law. The false accusation sent Parra into an invasive legal process including a lengthy trial…
When Franklin Sirmans took the reigns as director of the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) earlier this year, he vowed to rework the young, fledgling institution to serve and represent the local community. Since then, PAMM has highlighted artists from Latin America and the Caribbean, a demographic typically overlooked by…
Art exhibits loosely based on literature are all the rage these days. Last year, Brian Zanisnik’s Phillip Roth Presidential Library show at Locust Projects, caused quite a bit of buzz among local art world aficionados. And the recent Geandy Pavon and Jose Manuel Mesias’ joint exhibit at Mindy Solomon Gallery continues…
Miami doesn’t have much of a literary reputation. Despite the town’s rich cultural diversity and ideal setting, few big-name local writers have emerged from South Florida. VONA is an organization looking to change that. Founded in 1999 by Junot Diaz, Elmaz Abinader, and Diem Jones, VONA gives a voice to…
South Florida’s community of local artists, collectors, gallery owners, and art fans goes into a state of hibernation during the summer, quietly awaiting the upcoming season. While they lie in wait, many begin plotting and predicting the next big trends. Last year saw big moves in figurative painting; a renewed…
Newly appointed Perez Art Museum Director, Franklin Sirmans, capped off the first six months of his tenure with the largest donation of works in the museum’s short history. Over a hundred pieces of art were donated by Design District developer Craig Robins. The move the symbolizes South Florida’s budding relationship…
Director R.B. Schlather, in a joint effort with the vocal chamber group IlluminArts, presents a weeklong rendition of David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Little Match Girl Passion, at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). The performance marks the latest in a series of collaborations with local museums and galleries to…
In another example of the overlap of the worlds of fashion, art, and design, Spanish luxury brand Loewe launched an exhibit of one-of-a-kind furniture pieces at its first U.S. store. Located in the heart of the Design District, “Marquetry in Leather” is the brainchild of the brand’s creative director, Jonathan…
As a second generation Cuban photographer, Ernesto Javier Fernandez has borne witness to the lasting effects of the embargo. His father, Ernesto Fernandez, took pictures for writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante, and was also a contributor to Cuba, a magazine that highlighted the intellectuals and artists in the early days of the…
Designers, not unlike artists, have a profound interest in the way people live with objects. By definition, they make work that is first and foremost utilitarian; an active part of one’s day-to-day routine. Artist and designer Emmett Moore isn’t just interested in the human body’s relationship to the various furniture pieces…
Painting is thought of as a highly personal enterprise. The masses think artists create in solitude, making work that is as much therapeutic as it is beautiful. For Los Angeles-based painter Alexander Kroll, that popular stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. A native New Yorker, Kroll delved into the…
The first Saturday night in April, Curator’s Voice Art Project (CVAP) buzzed with the opening of the latest show by Argentine artist Amalia Amoedo. The Wynwood gallery unveiled the new project, titled “Vestales.” The evening was a whimsical unpacking of mythic themes curated by CVAP director Milagros Bello. Twelve multicolored…
As Pride floats were slowly prepared on South Beach, revelers for a different sort of celebration gathered in the Design District’s Palm Court this past weekend. Locust Projects celebrated its annual Spring Fling fundraiser, a silent auction disguised as a black-and-white masquerade ball. The event was filled with Miami’s art-world…
In most cities, gay pride parades have a long history tied to decades of activism and celebration. In Miami, locals have been marching on Ocean Drive only since 2009. Although the procession is a recently adopted South Florida tradition, the gay community has always been an active part of the…
A mid-life career shift can prove daunting to most people. Yet, for Chicago-based artist Paula Crown, the move from Wall Street tycoon to art world denizen was a snap. After serving as VP of finance for Salomon Brothers and transferring to a smaller firm in Chicago, Crown decided to indulge…
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, before the tourists arrived en masse, South Beach was a forgotten haven for artists, writers, and washed-up local characters. Poet Richard Blanco and artist Carlos Betancourt were two young Cuban-American gay men who met in that creative bustle. Their decades-long friendship and professional…
Though cameras are machines, some post-modern photographers introduce artisanal technique into their images. Three such photogs have mounted a joint exhibit of deeply personal work at the Dina Mitrani Gallery in Wynwood. Entitled “Handmade and Heartfelt,” the images come with rich backstories and are printed on everything you can imagine…
When the enigmatic local gallery Guccivuitton announced it had changed its name to Versace Versace Versace, it sent a clear sign to the Miami art scene: this was a new type of gallery, interested in the art and art-marketing of the future. It’s most recent exhibit, “To love a picture…
