Miami Artist HoxxoH Completes Massive (and Perhaps Final) Mural at Miami Marine Stadium

Maybe you remember the heyday of Miami Marine Stadium, with its boat races and performances by legends such as Queen and Ray Charles. Maybe you snuck in for painting or parkour after Hurricane Andrew turned the structure into a relic. Maybe you've been following recent efforts to restore the stadium to its former glory, such as Heineken's recent Indiegogo campaign.

Either way, you've never seen Miami Marine Stadium like this.

Douglas Hoekzema, better known as Miami artist HoxxoH, has turned the stadium's seating area into a giant rainbow bull's-eye. Completed last weekend, the mural beams from the center seating like an enormous colorful eye — and if preservationists reach their goals, it could be the last large-scale mural to take over the stadium in its current form.

Like many Miamians, HoxxoH says he associates Miami Marine Stadium with two things: graffiti and boating adventures. But his artistic interest in the place is more academic. "I was first drawn to the architectural structure since I'm a student of architecture," he says. He painted the seats for the first time in 2014. But for this project, he took inspiration from another local artist, Emmett Moore. "[He] was the first to paint the full stadium with large text utilizing the seats."
HoxxoH might be the last. The Heineken campaign "Save Your Seat" has been giving the stadium's existing seats to donors in exchange for $500 toward restoring the structure. The removal of the seats also clears the way for larger renovations, meaning there's a good chance HoxxoH's prismatic masterpiece will be the last large-scale painting at the site, at least while the seats are still in place. 

For HoxxoH, though, it's all part of the process. "The temporary nature is the best part of this project," he says. "The stadium provided an amazing environment that was constantly being changed by artists, and I'm assuming it will be changing until the last minute."

Heineken's "Save Your Seat" campaign is now in its final stage, and funding sits around 50 percent. "By contributing, you’re helping create a future for the stadium and the preservation of Florida history," HoxxoH says. Visit Indiegogo to learn more.