Two of Miami’s most respected community leaders have formed the Miami Downtown Arts District (MDAD). Lee Ann Lester, Director of Next Level Fairs, and Sean McCormick, of McCormick Place Miami, recently announced the formation of the new Miami Downtown Arts District (MDAD) – McCormick will serve as Chairman of the Board and Lester as Vice President. The boundaries for the district will be Young Arts on Biscayne Blvd and 21st Street to the North; I-95 to the West; 26th Road to the South; and Biscayne Bay to the East, including Watson Island.
MDAD is a non-profit organization that will serve cultural institutions and museums; galleries, local artists, and art studios; as well as businesses, event venues, and restaurants that showcase both local and international artists. MDAD aims to unify the Downtown and Brickell Arts District by providing a variety of programs that allow the community to explore the arts district, such as First Friday Downtown Art Night, or provide exposure to smaller independent events through a variety of membership support services.
“MDAD will work in unison with community leaders and the Miami Downtown Development Authority’s initiatives to develop Downtown Miami as the cultural and business epicenter of the Americas,” said Lee Ann Lester. “Already over a billion dollars have been invested in arts and cultural institutions in the District drawing new culturally-minded, international visitors. Our goal is to provide artists, gallerists and the public with dynamic art venues, regular art programs and education to the greater Miami metro area.”
A growing number of organizations have already extended their support including: Miami Art Scene, Artisan Lounge, Life is Art, MDC Museum of Art + Design at the Freedom Tower, Dimensions Variable, Seafair, CU-1 Gallery, AIA Miami, Florida Grand Opera, and The Art Experiences.
MDAD will hold an Art Days VIP Kick-Off event and Press Conference on Friday, September 19th at McCormick Place. Guests will have an opportunity to learn more about District events as part of Art Days, as well as future First Friday Downtown Art Nights and Art Basel Miami Beach/Miami Art Week shows. The evening will include live performances, art installations, and more. A complimentary transportation service will be provided by FreeBee to participating art venues.
Featured Image Credit: Anthony Jordan Photography
ART DAYS: 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.