Artcenter/South Florida Goes Public With Miami-Dade County’s Art In Public Places
Saturday, January 8
ArtCenter/South Florida
800 Lincoln Road at Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach
this exhibit is free and open to the public through February 20, 2011

Innovative Projects Recently Commissioned by Miami-Dade County Unveiled at Opening Reception January 8, 2011

ArtCenter/South Florida and Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs join forces to present Not The Usual Suspects: [new] Art In [new] Public [new] Places, an exhibition introducing recently completed and upcoming public art projects. Showcasing design maquettes, digital renderings, drawings, photographs and videos, this show will feature more than twenty local and world renowned artists who are working to push the boundaries of public art and profoundly enhance the visual landscape of Miami-Dade County.

Not the Usual Suspects: [new] Art In [new] Public [new] Places is curated by Brandi Reddick, Artist and Communications Manager of Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places. Launching with a reception on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at ArtCenter/South Florida (800 Lincoln Road at Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach), this exhibit is free and open to the public through February 20, 2011. For more information please call 305.674.8278 or visit the website at www.artcentersf.org.

“Part of ArtCenter/South Florida’s mission is to provide access to the best contemporary art in our community,” said Jeremy Chestler, ArtCenter executive director. “Miami-Dade County’s Art in Public Places program shares that focus and takes it to an entirely different level by commissioning important artwork. It’s our pleasure to help our residents and visitors gain a better understanding of how programs like this work.”

Not the Usual Suspects: [new] Art In [new] Public [new] Places includes monumental installation concepts, such as Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture’s commemorative marker project for the new Miami Marlins Ballpark. The commemorative marker will be a tribute to the iconic Orange Bowl Stadium – a trademark piece of Miami’s history. Arsham replicates the marquee on the former football stadium to appear as if the letters have fallen off the side of the building, embedding themselves on the east side of the plaza of the new ballpark.

Visitors may also see a video display of artist Ivan Toth Depeña’s proposed installation for the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Lobby. Depeña will introduce an interactive mechanism whereby video panels can detect body movements, translating them into vibrant colors as people whisk through the lobby of Government Center.

Completed in May 2010, the Shadow Canopy project by Miami artist Michelle Weinberg adorns the entry plaza of the GSA Trades Shop Facility with patterned cement tiles to create a parody of nature’s shadows. Weinberg has also fashioned a unique, hand-woven rug to complement the tiles, which hang in the entranceway of the building.

“Over the past two years, Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places has completed and commissioned some of the most exciting and innovative public art projects currently being implemented in the United States,” said curator Brandi Reddick. “This exhibition will explore the new sites, fresh ideas and cutting edge technologies being implemented by this extraordinary group of contemporary artists who are working to redefine the visual landscape of Miami-Dade County.”

Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places is a program of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs responsible for the commission and purchase of artworks by contemporary artists in all media. One of the first public art programs in the country, Miami-Dade Art in Public Places was established in 1973 with the passage of an ordinance allocating 1.5% of construction cost of new county buildings for the purchase or commission of artworks, educational programs and collection maintenance. The Art Trust Fund is administered by a County Commission-appointed citizens’ board, the Art in Public Places Trust, in consultation with its Professional Advisory Committee. For more information about the Art in Public Places Program and the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs, please visit www.miamidade.gov/publicart and www.miamidadearts.org.

Established in 1984, ArtCenter/South Florida (located at 800, 810 and 924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach) is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization that provides subsidized studio and exhibition space as well as teaching opportunities for emerging and career artists in their facilities at 800, 810 and 924 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. The mission of the ArtCenter is to advance the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture in South Florida while providing affordable programming and work-space for professional artists. ArtCenter/South Florida is open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. For further information please call 305.674.8278 or visit the website at www.artcentersf.org.

Exhibitions and programs at ArtCenter/South Florida are made possible through grants from the Miami-Dade County Department of cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs council, the Miami-Dade mayor and Board of County Commissioners; The Children’s Trust; the City of Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council; the City of Miami Beach Community Development Block Grant Program; the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners; the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Arts Council; the Dade Community Foundation and the Chestler Family Fund at Dade Community Foundation; ArtéCity; Target and Walgreens.