Latest news with #PérezArtMuseumMiami
Miami Herald
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Retirees find joy and community at this art class at a Miami museum
Music played softly in the background as older adults —don't call them seniors!— quietly worked on their final art pieces at a five-week free community art class at Pérez Art Museum Miami. One woman carefully painted from a photo of three women balancing baskets on their heads. A man added papier-mâché texture to his painting of a cat. Others chatted softly, giving each other advice and encouragement. 'I do what the canvas wants,' said Orlando Airas, 64, a retired designer, smiling at his classmate. The classroom for the Creative Aging program, a free art program for participants over age 55, is on the museum's second floor in a light-filled room with a beautiful view of Biscayne Bay, the port, and downtown Miami. The students spend four weeks taking classes and working on their art in preparation for a final gallery exhibition in the fifth week. They take a small break midway through their class each day for tea and sweets. The students also learned about the museum's history and its collection of contemporary art through a guided tour. Past cohorts of students explored other mediums like book-making, textiles, and ceramics. Nereida García Ferraz, a renowned Cuban American painter, was the students' professor for this series of classes. As she addressed the class, she described painting as a personal activity and told her students that 'the act of taking an instrument, moving it around the space, creating an image — that is such an incredible luxury.' 'It is a luxury for your spirit, mind, and muscles,' she said. 'I'm just a vehicle for them to work and open up about their creative ideas,' said Ferraz, who over five weeks taught her 15 painting students about color theory, shadows and lights, and figure drawing. 'She's our coach,' one participant chimed in warmly. The program is funded by philanthropist E.A. Michelson, and the Pérez Museum is just one of over 25 institutions with similar programs. Since 2013, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy has invested over $15 million in these programs. Orlando Airas, 64, a retired designer, painted a face in a purple box. Airas said the figure in his painting is supposed to represent a survivor. 'She is saying, you can punch and bruise me all you want, but I can overcome it.' Marie Vickles, the museum's senior director of education, says the program tries to raise awareness around ageism and the importance of community for older adults. 'The demand for these programs is through the roof,' she said. Participants have to submit an application answering questions about why they want to participate and how they will benefit from the program. Nicole Combeau, the program coordinator, says she tries to pick a diverse group of participants — some with art experience, and some without. Since the program began in 2023, it has served over 224 people from over 20 countries. She usually gets 40-70 applications and only accepts 15 students. This year's cohort included budding artists from all over the world — from Peru to Bosnia to the United Kingdom. Alums of the program include federal judges, surgeons, and Colombian immigrant mothers who spent their working years in textile factories in New York. Combeau says the program aims to challenge the idea that life ends at retirement. 'This is a way to make sure they're still active, that they don't fall into the stereotype of disintegrating,' she said. Jacqui Love Thornell, 77, says that the most profound suggestion she received from Ferraz was to take her time while painting. 'In slowing down, I saw things differently,' she said. But it has not been without difficulty for Thornell, as she has struggles to hold her hand steady and also struggles with her vision. But the group's encouragement made it easier. 'You just feel like you can do it because everyone is cheering you on,' she said. Mirna De Los Santos, 82, a mother of three from the Dominican Republic who worked for two decades as a social worker for government agencies, was in tears as she spoke to her classmates and teacher on the final working day before the exhibition. She said that after her first day of class, she wanted to leave because she had never painted in her life and was intimidated by the other artists who had more experience. 'I thought to myself, I don't belong,' she said. But Ferraz encouraged her, telling her that her painting was 'amazing.' De Los Santos said that motivated her to continue. As she presented her final artwork to her classmates, she said, 'I know it's not the best in the world, but for me it's a masterpiece.' Two women, Maja Guzina, 64, and Macarena Maiman, 59, both applied and were accepted into the class together. Guzina survived thyroid cancer, and her friend Macarena survived breast cancer. 'We fought and we are here,' said Guzina. Children, grandchildren, and friends all gathered with the students inside the Pérez Gallery on a Saturday afternoon for the final exhibition, congratulating each other and celebrating their accomplishments. The organizers of the program were celebrating this cohort of artists, but were also celebrating the news that their funding will be extended for another two years. At the exhibition, Ferraz encouraged the students to keep making art. 'Go home, find a space in your house, and keep going back to painting. Make a space for it in your life,' she told the artists.
Time Out
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Bad Bunny photogs Elliot and Erick Jiménez have a new exhibit at PAMM
Bad Bunny's go-to photographers are coming home—and they're bringing spirits with them. Elliot and Erick Jiménez, the identical twin duo behind TIME 's first-ever Spanish-language cover featuring the reggaeton superstar, are getting their first solo museum show at Pérez Art Museum Miami this August. The exhibition, "El Monte," promises more than pretty pictures—think sculptural installations, Lucumí mysticism and photos that hover between painting and dream sequence. Opening on Thursday, August 28, "El Monte" dives deep into the Afro-Caribbean spiritual tradition of Lucumí, an influence the Cuban-American brothers grew up with in Miami. The work explores identity, ancestry and duality through staged portraits, moody lighting and symbolism-rich scenes that wouldn't be out of place in a Renaissance painting—if Renaissance painters had been raised in Hialeah. The show's title nods to Lydia Cabrera's 1954 book El Monte, a foundational text on Santería and Afro-Cuban religion that was only translated into English for the first time in 2023. PAMM Associate Curator Maritza M. Lacayo, who organized the exhibition, says the brothers' work 'builds a bridge between Miami's Caribbean communities, its religious and spiritual practices, and those of their ancestors.' Elliot and Erick aren't new to the art world—they've exhibited at places like the Bass Museum and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and have racked up awards from the CHANEL Artist Award Program and the CINTAS Foundation. But this show marks a milestone: their first full-scale museum solo exhibition, in a city that helped shape their vision. With "El Monte," PAMM is transforming its galleries into something 'mysterious and whimsical,' in the curators' words, an immersive space where viewers can step into the twins' shared imagination. Expect photo-based works that shimmer like paintings, structures that evoke ritual and a sense of reverence that never veers into stiffness.
The Independent
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Miami philanthropists donate an American masterpiece to Britain's Tate Modern
Britain's Tate Modern art museum on Thursday unveiled one of the most significant gifts it has received in years – a masterpiece by an American abstract expressionist that hung for years on a bedroom wall in Miami. Joan Mitchell's painting 'Iva' is the centerpiece of a major donation from Florida-based philanthropists Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Pérez that also will help Tate expand its collection of works by Latin American and African artists. The 20 foot-long (6 meter-long) triptych featuring bold strokes of purple, red, yellow and white – painted in 1973 and named for Mitchell's much-loved German Shepherd – went on public display Thursday next to a roomful of murals by U.S. artist Mark Rothko that is one of Tate Modern's biggest draws. Tate director Maria Balshaw said the big, bold Rothko canvasses are among the museum's 'crown jewels,' and Mitchell's 'spectacular' painting 'will truly shine' in their company. Balshaw said Mitchell – like many female artists 'underappreciated' during her lifetime – should take her rightful place alongside her male peers. Prices for Mitchell's work have soared since her death in 1992, with an untitled painting selling at Christie's auction house in 2023 for $29 million. Such prices put her works beyond the reach of most public art museums. Tate – a group of British galleries with its origins in the late 19th-century – is working to rebalance a collection long dominated by white male artists. It has purchased more works by women than men in every year since 2019. The Pérez donation includes works by artists from Africa and the African diaspora, to be given to Tate over the coming years, and a multimillion-dollar endowment that will fund curators for African and Latin American art at Tate Modern. Jorge Pérez, an Argentina-born real estate developer, said it's important that art from Africa and Latin America 'get the exposure in great museums, in great cities of the world, which they haven't had.' The Pérez family has given more than $100 million to Miami's public art museum, now called the Pérez Art Museum Miami. 'Iva' hung for years on the bedroom wall in the couple's Miami home, and Jorge Pérez said parting with it was wrenching. It went on display the morning after President Donald Trump announced tariffs on U.S. trading partners, with global divisions on many minds. Jorge Pérez, a former friend of Trump who has criticized the president's policies, said the importance of art is that it 'connects people." 'It connects people of all types, and makes people understand cultures that are not theirs, and see not only the differences, but the similarities between cultures,' he said. 'And I think that's beautiful.'
Miami Herald
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Black History Month events
Here are South Florida events commemorating February's Black History Month Feb. 1: Movie in the Park: Screening of 'Wakanda Forever,' a tribute to the legacy of the Black Panther franchise. Free popcorn available while supplies last. Refreshments sold on-site. Bring a blanket and enjoy; 6 P.M., Altos Del Mar Park, 241 77th St., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 1: Art & Soul: Celebrate the 12th anniversary of the social and fundraising event supporting the Fund for Black Art with an evening of art, cocktails, music and dancing under the stars; 6 p.m.-midnight; Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; tickets start at $200. Feb. 1: An Evening with Dr. Marvin Dunn: Explore the history and legacy of the Rosewood Massacre of 1923 through an insightful lecture and exhibit; 5:30-6:30 p.m., Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables. Free. Feb. 1: Stories of Resistance from Black Miami's Sip of History: Panel discussion focuses on the enduring struggle, resilience and resistance of Black communities in Miami in response to racial injustice. Features Miami-Dade County Commissioner Marleine Bastien; historian Lonnie Lawrence, and Dr. Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference NAACP, sharing their stories of the significant contributions of Black Miamians to social justice movements; 2-4 p.m., HistoryMiami Museum, South Building, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami. $5 members, $15 non-members. Feb. 5: Jazz Men: An Evening of Music and Conversation with author Larry Tyre and special performance by Young Musicians Unite Jazz Ensemble; 7:30-9 p.m., Miami Beach JCC, 4221 Pine Tree Dr., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 5: Awkward Dinner: Exploring Caribbean Legacy and Identity: Through food and guided dialogue, participants explore topics relevant to MOCA's exhibition by Andrea Chung and themes specific to the South Florida environment. Limited-capacity event; 6-9 p.m., MOCA Paradise Courtyard, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami. $55-$91. Feb. 7: Black History Night Celebration: The Black Affairs Advisory Committee presents the 2025 Community Award to Olympian Twanisha 'TeeTee' Terry. Also features cultural performances by after-school participants, music, rides, food and crafts; 6-9 p.m., North Shore Park Youth Center, 501 72nd St., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 7: Kilombo: Exhibition of large-scale documentary photographs, a tribute to the resilience and vitality of the African legacy in Brazil, represents the work of Maria Daniel Balcazar, a prize-winning documentary photographer and visual anthropologist; 7:15 p.m., Lummus Park, The Betsy South Beach, 1433 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 8: Soul Vegan & Seafood Festival: The ninth annual event celebrates Black History Month through the lens of food, drink, health, sustainability and fun on the sands of Miami Beach; 1-6:30 p.m., Lummus Park, Ocean Drive between Sixth and Seventh streets. Free. Feb. 13: 'Never Drop the Ball:' Screening of the documentary that chronicles the remarkable journey of Black baseball players who helped transform the sport from a segregated pastime into a global phenomenon. A panel discussion follows with Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, baseball historian Abel Sanchez. Moderated by Tom Hudson of WLRN News; 6:30 p.m., SoundScape Park, 1670 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 16: Dranoff 2 Piano Fusion: Presenting West African Beats: One Song, a musical journey through the African diaspora curated by violinist/vocalist Nicole Yarling; 4 p.m., Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. $37-$53. Feb. 18: Heritage Fest: Performances by local artists, sample delicious food from various vendors and jam to beats pumping onto the dance floor; 3 p.m., Adrienne Arsht Center, Thomson Plaza for the Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Free. 305-949-6722. Feb. 19: Time and Place: Multitudes of Black Experience in Miami: Panel discussion delves into the history and cultural significance of Black Miami, inspired by the work of artist Kabuya Pamela Bowens-Saffo; 6:30-8 p.m., Miami-Dade College's Padrón Campus, 627 SW 27th Ave., Room 201, Miami. Free. 305-237-7700. Feb. 20: Hued Songs: Building belonging, empathy and community for all, Hued Songs weaves and performs a tapestry of song and spoken word by an all-women cast, centering on female resistance, freedom and liberation of self; 6-9 p.m., The Bass Museum, 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 20: Shattered Structures: Looking Back 15 Years to the Earthquake in Haiti: The exhibition focuses on Haiti's architectural legacy and its fragility as documented in photographs of buildings taken following the 2010 earthquake; 6- 8 p.m., FIU-Miami Beach Urban Studios, 420 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 22: Cuban Folk Dance Traditions - Exploring African Roots: Learn dance steps used in various music genres of Cuba such as Rumba, Salsa and Afro-Cuban folk, while exploring their African roots and cultural significance, with Marisol Blanco, master dancer and artist-in-residence; 2 p.m., HistoryMiami Museum, South Building, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami. Free. Feb. 27: Botanical Garden Groove: A night of music, art and culture, featuring live sets from PAPERWATER, DJ Duality, Pressure Point and DJ Dluxe, showcasing an eclectic mix of footwork, Baltimore house, jungle and juke. Also includes creative activities; 6-10 p.m., Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach. Free. Feb. 27: Portraits of the Blues: Celebrate the legacy of blues music through live performances and engaging stories that highlight its cultural significance; 12:40-1:55 p.m., Miami-Dade College West Campus, 3800 NW 115th Ave., Doral. Free. March 2: Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival: The 28th annual festival features a tribute to bassist and composer Jaco Pastorius; Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater, 819 NW Second Ave., Miami. $20-$230.
