July 2009
The Bass Museum and New World School of the Arts contribute to the cultural offerings of Miami Beach with the exciting new storefront project at Walgreens. In an initiative to integrate the arts into all aspects of Collins Park neighborhood and Miami Beach, the Bass Museum of Art and Walgreens Co. have entered an agreement, along with the Collins Park Neighborhood Association and the Miami Beach Arts Trust, to have the Bass Museum produce the Walgreens storefront windows located on 23rd Street and Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.
Beginning June 2009, the storefront windows at Walgreens began featuring the work of talented young students from the Honors Program of the New World School of the Arts – this year the students selected for this project are Gustavo Cervantes, Anthony Villasmil, David Garcia and Tatiana Vahan.
Silvia Karman Cubina, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Bass Museum, selected the works of the students which are featured in the windows. Ms. Cubina will continue to coordinate creative collaborations with the art students of prestigious institutions approximately four times a year. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the young talent of Miami while integrating art into unsuspecting moments in the public’s day to day lives” stated Cubina.
The current installation was done by Gustavo Cervantes who just graduated with a BFA Degree from New World School of the Arts, with a major in electronic media. Gustavo’s installation was inspired by his visits to the location: “I’d spent a few days documenting and measuring the space, trying to decide what it was I would do in it, when I noticed a funny pattern occurring on the street behind me; cars would brake abruptly every so often to catch a glimpse of the girls waiting to cross the street, nearly causing an accident. Luckily it never really led to any kind of collision, but it was fairly easy to imagine happening.” Gus took that inspiration and came up with the idea for “Snapshot #1,” that is a large-scale mural depicting a scene of a car crashing into a pole due to a distracted driver braking to look at a girl.
The narrative is illustrated in a stark black and white scene that is easy to read from a distance and moderate passing speed. The artist relied on minimal, graphic moments of action and significance. The end result is a large illustration running the length of the window, telling the humorous story as the viewer passes by.
Maggy Cuesta, the Dean of Visual Arts of the NWSA states, “The collaboration between the Bass Museum and New World School of the Arts is vital for both of our institutions. The learning opportunities and the exposure to be associated with such an important institution as the Bass is infinite for our students, our visual arts program and our school. And, the ‘present…now’ our students bring to the Bass creates and energy and vitality that is immeasurable.”
Bass Museum of Art
2121 Park Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.673.7530
www.bassmuseum.org
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