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…

Riding the Waves With the Art Fair Surfers at Untitled

Spirits were high as three adventurous souls stripped down to their skivvies, grabbed a Pussy Riot surfboard, and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, as part of DO WE DREAM UNDER THE SAME SKY, an installation by Tomas Vu and Rirkrit Tiravanija at Untitled, Art, Miami Beach. Artist Tomas Vu happily…

We Need Leaders Art Week Radio Show Features Yes Julz, Uncle Luke

Here’s what you will not encounter at fashion designers Maxwell + Dao’s installation at the Confidante pool area this Basel: Any exhibits to do with fashion design. Here’s what you will get: An ear into the candid conversations of the Public School duo and their friends, as they tackle every…

Miami Art Week 2016: The Best New Public Art

You won’t have to buy a ticket to the fairs or battle traffic to get to a gallery to witness new art this week. Chances are that you’ll run into a newly installed work of art just wandering around like you always do. Artists from all over have installed pieces…

Photographer Lisa S. Johnson Remembers Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix, Les Paul

Lisa S. Johnson’s father was a guitar player, and her mother was a singer. Her father loved photography, so she studied it in school to bridge communications with him. While working for Eastman Kodak, she began dating a musician who owned a vintage guitar store, and he was first to recognize the singular soul of her artistic guitar portraits.