MasterMinds 2017: Agatha Wright Has a Childlike Wonder for Dance

The finalists in New Times’ eighth-annual MasterMind Awards are a diverse bunch, representing the best locally created culture in South Florida. A group of editors and critics chose these nine talents from a pool of more than 80 applicants. The three winners, who will each receive a $750 grant, will…

MasterMinds 2017: Rod Deal Wants You to Carry a Polaroid Camera

The finalists in New Times’ eighth-annual MasterMind Awards are a diverse bunch, representing the best locally created culture in South Florida. A group of editors and critics chose these nine talents from a pool of more than 80 applicants. The three winners, who will each receive a $750 grant, will…

New Times Artopia Unleashes a Carnival of Culture

The MasterMind Awards submissions have been judged. The finalists have been chosen. Now it’s time to reveal who will take home New Times’ artist grants — and to party in the process. New Times’ Artopia, presented by Miracle Mile Downtown Coral Gables, is your chance to mix, mingle, munch, move, and more. The event will feature a lineup filled with fun and interactive culture, from live music to art, performance, and beyond.

Miami New Times‘ MasterMind Awards 2017: Submissions Open

Calling all artists, filmmakers, choreographers, musicians, and other creatives: New Times wants to give you some sweet cash just for making work you love. The annual MasterMind Awards are returning next year, rewarding the best talent in the city with cash grants and citywide recognition.

100 Creatives: James Herring, Master Potter and Avid Maker

In Miami, you hear a lot about art, but not so much about craft. James Herring’s work in ceramics fuses the two. Herring eschews the title of “artist” and sees the resurgence of crafts and craftsmanship as a necessity for human growth in modern times. An outspoken supporter and practitioner of the maker movement, Herring has maintained a presence locally by doing demonstrations and leading classes and workshops on the ancient craft.

100 Creatives: Yaddyra Peralta Writes Poetry of Empathy and Dissent

How easily we forget Miami’s literary scene. Given the homegrown talent, area colleges/universities boasting some of the best writing faculties in the nation, and the Miami Book Fair bringing the best of the best to the 305, it truly is amazing how the Magic City’s writers gets overshadowed by other creatives.

100 Creatives: Solange Sarria Finds Art in the Beauty Industry

In a city where artists struggle to find authenticity, Solange Sarria is a beacon of light. A singer, hairstylist, and visual artist who’s as adept at sculpting an image as she is at solving your latest existential dilemma, Sarria uncovers the artificiality inherent in the modern beauty industry and turns it on its head.

100 Creatives: Sleeper, the Multitalented Artist Behind Counter Corner

If you’re queer or in the know, you’ve likely spent the third Sunday of any month in the past two years at the Corner in downtown Miami, having a kiki with every king and queen during Counter Corner. Behind the bar, you’ve found Sleeper, pouring drinks and chatting with everyone who passes by at the event that he and Juleisy y Karla founded. What you might not know is just how interesting he is.

100 Creatives: Kareem Tabsch, Director Driving Miami’s Indie Cinema Scene

Kareem Tabsch, alongside Vivian Marthell, launched O Cinema in 2011 and changed the film scene in Miami. Since then, O Cinema has expanded to three locations: Wynwood, Miami Shores, and Miami Beach. But Tabsch is also a filmmaker, one who’s killing it with his award-winning short documentaries such as Cherry Pop: The Story of the World’s Fanciest Cat and Dolphin Lover, both of which are proof that he’s just as interesting and unique a director as he is a curator and person.

100 Creatives: Rune Lazuli Inspires Thousands With Her Words

It all happened the day she decided she was going to delete her Instagram account. But then she received a notification. “I was in school all day and got back home,” Rune Lazuli recalls. “I had posted something on Facebook, and someone commented, ‘I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Lady Gaga reposted your work.’” As she eagerly searched through the superstar’s Instagram page, there it was — Lazuli’s words posted for millions to see across the globe: “Crawl inside this body — find me where I am most ruined, love me there.”

I Wore a Hijab to Art Basel, and You Should Wear One This Saturday

When Jenan Matari, the cofounder of MissMuslim.com, asked me to wear contemporary Muslim clothing including a headscarf as part of A Day in Her Hijab — a virtual event she is organizing for December 10 — I hesitated. In general, I’m the kind of friend who will show up if something is critical — but if it’s just for social purposes, probably nah.

100 Creatives: Monica Peña Creates Intense, Engrossing Films

In his Variety review of Monica Peña’s feature debut, Ectotherms, Guy Lodge referred to the zero-budget film as one of “the most striking world premieres at the Miami Film Festival.” To meet Peña and chat with her is such a casual, though always engaging, experience that one would never expect her to be a filmmaker who presents such intensity in her work.

100 Creatives: Jason Jeffers, the Filmmaker Unveiling the Real Caribbean

Jason Fitzroy Jeffers is first and foremost a storyteller. Though the mediums through which his stories are told can vary, the direction of his artistic gaze stays laser-focused on the Caribbean. The 35-year-old musician, writer, and filmmaker left his home of Barbados more than ten years ago, but it has not left him and continues to shape his creative expression.

At NADA Art Fair, Paul Yore’s Shocking Tapestries Dare You to Look Away

Osama Bin Laden’s erect genitalia covers the nose of a cut-out of President-elect Donald Trump’s head. Trump’s mouth spews  glittery brown droplets of waste. A neon-green speech bubble sprouts from Bin Laden’s mouth, declaring in all caps, “THE SPECTACLE LIKE MODERN SOCIETY ITSELF IS AT ONCE UNITED AND DIVIDED.” Surrounding…