Say “Miami” and most people think of beaches and sunshine. Florida IS nicknamed the Sunshine State, after all. But there’s so much else to do here you might end up crossing your fingers for cloudy days.
Miami’s art scene has really blown up in recent years. Art Basel, the world’s premier art fair descends on the city over a long weekend in December, drawing international gallerists and artists as well as plenty of celebrities. It’s a giant party, with glamorous people, outrageous clothes and high-octane people-watching. Not surprisingly, though, events are packed, invites to the parties are hard to come by, and the price of hotel rooms skyrocket.
Here’s where to go in Miami for your fix of art-world entertainment any time of year.
1. Wynwood Walls and the Wynwood Arts District
Large colorful murals and several sculptures are displayed around the walls and landscaped grounds of the “world’s largest outdoor street-art museum” known as Wynwood Walls. Since its inception in 2009, it’s been instrumental in changing the way that the world looks at contemporary art. Most of the pieces stay up for a year or two before being replaced by new commissions, though stalwarts like the mural by Shepard Fairey are here for the long haul. You need to purchase tickets to get inside the walls, where you can wander at will or sign up for a guided tour. Hands-on “spray experiences” are a fun add-on and the gift shop has lots of unique items.
The surrounding Wynwood Arts District neighborhood is a mash-up of murals, graffiti and tagging. It feels less polished and protected than what’s inside Wynwood Walls though many of the larger pieces you’ll see have been commissioned by the building owners. Tours with Wynwood Buggies are conducted by local artists so you’ll get some fun insider info about the neighborhood and hear about the differences between “art” and “graffiti.”
2. Rubell Museum
The sprawling, light-filled spaces of the Rubell Museum, in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood, showcases the Rubell family’s astonishing collection of contemporary art. Big names – including Yayoi Kusama, Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, Takashi Murakami – and a number of locally based artists are represented. Memorable installations include Cady Noland’s This Piece Has No Title Yet, comprising 1100 six-packs of Budweiser beer and an American flag.
The Rubells have been a major force in growing Miami as an art world destination, founding the Rubell Family Collection in its original Wynwood home and being instrumental in bringing the Art Basel art fair to Miami back in 2002.
3. Superblue Miami
Conveniently right across the road from the Rubell Museum, Superblue Miami has fantastic surround-sound, interactive experiences. If you’ve heard of the immersive Van Gogh/Monet/Klimt experiences just know that this is 1000 times better. Current pieces include one by the art collective teamLAB, where you’ll witness and interact with the life cycles of various plants: your touch on the walls or the floors will make the projected plants bloom or decay. Over in Es Devlin’s mirrored labyrinth Forest of Us, you’ll meet reflections of yourself along with melodic sounds inspired by nature. Other installations include a “biometric artwork” by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, made up of 3000 lightbulbs that you can sync to your own heartbeat, plus a light “creation” by luminary James Turrell.
4. The Bass
Miami’s longest-standing municipal art museum is the Bass, opened in 1964 after John Bass and his wife Johanna donated their collection of art and artifacts to the City of Miami. Today’s exhibits, however, turn the original museum’s old-world focus on its head by showing some of the Baroque and Renaissance masterworks alongside provocative contemporary art. There are sculptures and darkly fantastical landscapes by Miami-born Rachel Feinstein as well as edgy pieces like Ellen Harvey’s the Nudist Museum, which explores how the human body is represented in media. The gift shop has original jewelry and select items that are an art exhibit in itself.
5. Pérez Art Museum Miami
Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, the current home of PAMM, Miami’s impressively designed art institution seamlessly integrates tropical location with cutting-edge contemporary art. The collection focuses on work from the 20th and 21st centuries and celebrates local Miami-based, Latin American and Caribbean artists in particular, though also includes notable artists from around the world. The landscaped sculpture garden, the hanging gardens outside and the Verde restaurant’s scenic terrace are reason enough to visit.
6. The Design District
If you’re looking for free art, head to Miami’s poshest neighborhood, the Design District (yes, you read that correctly). Amid the flashy flagships of Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Alexander McQueen (just to name a few), you’ll find a variety of public art pieces on view. It’s hard to miss Buckminster Fuller’s giant Fly’s Eye Dome at the center of Palm Court pedestrian plaza. It was designed as an “autonomous dwelling machine” though today it does double duty as a piece of art and also the entrance/exit to the underground parking garage.
Elsewhere, you can pause at Konstanin Grcic’s Netscape, a web of metal “hammock chairs,” and ponder Urs Fischer’s arresting Bus Stop, 2017, which might be a comment on life or just local public transit. There’s a full guide on the Design District website; weekly public art tours run on Saturday mornings.
7. Institute of Contemporary Art
Miami’s ICA is a bright, white space with giant windows that look over the sculpture garden in back. The galleries are spread over two floors but the space feels intimate and accessible. Plus, it’s free! The daily tours (held at noon) are a great way to get insight into the work on view.
Caroline visited Miami by invitation from Greater Miami and Miami Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.
