After months of serious renovations, Museum of Art + Design (MOAD) at Miami Dade College reopens for Art Days with all new exhibitions, free and open to the public.
It gets better. Visiting MOAD during Art Days goes full circle. For the first time, the public is invited to FREE guided tours of the Historic Freedom Tower.
It starts on the first floor where MOAD and The Miami Herald have partnered to organize and curate The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom.
Miami Dade College’s Freedom Tower was operated by the U.S. Government as a reception center for Cuban refugees from 1962 to 1974. “The building is significant because it represents the important story of the Cuban exodus to America and resettlement during the Cold War,” reports the U.S. Department of the Interior, which has also called the Freedom Tower the “Ellis Island of the South.” Though it operated in that capacity for only 12 years, the building has become an icon representing the faith that democracy brought to troubled lives, the generosity of the American people and a hopeful beginning that assured thousands a new life in a new land.
The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom is a pictorial account of the struggles that the Cuban exile community has endured since Fidel Castro’s rise to power, and the successes they have achieved in the United States. Having covered the Cuban exile community and its struggle for freedom extensively throughout the years, Miami Dade College and the Miami Herald Media Company are proud to present this journalistic chronology, which showcases the spirit and accomplishments of the Cuban American community.
Behind The Scenes: Renovations In Progress
Opening Exhibitions
Cuba Out of Cuba:
Through the Lens of Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte in Collaboration with Tico Torres
Cuban Diaspora Cultural Legacy Gallery September 19, 2014 – August 30, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, September 19, 2014, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Cuban Diaspora Cultural Legacy Gallery is a permanent space dedicated to the impact of Cuban culture on South Florida and throughout the world. The inaugural exhibition Cuba Out of Cuba: Through the Lens of Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte in Collaboration with Tico Torres presents a selection of iconic photographs of various writers, performers, composers, designers, and artists from the photographer’s Cuba Out of Cuba series. The exhibition will take a unique and historical approach in surveying the legacies of individuals who influenced the greater culture of their time. Rodríguez-Duarte was born in Havana, Cuba. In 1968 he moved with his parents to Miami, where he was raised. At the age of 10, he was given his first camera by his grandfather, which sparked his interest in photography. Today, he is an internationally renowned photographer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, and Harper’s Bazaar, among others.
swing/SPACE/miami:
Asser Saint-Val
Alumni Gallery September 19 – November 9, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, September 20, 2014, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Born in Haiti and a resident of Miami, Asser Saint-Val received his BFA in Painting and Graphic Design from NWSA in 2004. His work was selected as the signature piece for the Miami International Film Festival in 2004, is a two-time recipient of the South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship Award for Visual and Media artists, and has exhibited in South Florida, New York, and the Caribbean. His pieces are part of renowned collections including the Rubell Family, Dr. Arturo and Liza Mosquera, and Francie Bishop Good, among others.
The Universe Within 6pne is Asser Saint-Val’s first solo exhibition at the Museum and includes a version of his ongoing site-specific interactive public art installation titled The Philosopher’s Stone. The installation recreates a three-dimensional version of the artist’s paintings, which explore a juxtaposition of objects invented and/or patented by people of African descent and anchored by the presence of saturated legs and arms. Saint-Val’s works are part figurative and part ambiguous and the exhibition includes over 15 works on canvas.
Work/Work:
New Works by MDC/NWSA Faculty
Main & Skylight Galleries September 19 – November 14, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, September 19, 2014, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Curated by Katherine Pill, Assistant Curator of Art after 1950, Museum of Fine Art, Saint Petersburg, FL; Work/Work is an exhibition of new works by the faculty of Miami Dade College and New World School of the Arts. The exhibition includes art from 25 faculty members who work in an impressive range of media, including drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, electronic media, installation and video.
LEBO Pops Up:
Artworks
Collection Gallery September 19 – October 4, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, August 19, 2014, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Presented in partnership with Miami Book Fair International, this pop-up exhibition celebrates LEBO’s unique place in the art world and in Miami. David “LEBO” Le Batard is Miami Book Fair International’s official poster artist for 2014 and is widely recognized for working in a wide spectrum of creative medium including murals, paintings and sculptures. LEBO is more than an abstract artist and mural painter. He is a storyteller, a draftsman, and colorist who uses the iconographic and emblematic power that exist in cartoons to create a graphic language that continually evolves.
MDC CULTURE STANDS AS ONE
Miami Dade College’s Department of Cultural Affairs or MDCULTURE, is an institution of thought-provoking cultural programs including: Miami Book Fair International, Miami International Film Festival, MDC Live Arts, MDC Museum & Galleries of Art + Design, Teatro Prometeo, The Center for Literature and Theatre @ MDC, Tower Theater and MDC Koubek Center. On Friday, September 19th during Art Days at the historic Freedom Tower, “MDC Culture Stands As One” featuring a live performance by PALO!, film screenings, the public unveiling of 2014 Book Fair Poster, and the long awaited Cuban Exile Experience & Cuban Diaspora Cultural Legacy Gallery.
Supported by Art Days 2014 View ART DAYS Calendar
The Museum of Art + Design at Miami Dade College encourages the appreciation and understanding of visual aesthetics through direct engagement with original works of art and design, and serves as a catalyst for the cultivation of creative dialog and diverse perspectives through the arts. While building and preserving its collections in trust for future generations, the Museum is an accessible educational resource for students and faculty as well as the greater South Florida Community.
2014 marks the third annual Art Days weekend. In this app you will find an Art Days event calendar that features over 170 free events (unless otherwise noted) packed into three fun-filled days. Art Days is a collaboration between the Miami Downtown Development Authority (Miami DDA) and the cultural spaces and artists residing in Downtown Miami. Together, we have ensured that there is something for everyone, including exhibitions, artist projects, walking tours, bike tours, art parties and family programming across a multitude of cultural venues throughout Downtown Miami. Not only this, in 2014 the Miami DDA launched a micro-grant program to support projects created uniquely for Art Days. As a result, Art Days features a wide selection of temporal art projects that explore a variety of creative fields including performance, art, music, dance, art education and more.