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Front Page » Arts & Culture » Miami-Dade museums aiming to bring back the buzz

Miami-Dade museums aiming to bring back the buzz

Written by on September 15, 2021
  • www.miamitodayepaper.com
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Miami-Dade museums aiming to bring back the buzz

 

Local cultural arts museums and institutions are pushing for­ward and recreating art experi­ences that the pandemic voided.

Safety of the community and staff being a priority, art galleries at most museums are open, bringing back the buzz on Miami-Dade’s promising trajectory of establishing itself as one of the world’s top con­temporary arts destinations.

“The health and safety of our community and staff remain our main priority. Our galleries are open with strict indoor mask policies in place, and we will continue to adhere to proper protocol guidelines from public officials going forward,” said Alex Gartenfeld, artistic direc­tor of the Institute of Contempo­rary Art, Miami (ICA, Miami).

One of ICA, Miami’s key initiatives is its free admis­sions policy, which is central to the overall mission to make contemporary art and ideas ac­cessible to a diverse public, Mr. Gartenfeld said.

“While we rely less on box office revenues than other cultural institutions, our team is working tirelessly to ensure the ongoing sustainability of our funding sources amidst these uncertain times,” he added. “As part of the contactless experi­ence at ICA Miami, we continue to encourage visitors to book advance tickets on our website.

Being committed to experi­mentation means, the contem­porary art institution at 61 NE 41st St. is always looking for new, thoughtful and accessible ways to present great contem­porary art, Mr. Gartenfeld said.

“In times of social isola­tion and change, our artistic mission takes on even greater importance. We have created ro­bust digital learning platforms including online classes and lectures for students of all ages, and commissioned new digital artworks to sustain local artists and audiences alike,” he said.

Visitors can check out ICA, Miami’s current exhibitions including “Dalton Gata: The Way We’ll Be,” which is the first solo museum presenta­tion for Puerto Rico-based artist Dalton Gata, featuring a personal archive of images exploring queer and popular culture as well as psychologi­cal and mythical symbols, and media art and filmmaker Isaac Julien’s audiovisual installa­tion, documentary and photo­graph installation that explores Black and queer histories and identities.

Over at the Museum of Con­temporary Art, North Miami (MOCA) at 770 NE 125th St., curators and staff are bringing groundbreaking exhibitions to the community for education, inspiration and healing, said Chana Sheldon, the museum’s executive director.

But at the same time, the health and safety of MOCA’s visitors and staff remain the museum’s top priority, she said. “To comfortably welcome guests back to the museum and our museum shop, we continue to enforce increased cleaning protocols and the wearing of masks inside the institution. We also designed our exhibition layouts to allow for appropri­ate social distancing and are following all CDC guidelines.”

Guests can currently visit the exhibition “Michael Richards: Are You Down?” the first large-scale retrospective of the work of Michael Richards. Co-curat­ed by Alex Fialho and Melissa Levin, the retrospective speaks poetically and provocatively to the present contemporary moment through the Afro- Caribbean artist’s extensive sculptures and drawings, which reflect on issues of racial ineq­uity, systemic oppression and diasporic identity.

MOCA Plaza is going strong with the unveiling of a monu­mental sculpture by Najja Moon, Ms. Sheldon said. With the support from the North Miami Community Redevelop­ment Agency, “Art on the Plaza” has provided opportunities for local artists to deliver art in pub­lic spaces that can be accessed by tons of passersby.

“We are also actively work­ing on a major exhibition of the Polish-born artist Maryan to debut in November to coincide with Miami Art Week,” Ms. Sheldon added.

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