Museum Of Graffiti Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary By Presenting Two Simultaneous Shows And A Week Full Of Activations
November 30 – December 6 | 2020
November 30: Opening of Museum of Graffiti’s Denim Bar inside Curio at Faena Bazaar, 3400 Collins Ave, Miami, FL 33140
December 1: Opening of Ahol Sniffs Glue’s Biscayne World featuring new work by Miami icon Ahol Sniffs Glue (David Anasagasti) at the Museum of Graffiti, 299 NW 25th St, Miami, FL 33127
December 2: The grand re-opening of Gustavo Oviedo: Symbiosis at the Shelborne Hotel, 1801 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
December 3: Pool-side painting with graffiti artist 1DER, with a focus on themes of racial equality and justice, at the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, 1717 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
December 4: Opening of Eye Candy featuring new work by New York City graffiti pioneer, LA2 (Angel Ortiz) at the Museum of Graffiti, 299 NW 25th St, Miami, FL 33127
December 5: Outdoor screening of Why the Spray documentary at the Museum of Graffiti, 299 NW 25th St, Miami, FL 33127

With the cancellation of Art Basel, Miami’s annual art fete, Wynwood’s Museum of Graffiti, is proud to announce a list of special events and highlights during Miami Art Week 2020. As Wynwood’s only museum, the Museum is committed to keeping Miami’s arts and culture alive for locals and domestic travelers who have spent much of 2020 sheltered in place. In celebration of Miami Art Week, which coincides with the Museum’s one-year anniversary, the Museum is breaking its own precedents by presenting two simultaneous solo shows within the Museum’s gallery space. In addition, the Museum will make several updates to its permanent Style Masters exhibition, including a comprehensive section that highlights the impact of female graffiti artists on the movement—made possible by Eat Me Guilt Free, a female-founded and operated business.

Monday, November 30 | 6PM
This year’s events will kick off on Monday, November 30 with the opening of the Museum of Graffiti’s Denim Bar inside Curio at Faena Bazaar (3400 Collins Avenue). The show will display original artwork on denim jackets from emerging young talent and world-renowned contemporary graffiti artists, all with ties specifically to South Florida. Guests will be able to purchase denim jackets with one-of-a-kind art, pins, and patches. The Museum of Graffiti Denim Bar at Faena Bazaar will feature the artists most active on the streets of Miami like Atomik, Abstrk, and Ze Florist. Open daily from 11am – 6pm from November 30 – December 30.

Opening Party: Join us for a toast as we celebrate the opening of the Museum of Graffiti Denim Bar at Curio at Faena Bazaar at 6PM. Artist Cyst1 will be on site doing further customization consultations with guests who purchase a jacket or bring their own.

Tuesday, December 1 | 2020
Museum of Graffiti (299 NW 25TH Street) will celebrate the opening of Biscayne World, an exhibition by Miami icon Ahol Sniffs Glue (David Anasagasti), known for his sleepy eyes that he has painted all over the streets of Miami for several decades. The new work is a love letter to Miami and its cast of characters, culled from three years of riding the bus up and down Biscayne Boulevard.
“From rich people to poor people and all the characters in between, Biscayne Boulevard is a petri dish with the perfect cross section of this awesome city. In the same Biscayne that’s typically underappreciated and taken for granted, I saw as a reservoir of untapped shit that served as unlimited inspiration. I listened to the conversations, the coughs, the cries, the many languages of the bus. I breathed in every smell possible, and I took the happiness along with sadness. We were all trying to get somewhere. That’s Biscayne World.” – Ahol Sniffs Glue
Ahol Sniffs Glue’s tenacity, talent, and hard work allowed his personal genre of art to transcend the streets into galleries and mansions where there is now a constant celebration and discussion of his artistry and craft. “The Museum of Graffiti was built to celebrate stories of people like David Anasagasti, one of Miami’s most recognizable public artists whose roots are entirely punk and street and whose pseudonym, Ahol Sniffs Glue, yells out anti-conformity,” said Alan Ket, co-Founder of the Museum of Graffiti.
In his show Biscayne World, and new book titled same, we get to understand Ahol Sniffs Glue. The book presents a close-up into his work ethic, his illustrations, his desire to share the drawings that make up his Miami. In his work we obviously see an artist taking risks, but if you look closely you also see a love for people and for humanity – scabs, bullet holes, dirty clothes and all. “His choice of subjects and illustration style are outrageous but so is Miami and its people,” said Allison Freidin, co-Founder of the Museum of Graffiti.
Published to coincide with the exhibition, the new limited edition book, Biscayne World: The Art of Ahol Sniffs Glue will be for sale exclusively in the Museum gift shop for $50, with only 100 copies made.
Biscayne Brunch: The “First Look” of the new show begins at 10AM by VIP invitation only, and open to the public beginning at 11am with timed ticketing strictly enforced. Tickets available at museumofgraffiti.com
Book Release + Signing: The artist will host a celebration and book signing at the Museum from 5pm to 8pm December 1, with timed ticketing strictly enforced. Tickets available at: www.museumofgraffiti.com/events

Wednesday, December 2 | 2020 @ 6PM
Due to the overwhelming excitement over the Museum’s most recent exhibition, Gustavo Oviedo: Symbiosis, the show will travel from the Museum to the Shelborne Hotel (1801 Collins Avenue). Join us for light bites and complimentary drinks from 6 – 8 PM to view the exhibit in a completely new space as it is reassembled in the maritime themed hotel. The artist will be on site, outdoors in the Oasis Garden, signing his book and premiering his brand new documentary film featuring his marine explorations and explaining the role of the Biscayne Bay in inspiring his graffiti style artwork. The screening will be followed by an Art Talk and Q&A with the artist. Gustavo Oviedo’s “Symbiosis” includes large paintings of loose sea-like forms, mixed-media collages, and visual representations of otherworldliness devoid of human language or graffiti letters, all starting at $1,000. The event is free with registration at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-night-gustavo-oviedos-symbiosis-on-exhibition-at-shelborne-sobe-tickets-128909095575

Thursday, December 3 | 11:30AM – 6PM
In partnership with the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, The Museum of Graffiti presents Live Outdoor, Poolside Painting by Artist 1DER. Sit back and watch as Miami-basedgraffiti artist 1DER live paints a large-scale work featuring themes of equality and justice from 11:30AM – 4PM. Join us for light bites and complimentary wine during a special Social Hour (a signature Kimpton daily tradition) from 5 – 6PM. Social Hour will be open to the public for this special occasion only. A Moderated Art Talk with the artist will take place simultaneously from 5PM – 6PM, where guests will be able to learn more about 1DER, the Miami-based African American artist and illustrator of Bajan and Bahamian decent. 1DER’s time spent studying color theory at Florida International University shines through each of his vibrant works on canvas. With spray paint as his medium of choice, he has produced works for large organizations and institutions such as the Museum of Graffiti, Artists 4 Israel, and University of the West Indies. The event is free of charge for registered guests; to register please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kimpton-surfcomber-x-museum-of-graffiti-present-1der-tickets-128935374175.

Friday, December 4 | 2020
The Museum of Graffiti turns one year old and reveals new works by Angel Ortiz, known by the tag LA II or LA2—a New York City veteran of graffiti art, best known for providing the lettering style and embellishments used in Keith Haring’s paintings in the 1980s.
LA2 came of age in the 1980s when tags adorned the trains, busses and walls of the City and like many kids of that era, he joined the movement and adopted a pseudonym: LA2. By the age of 14, his name permeated the walls of lower Manhattan garnering street fame that led to a chance encounter with another downtown artist, Keith Haring who was 9 years his senior. The two artists became fast friends and began spending their days painting in Haring’s studio and their nights partying at the downtown clubs. As an impressionable teenager, their friendship changed the artist’s life forever as he became introduced to Haring’s impressive art world and its stars: Warhol, Kostabi, and Basquiat. In exchange, LA2 and his TNS crew gave Haring the street cred he needed to navigate the streets with ease to create public art, even on subways, a surface typically reserved for the most daring graffiti writers.
Together, LA2 and Haring created hundreds of paintings and traveled the world exhibiting their art. While Haring drew cartoon characters like dogs, babies and other figures, LA2 would add in his style – tags, squiggles and bold lines that gave their collaborations extra energy, movement, and a street aesthetic. Tragically, Haring passed away in 1991, devastating LA2 and forcing him to find his own artistic path.
For the past three decades LA2 has applied spray paint and ink to canvas, clothing, and various found objects in his unwavering journey to push his personal graffiti pop style. Fluorescent colors rooted in his Puerto Rican heritage, bold lines and tags learned in the streets, and the cartoons as a tribute to his friend Keith, make each painting a sweet piece of candy for your eyes. The energy of the old dance clubs, of the Avenues filled with cars blaring music, and the children who grew up on this street art culture are channeled onto each canvas that explodes with positive energy and life – a life of art, color and celebration. This is LA2, this is real graffiti art.
Along with several joint exhibitions of his work and Haring’s, LA2’s own mix of contemporary symbols with graffiti lettering has been shown in galleries and museums across the United States, but the Museum of Graffiti will host the artist’s first ever solo exhibition in South Florida.
In celebration of its anniversary and LA2’s Eye Candy, the Museum of Graffiti will host a sketchbook swap, outdoor drawing party for collectors, artists, and VIPs, by invitation only.

Saturday, December 5 | 6PM
The Museum of Graffiti presents movie night under the stars featuring the private world premiere of “Why the Spray,” a full-length documentary that tells the stories of five Miami graffiti artist and why they chose this artform. Tickets to see the new film, already named Best Feature Documentary at the American Golden Picture International Film Festival, will be made available via the Events section of the Museum of Graffiti’s website for $25 each. The film will begin promptly at 6PM, with the cast of artists, writers, and directors in house to answer questions following the viewing. Popcorn provided! To view the trailer, visit: whythespray.com. Tickets available at museumofgraffiti.com/events

Handmade Pasta Twist Workshop
Saturday, 02/23/2019, 07:30 pm – 09:30 pm
2/2Taste Buds Kitchen
14740 SW 26 Street
Miami, Florida 33185
Website
Entry Fee: $60

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! Do you know how to make fresh pasta by hand? Join us as we create our signature Pasta Dough and an oh-so-cool twist on the original. Learn the tips and tricks to becoming a pasta aficionado as we master kneading, rolling and shaping pasta like the pros into fresh Spaghetti and hand-rolled Garganelli. And no pasta is complete without the sauce, so we’re whipping up a zesty nut-free Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo duo to dazzle our pasta creations. Bring your friends and your favorite wine for an evening of fun-filled pasta! BYOB. $60 per person.
**Registration required, space is limited. For more information, contact us at 305 903 2023.

Second Annual Earth Day and Holistic Lifestyle Festival
April 15, 2017- from 11:00AM- 3:00 PM
Griffing Park/ Griffing Center
12220 Griffing Blvd.
North Miami, FL 33161
Free Admission and Free Parking

Environmental Education, Environmental Music, Children’s Activities
Art, Craft, Vegan and Vegetarian Food, Sustainable Services, Environmental Agencies, Holistic Products, Demonstrations, Plants and Free Raffle

Entertainment Featuring: Lanny Smith –The Earthman, Drumming Circle,
Grant Livingston-on Guitar, Daniela Toro, Maryann Payne (MAP Dance)
and other special guests
For further information please call: (305)-416-6868, sustainavillage@aol.com

Victims will walk through three bloodcurdling haunted attractions, Asylum of the Dead, Nightmares-The Awakening and The Catacombs-Ancient Evil Unleashed!
Enter all three if you dare!

Xtreme Action Park presents “Xtreme Scare Park,” THREE haunted theme park attractions that will take place Thursday-Sunday and one Monday from Oct. 13, 2016 – Oct. 31, 2016 from 7:30 pm till Midnight.

Xtreme Scare Parks attractions are designed by experienced scare master, Brandon Von Kittendorf, the creator of Festival of Souls (Demon Mansion), voted Florida’s Scariest Haunted House by Hauntworld.com & Terror in the Jungle at Jungle Island. This Halloweens XTREME production will feature THREE gut-wrenching haunted attractions totaling over 20,000 SQFT of FEAR.
Attractions include: Asylum of the Damned – Deranged and Psychotic patients have taken over the Asylum and no one knows what happened to the staff. Nightmares – The Awakening – What if your nightmares awakened and became real life. Could you survive your worst nightmares? Catacombs – Ancient Evil Unleashed – Our ancestors buried Evil secrets, but someone dug up an Ancient artifact unleashing its wrath!
Xtreme Scare Park@ Xtreme Action Park
5300 Powerline Road
Ft. Lauderdale FL 33309
www.XtremeScarePark.com & www.XtremeActionPark.com

PRESS RELEASE
Knight Foundation names 68 finalists in Knight Arts Challenge Miami

MIAMI – Sept. 13, 2016 – Sixty-eight ideas were named finalists today in the Knight Arts Challenge Miami, a community-wide initiative funding the best ideas for the arts in South Florida.

Emerging from nearly 1,000 submissions, the finalists propose a range of projects to help make art general in Miami, a place where high-quality arts and cultural experiences can be found throughout the many neighborhoods. They include creating the country’s only contemporary art gallery in a national park, blending art and technology to engage transit riders, embedding artists in city planning departments and launching a Native-American film festival.

“The Miami of today is radically different from the Miami of 2008 when we first launched this challenge. Artists and cultural organizations have pushed this community to seek high levels of excellence, while continuing to experiment with new ideas. Our belief in this city, and our investment in its people, is born out every day in the performance halls, galleries and streets of Miami, and again by the 68 finalists in this year’s challenge,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation.

A full list of finalists is below and at knightarts.org.  Knight Foundation will announce the winning ideas, which will share $2.5 million, on Nov. 28, 2016.

This is the ninth year of the Knight Arts Challenge Miami, which offers matching funds for the best ideas for the arts. Applicants must follow only three rules: 1) The idea must be about the arts; 2) the project must take place in or benefit South Florida; 3) the grant recipient must find funds to match Knight’s commitment.

Since 2005, Knight Foundation has invested $122 million in the South Florida arts, supporting both large institutions, to help them better engage the public, and smaller, grassroots groups through the challenge. Previous Knight funding for local institutions created a new media program that includes the signature “Wallcasts” at the acclaimed New World Symphony campus, helps present Ibero-American films at the Miami International Film Festival, and is bringing every Miami-Dade third-grader to the Pérez Art Museum Miami. 

For more on Knight Foundation’s arts program, visit knightarts.org or follow Knight Foundation on Facebook, or #knightarts and @knightfdn on Twitter and Instagram.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

2016 Knight Arts Challenge Miami Finalists

III Points Festival
To provide a platform for local artists by commissioning them to create large-scale installations on the festival grounds with the prospect of moving them to other locations throughout the year

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
To introduce South Florida’s hip-hop culture to an international audience by bringing the Breakin’ Convention, a festival of dance and theater, to Miami

Ali Cultural Arts
To expand the presence of women in the audio engineering industry with a training program for young women and girls in a historic Pompano Beach building that once boarded African-American jazz musicians

Alma Dance Theater
To use contemporary dance to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and to engage people afflicted by them

Amir Baradaran
To rethink how people produce knowledge and share memories with a large-scale, participatory art project that uses augmented reality and artificial intelligence

Angel Fraser-Logan Dance Company
To inspire a love of dance by bringing Miami native and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Jamar Roberts to South Florida to mentor and teach students, and to choreograph and perform new work

ArtCenter/South Florida
To bring art into public planning by embedding artists in city governments as part of a residency program that helps to develop solutions to policy concerns

Artists Within Reach Collective
To foster the next generation of artists by having well-known artists offer professional guidance to young creatives by addressing the question, “If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?”

Artists in Residence in Everglades (AIRE)
To tell the story of the cultural and ecological forces that shape South Florida by opening a permanent gallery at Everglades National Park’s Ernest Coe Visitor Center, the only space in the country devoted to contemporary art within a national park

The Barnyard
To bring Coconut Grove together with an art and culinary event inspired by Judy Chicago’s famous 1979 art installation, “The Dinner Party”

Bas Fisher Invitational
To experiment with new models for presenting art through Nomadic Miami, a series of roving exhibitions, performances and programs in specific locations determined by cutting-edge artists

Nerissa Street
To train South Florida’s teen girls to become leaders in film and media by immersing them in the production of a short film from script to screening in four weeks

Alexey Taran
To explore the dark side of desire, disorders and inner struggles through an experimental theater performance incorporating artists from both sides of the Florida Straits

Boca Raton Museum of Art
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of Everglades National Park by commissioning glass artist Koen Vanmechelen to meet with residents and scientists in South Florida and create an exhibition based on the environmental issues facing the region

The Bridge
To provide artistic support for musicians by building out an event space and recording room with free production and streaming services

CANVAS Art Charities
To infuse a neighborhood with art with the CANVAS Outdoor Museum, which connects five underused blocks along the West Palm Beach waterfront with installations, including one powered by solar panels that will light the area for nighttime use

Carl Juste
To explore the many layers and similarities between Cuban and Haitian cultures through
a book of photographs and essays, and an accompanying exhibition

CINTAS Foundation
To celebrate Cuban writers through new fellowships in creative writing for Cubans living on the island and in exile

City Theatre
To create a new format for musical theater with the 10-Minute Musical Initiative, a platform for short pieces by the producers of the Summer Shorts series

KROMA
To engage the community in restoring the art installations in Coconut Grove’s Elizabeth Virrick Park to reflect the original vision of architect Kenneth Treister

Combat Hippies
To encourage public conversations about the trauma of war by touring a new spoken word performance based on the stories of local veterans and refugees from the Middle East

Community Justice Project
To engage new audiences in the literary arts by bringing workshops led by poet Aja Monet to grassroots leaders involved in social justice issues

Dana De Greff
To foster a love of words at an early age with PageSlayers, a weeklong summer camp for Opa-locka fourth- and fifth-graders that exposes them to writing beyond the standard school curriculum

Dance NOW! Miami
To engage South Florida audiences with the restaging of “Ritmo Jondo,” a pioneering work of modern dance created in 1953 and set to the music of Catalan composer Carlos Surinach

Dania Beach Creative Arts Council
To enliven neighborhoods and provide employment for artists by creating murals across the city

Design and Architecture High School
To develop the skills of young animators by offering student workshops with local professionals on scriptwriting, storyboarding and more, in addition to screening student films

Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator
To connect Caribbean communities and artists by commissioning 20 artists to spend time in South Florida neighborhoods, conduct community-focused research and create public artworks that respond to people’s stories and histories

Everett Osceola
To highlight the words and works of indigenous peoples by launching the first southeastern Native American film festival

April JAMM Festival
To celebrate jazz by expanding the April jazz festival at a local club to venues around Miami and including master classes and school lectures

Florida International University
To honor Miami’s Cuban heritage by creating cultural exchanges between Havana and Miami guitar orchestras at the Miami International GuitART Festival

Florida International University
To celebrate contemporary approaches to art and design by bringing experts in Germany’s Bauhaus movement and Leonardo da Vinci’s art to present exhibits, lectures and courses in 2019

Fringe Projects
To stretch the bounds of public art by partnering with R&R Studios on BEAUTY FOR ALL!!!, an LED-activated mural in downtown Miami that counteracts the ever-present messages of consumption on signs in the city

Guitars Over Guns
To use art to oppose violence by collaborating with police to melt bullet casings and guns and recast them into musical instruments that will lead a peace rally involving local musicians and artists of all ages and backgrounds

Historic Hampton House Community Trust
To build on the legacy of the Historic Hampton House, the segregation-era motel in Brownsville once home to a popular jazz club, with a music education program for local youth

HistoryMiami
To connect South Floridians to the impact and emotion of 1992’s Hurricane Andrew with a large-scale exhibition on the 25th anniversary of the hurricane’s landfall

Hotbox Art
To create a catalyst for transforming a West Palm Beach historic district by turning the shotgun homes there into spaces for artist residencies and community engagement

IFE-ILE
To link Afro-Cuban culture in Miami and Havana by providing dancers and instructors from the island to participate in a cultural exchange project as part of the group’s annual summer dance festival

Interactive Initiative
To engage neighborhoods in art by transforming building facades with large-scale projections of interactive video and animations by local artists

Juggerknot Theatre Company
To explore Miami’s many layers by presenting immersive, real-time theater experiences in three motel rooms that tell the stories of three of Miami’s emerging neighborhoods

Karen Peterson Dancers
To promote Miami as a leader in inclusive arts by launching the first International Physically Integrated Dance Festival featuring dancers with and without disabilities performing together

Key West Literary Seminar
To instill pride in Florida’s place in American literature by providing a free, five-day summer program for Key West High School students on the literary and cultural history of the island

Sosyete Koukouy
To immerse more South Floridians in Haitian culture by recreating a Haitian village on the streets of Miami where visitors can experience the country’s culture

Locust Projects
To provide artists with the tools they need to do their work by creating a lending library of items such as power tools, a 3-D printer, video production equipment and more

Michael Graves Education Inc.
To heighten public awareness about the importance of the Everglades to Miami’s future with life-size sculptures of endangered animals made through origami

Miami Beach Cinematheque
To bring a rare collection to the community by digitizing and displaying the cinematheque’s archive of film memorabilia and ephemera.

Miami Classical Guitar Society
To elevate Miami’s classical guitar culture through concerts by internationally renowned guitarists, an international competition, educational master classes and live stream of the society’s annual festival

Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
To engage the community in the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s first local performance in a decade, with activities surrounding the event at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center

Miami Hispanic Ballet Corp.
To bring a world-class dance experience to Miami’s multicultural audiences through
the International Ballet Festival of Miami, which presents more than 20 companies from around the world in addition to workshops and classes

Miami Light Project
To explore the art of cabaret by bringing the Philadelphia-based Bearded Ladies Cabaret to Miami for workshops that culminate in a performance with local and Philly-based performers

Miami Music Club
To create a space for underground musicians and artists to come together by producing a series of concerts at traditional art spaces

Miami Music Institute
To explore race relations in American history by presenting two operas at the Miami Music Festival, “Appomattox” by Philip Glass and “Let Freedom Sing” by Bruce Adolphe, coupled with community programming

Miami New Drama
To find common ground for diverse audiences by creating bilingual adaptions of classic plays including “Our Town,” “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Miss Julie” at the Colony Theatre

Nathaniel Sandler
To introduce more people to the collections of museums through essays, tours and events focused on the many interesting items the institutions have but aren’t able to display year round

ProjectArt
To immerse neighborhoods in the arts by placing emerging artists in five libraries where they will have studio space in exchange for teaching arts classes in low-income communities

Children’s Hope Chest of Dreams
To bring the best in African-diaspora cinema to Overtown through a new film series at the Lyric Theater and nearby Gibson Park

Ramiro Almeida
To provoke conversations about downtown Miami today, and what it could be in the future, by building a replica of the area using Legos and having artists exhibit their work throughout it

Reading Queer
To bring more queer voices to South Florida by expanding the annual Reading Queer Literary Festival with a series of main stage performances, writers’ workshops and literary installations

Storefront for Art and Architecture
To demonstrate how South Florida can adapt and flourish in times of rising sea levels by having artists and designers propose solutions at an ideas festival

Rhythm Foundation
To create a cultural dialogue with communities hit by terrorism and war through “Axis of Love,” a concert series featuring instrumental music from conflict zones

RudduR Dance
To inspire the next generation of dancers with a mentorship program that culminates with a site-specific show at a historic landmark

Susan Karie Braun
To connect Miamians through immersive storytelling with “Metronovelas,” a weekly short-film series that “premieres” on Miami-Dade Public Transit when riders cue it using an augmented reality app

Symone Titania
To tell the stories of the barbecue vendors of South Dade’s Goulds neighborhood with a photo documentary project and community celebration

Tarell Alvin McCraney
To create the 305/One Festival, which celebrates the unique storytelling and solo performers coming out of Miami with a series of performances, film screenings and cultural activities

The M Ensemble
To promote a new home for theater in Liberty City, Sandrell Rivers Theater, where M Ensemble will be a resident company, with a yearlong engagement initiative

Torrance Carter
To foster the love and knowledge of film among students by bringing AdHoc Cinema, a traveling film and music series, to local schools

The Screening Room
To expand multimedia artistic programming in Miami through new installations at Wynwood’s The Screening Room

Wifredo Fernandez
To develop a space for creatives in the Overtown/Miami River District that provides lodging, a café, and creative work and commercial space space for artists and entrepreneurs

YoungArts
To showcase artistic talent by expanding the free, outdoor Outside the Box series featuring new and reimagined multidisciplinary mash-ups created by talented YoungArts alumni at the organization’s iconic space

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org/.

Inspired by the tragedy of what happened to Sandra Bland and so many others, Zack Bush, co-owner of the wonderful Ball & Chain in Little Havana, has penned a new song called “Fresh New Start” encouraging an end to bigotry and hatred.

Listen and share. Let us spread the word of acceptance and love.

PRESS RELEASE
Date: April 29, 2015

Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar Announces Opening and Charity Program

Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar, is about to open in one of Miami’s most dynamic neighborhoods, where commerce and nightlife combine seamlessly. The 4,700 square foot location at the new Millicento tower, 1106 S Miami Ave Suite 202, is soon going to show the public what “sophisticated relaxation” really means. The term coined by owner-operators Jason Reznik and Ryan Leeds is actually a culture they developed at the first Boca Raton location. Very soon, Miami cigar enthusiasts, and active movers and shakers, will experience the Prime- lifestyle.

Prime Cigar’s first location set them apart as the premier cigar bar in South Florida. This second location will be in partnership with Altadis USA, one of the world’s top premium cigar manufacturers. In just two weeks, this one of kind cigar and whiskey lounge will officially open its doors to local VIPS, city officials, and special celebrity guests.

Knowing they were setting up shop in Miami’s business district, at Brickell’s newly built 1100 Millecento residential tower; Reznik and Leeds have upped the ante. Upon entering the very chic bar and lounge, to their walk-in humidor, lounge, private board room, private members lounge, custom furniture and elegant design elements, this location will speak to the individual wanting much, much more.

Prime Cigar is commitment to providing only the best for true cigar aficionados and power players, via a multitude of elements including: rare whiskeys, craft cocktails, premium and vintage cigars. Not stopping there, Ryan Leeds and Jason Reznik have committed to the community they are now in. The duo is proud to announce their community partnership program which will launch with their multi-day grand opening this May.

Commencing with the grand opening, Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar and Lifestyle Lounge will partner up with, and support twelve local charitable organizations as a way to give back to the South Florida community that has helped them since they began the Prime Cigar brand. They carefully selected organizations that need support, local awareness and strong local partners.

Some of the amazing foundations include: Neat Stuff for Kids, Easter Seals of South Florida, United Way, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Boys and Girls Club of Miami-Dade, Zoological Foundation, Miami Children’s Health Foundation, Children’s Home Society, Kiwanis Club of Little Havana, Latin Builder’s Association’s LBA Children and Families Foundation, St. Jude and Ronald McDonald House Charities’ of South Florida. The community partnership program will consist of awareness, driven directly via the marketing, promotional and publicity efforts by Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar, and its partners. This will include and not limited to fundraisers at the venue and product donations. They hope to inspire other neighboring locations, to embrace this program and launch similar efforts.

Ryan Leeds stated: “We are coming into a new [community], we want to support the needs of local organizations. We understand we must do our part in supporting those around us as well. Our hope is to create amazing relationships that will make a difference.”
For more information on Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar, please contact Creativas Group at: info@creativasgroup.com. Photographs and interviews are available by request. Follow on social via @ Casa De Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar.
ABOUT PRIME CIGAR & WINE BARFounded in 2010, Prime Cigar & Wine Bar is a cigar bar and lounge featuring premium cigars, top-shelf spirits, and fine wines. Prime Cigar delivers a “sophisticated relaxation” experience to all its guests and boasts a state-of-the-art air control system, ensuring a comfortable smoke-friendly environment.

About Altadis U.S.A.
Founded in 1918, Altadis U.S.A. is one of the largest cigar manufacturers in the world, and is responsible for many noteworthy and celebrated premium cigar brands including Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, Trinidad, and VegaFina among others.. Altadis U.S.A operates premium cigar production facilities in the Dominican Republic and Honduras with production affiliations in Mexico and Nicaragua. For more information about Altadis U.S.A., please visit their website at www.altadisusa.com

In their passion of connecting fans with their favorite artists AT&T Latino hosted a night with Becky G, including meet & greet, and an intimate aquatic performance, at the exclusive Versace Mansion in South Beach. The night culminated with Wisin‘s live performance at Bâoli Miami.

We all have big dreams and seemingly insignificant pero important dreams. One of the latter for us was to one day find a dress like the pink velour one Hallie wore in “My Date with the President’s Daughter”—the one dramatically revealed at minute 7 of this YouTube clip from the movie. After years of passively searching, we finally found it (albeit a more hipster tunic version but perfect nonetheless)! The long-awaited dress was waiting for us inside of the Hyden Yoo Boutique on Abbot Kinney where we came across it last Saturday while shopping with our friend Sarah. Finding this dress was one small part of a five day-long marathon of amazing juju that carried us through our recent Los Angeles trip (of which you will hear more about on ThankYouMiami.com next week) because it turns out it is impossible to find Hyden Yoo’s women collection anywhere on the internets.

Because this outfit was a miracle a long time in the making, we naturally bumped all other OOTDs planned for Sunday Brunch to make room for this fabulous dress. So, on Sunday, armed with our new dress, our favorite sunnies, and our favorite ASKA Collection booties (you may remember them from our last #ThankYouMiami for Fashion post because we love them so much we wear them everyday) we headed to The Rockefeller in Manhattan Beach with our sister Lucy and her friends. The tunic cut was perfect for brunching—ergo, extremely applicable to Miami life—because it allowed our bellies to expand for unlimited mimosas, a massive plate of chilaquiles, zucchini fries, and donut holes and still looked flattering. And, afterward when we went on a post-brunch buzz drive down the California coast blasting Mariah Carey’s “Emotions” with the windows down, it turned out to be the prettiest, most comfortable outfit for that too. #winning.

Dress – Standard Issue NYC by Hyden Yoo
Booties - ASKA Collection Trooper Booties in B&W Snake
Sunnies - Razön (similar)

PRESS RELEASE

Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau Brings Back The Art of Black Miami African Diaspora Arts, Culture and Diversity Celebrated

Following a successful launch last year, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) brings back Art of Black Miami, a platform that shines a spotlight on local, national and international art and artists representing the African diaspora. Art of Black Miami takes part during the destination’s premier art event, Art Basel Miami Beach. This signature initiative is a celebration of the abundant artistic diversity found within Miami’s mosaic and heritage-rich neighborhoods. Residents and visitors will experience new artwork and projects while attending special events, meeting artists, visiting pop-up art galleries and more. A dedicated website – www.ArtOfBlackMiami.com – provides real-time updates and more information on the African diaspora art representing African-American, Caribbean, Latin American and African cultures.

“The GMCVB’s newly formed Multicultural Tourism Department is proud to bring back Art of Black because it combines two leading pillars in our community: the diversity of our heritage-rich neighborhoods and our global position as a premier art and culture destination,” says GMCVB President & CEO, William D. Talbert, III, CDME. “Having just announced another record-breaking year in tourism welcoming 15.1 million overnight visitors to Greater Miami we know that visitors extend their vacation and stay longer to experience art and culture in our multicultural neighborhoods.”

The City of Miami will extend their iconic trolley routes in order to provide free transportation for Art of Black Miami participants around heritage neighborhoods. Community pockets within Miami and The Beaches are embracing the event with specially programmed exhibits such as “Soul Basel” in historic Overtown and TIZITA (Ti-zee-ta) a fine art group exhibition featuring Ethiopian and African Diaspora art on Miami Beach.

More than forty-seven (47) events in Miami’s heritage neighborhoods (including Little Haiti, Coconut Grove, Liberty City, Opa-Locka, Historic Overtown, Wynwood, MiMo District, Miami Gardens, Coral Gables and Downtown) and throughout the destination include: The Art of Black Miami Kick-off Soiree: A celebration and preview of what’s planned will take place on Wednesday, November 18, at the Historic Lyric Theatre Cultural Arts Complex, from 6:30pm-8:30pm.

At the Historic Lyric Theatre Cultural Arts Complex, present Soul Basel from December 2 – 6, Art Africa Miami Arts Fair will feature a multidisciplinary exhibition of fine contemporary art from the global African Diaspora. The central idea of Art Africa Miami is to present an array of visual works that pay homage to the centrality of Africa and its descendant’s contribution to the modern art world.

Miami’s Yeelen Gallery in Little Haiti feature “What’s Inside Her Never Dies… A Black Woman’s Legacy” – Being a black woman is a journey oftentimes taxed with a history of ruined and objectified bodies that recall and carry on complex legacies of suffering and struggle. Through painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture, “What’s Inside Her Never Dies… A Black Women’s Legacy” presents the dignity, distress, and character of these heroes who affect us generation after generation.

In celebration of Art Basel Miami Beach (December 3-6) at the Futurama Building, local artists will paint patio umbrellas which are displayed along historic Calle 8 in Little Havana.

“Through the Eyes of Others” presented by the Opa-Iocka Community Development Corporation aims to provide a critical platform for re-imaging the past, present and future possibilities of blackness as something more complex than race. What words, actions and images can interrogate the culture of violence, distrust and hatred applied to black people? While stereotype images of black people continue to reinforce negative attitudes, work in the exhibition resists and defies easy consumption of these subjects.

PEREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI Presents “No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting” brings together the work of nine Aboriginal Australian artists who are leader within their community and while they began painting late in life, their works explore complex and innovative modes of abstraction. Relating to cultural systems, religious beliefs, and social structures, these intricate works are at once distinctly grounded in the context of Aboriginal life and profoundly resonant with abstract painting of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Little Haiti Cultural Center will feature The Borderless Caribbean exhibition which is part of the larger Global Caribbean art program started by the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance in 2009. It has been designed to create an artistic dialogue, and to encourage exchange between Caribbean and Miami-based artists, which have emerged from the Caribbean Diaspora. (December 4 – January 17)

Toscana Divino’s General Manager Mauro Bortignon was honored Friday evening July 24, 2015 in Brickell.  Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado presented Bortignon with a “Key to the City” in a lively celebration attended by friends, patrons, and other distinguished members of the community. The Mayor thanked Mr. Bortignon for his contributions to the culinary ecosystem of the city and for being an important part of the renaissance of Brickell and Downtown.

“I am sincerely honored to receive a Key to the City on behalf of Toscana Divino and the Italian-American community here in Miami,” said Mr. Bortignon, “This is really a recognition to the rich culinary and viticultural contribution that Italian-Americans have made since the mid 1700’s when the first Italian vintners arrived in Florida. The opportunity to promote the unique culinary traditions of Italy in the midst of the spectacular transformation of Miami’s Brickell-Downtown area is both humbling and exciting for me, my partners Stefano and Tommaso, and the entire Toscana Divino team,” continued Mr. Bortignon.

Demonstratively touched, Mr. Bortignon highlighted that he was specially moved by the attendance to the event of our longtime patrons and friends Chelin and Alfredo Duran. “Their presence is not only a celebration of our friendship but it is also symbolic of the strong community bond Toscana Divino has forged since opening its doors in 2012,” he added.

Toscana Divino was built in partnership with the Consortium of Italian Business, Wine and Fashion in Florence, Italy, with the intention of promoting Tuscan cuisine and products in Miami. The restaurant is owned and managed by native Italians and restaurant industry veterans Stefano Cavinato, Tommaso Morelato, and Mr. Bortignon. When asked to comment on what it meant for a member of the Toscana Divino team to receive a Key to the City, Mr. Cavinato said: “Mauro really embodies the passion of Italian cuisine and culture and he brings it alive in the restaurant. The city’s acknowledgment is really an honor to all of us.”

In the same spirit, his partner, Mr. Morelato underscored that Mr. Bortignon was the perfect cultural ambassador for everything Italian. “Before joining our team,” he said, “Mauro spent several years in New York working for famous Italian chef Mario Batali. Here in Miami, he spent 6 years working for the iconic and world-renown Casa Tua. We are really proud to have him as part of our team.”

When describing the Toscana Divino experience, Mr. Bortignon states that: “We want our patrons to feel they are entering a world that is thoroughly Tuscan, but also thoroughly contemporary. We are creating a link between the Tuscan region and the Miami area, thereby building a bridge between our two cultures.”

About Toscana Divino

Since opening its doors in 2012, Toscana Divino, recently voted the best restaurant in Brickell by the Miami New Times, is known for presenting both the most contemporary and traditional Tuscan and Italian cuisine, including the world-famous Fiorentina steak. Toscana Divino’s menu, draws its inspiration from classic dishes found throughout Tuscany featuring pastas made fresh in house, fresh seasonal ingredients from local markets or directly imported from Italy.  Toscana Divino continues to inspire unprecedented praise and rave reviews from such publications as the Miami Herald, Thrillist, Zagat, Miami. Toscana Divino is located 900 S. Miami Ave, Miami, FL in Mary Brickell Village.   For additional information, visit www.toscanadivino.com.

Locust Projects selects twenty South Florida high school students to participate in the 2015 LAB (LOCUST ARTS BUILDERS) program:

Matthew Alvarez, TERRA Environmental Research Institute; Tony Bernardo, New World School of the Arts; Ezekiel Binns, Miami Edison Senior High; Isabella Bru, Miami Arts Charter School; Catherine Camargo, New World School of the Arts; Joseph Canizales, Design and Architecture Senior High; Juan Cardona, Design and Architecture Senior High; Andres Cazalis Hudec, New World School of the Arts; Jennifer Dupotey, New World School of the Arts; Kelly Eriksen, Palmer Trinity School; Glenn Espinosa, G. Holmes Braddock Senior High; Valeria Fernandez, Dr. Michael Krop Senior High; Nicole Giraldo, Design and Architecture Senior High; Anastasia Khlioustov, Dr. Michael Krop Senior High; Tommy Maharlika, North Miami Beach Senior High; Max Mayoral, Miami Beach Senior High; Theo Rodino, TERRA Environmental Research Institute; Nicolas Stapel, TERRA Environmental Research Institute; Niki Stebbins, Design and Architecture Senior High; Andrea Tabora, Ransom Everglades.

Locust Projects presents the 6th year of LAB (Locust Arts Builders). This year, 20 South Florida high school students were selected from an open call and had the opportunity to create a collaborative exhibition at Locust Projects in Miami’s Design District.

Under the direction of Miami-based contemporary visual artists Monica Lopez de Victoria (of the TM Sisters) and Clifton Childree, students were given the opportunity to create a collaborative exhibition at Locust Projects and manage all aspects of the show’s production during a three-week summer intensive. Students also visited art institutions on guided field trips and interacted with invited members of the local art community at Locust Projects. The LAB program extends Locust Projects’ longstanding commitment to experimentation and innovation in artistic practice to the next generation of South Florida artists. LAB promotes contemporary art and project-based learning as a means to encourage creativity, critical analysis, and problem solving, while also helping participants to develop their communication skills. This unique initiative allows young artists to learn the practical aspects and experience the excitement of creating a public exhibition in collaboration with their peers.

Locust Projects is excited to welcome California-based MFA student Christina Mesiti who has been selected to develop and produce her project Port for the LAB MFA exhibition in the Project Room. Mesiti is studying for her MFA at Claremont Graduate University in California, and received her BFA in Painting from Arizona State University. This is the first year that Locust Projects has held a national open call for the LAB MFA program, and we are thrilled to have received proposals from students attending a broad range of schools across the United States.

ABOUT LOCUST PROJECTS Locust Projects is a not for profit exhibition space dedicated to providing contemporary visual artists the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressures of gallery sales or limitations of conventional exhibition spaces. Local, national and international artists are encouraged to create site-specific installations as an extension of their representative work. Locust Projects supports the local community through educational initiatives and programming that are free to the public.

LAB is funded by the Alvah H. and Wyline P. Chapman Foundation, The Cowles Charitable Trust, and The Children’s Trust. The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.

Locust Projects’ exhibitions and programming are made possible with the support from: The Alvah H. and Wyline P. Chapman Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Cowles Charitable Trust; FAENA, The State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the National Endowment for the Arts Art Works Grant; Locust Projects Exhibitionist Members.