MAG Magazine

A portrait of the summer in Miami: The season begins at the multiplex, with all those movies suited for youngsters. Friends with means have skipped town, heading up to the cool of the Carolinas or Georgia. The rest of us get to bake under a blanket of humidity when we’re not dreaming of that next Mojito.

Since photography’s earliest inception in the 1800s, the questions of modern life in the city have been addressed. The first known photograph including a person was taken by Louis Daguerre (the inventor of the Daguerreotype), on the Boulevard du Temple in Paris circa 1839. In that photograph, the figure on the open promenade appears to be a tiny thing in the midst … +

What makes a good work of art? Balance, composition, use of light, how the artist moves a viewer’s eye throughout the piece – any of these could strike a chord with enough people to create a general consensus of a piece’s distinction. To Harvey Oxenberg the most stirring aspect of art is its storytelling component, how art can – besides pleasing the … +

Late last year, the International Solidarity for Human Rights (ISHR), a non-profit organization dedicated to the education of human rights through the arts, launched a multi-media project called Route to Human Rights at Miami Dade’s InterAmerican Campus.

The State Theatre Project, founded and directed by New World School of the Arts (NWSA) 2009 alum, David Hemphill, has since over a year made it its mission to “provoke, question, kick ass, shake things up”; its aim is to learn through performance and inspire inquisitiveness.

One year ago, French gallerist Bernard Marcowicz opened an art gallery in the Design District. The resulting 1,000 square-foot Markowicz Fine Arts has, since then, become a focal point for new and engaging work in a neighborhood epitomized by its conglomeration of galleries and high-end boutique design shops.

There is a new gallery in the Wynwood Art District. Like many businesses in the area, the exterior is unassuming, merely hinting at what it contains. Walk inside and it becomes clear that something dynamic is happening; something that deepens the well of art in the neighborhood and broadens its breadth and variety.

At first, you may think you’re stepping into the Dade County Federal Credit Union. In fact, the little gem of an artist compound and exhibition space is just next door at the Flagler Arts Space. The property owner/manager of the Thomas Center-Miami, Henry Block, had communicated with local artist and Brown graduate Annie Blazejack.

On March 9, the Miami International Film Festival premiered “Making Sh*t Up,” a documentary covering three years in the life of Miami-based conceptual artist Bert Rodriguez. The chosen venue for the debut was a cultural landmark frequented by Rodriguez in his youth, the Tower Theater. This brought two artistic icons together for an unforgettable night of film. It was a packed house. … +

Between four days, three renowned fairs, and within a few miles of each other, Miami clearly made its voice heard in the contemporary art community during the week of the Armory Show 2011 in New York City. Each fair brought a unique element to the hectic week of events, lectures, launches and exhibitions, and several galleries astutely represented the Magic City during … +

You walk along Aragon Avenue in the Gables, just west of Ponce de Leon. Duck into a nondescript space to find four walls surrounding, well, nothing. It’s an impressive space though: a two-story situation in a storefront. Nice part of town. Easy access from the street. No floors, but that can be fixed. Maybe it could be used for parking, it’s certainly big … +

The main hall at the Arts and Culture Center of Hollywood has been transformed into an arboretum of sorts, though the plants and flowers aren’t actually growing. In fact they are all the seedlings of Cristina Lei Rodriguez, whose work most art lovers in Miami should recognize.

Enrique Martínez Celaya, a visual artist whose work is associated with the nature of human experience and the search for meaning that dominates so many contemporary societies, was a late bloomer. His interest in artistic expression began in his childhood, but art did not become his profession until well into his twenties.

O, Miami is a month-long initiative with a simple but ambitious goal: for every single person in Miami-Dade to encounter a poem in the month of April. The diverse program, produced by the University of Wynwood and funded by the Knight Foundation, has already brought poetry into collision with multiple art forms and unexpected environments, and we’re only halfway through the month.

As a native of Brazil now living and working in the U.S., Brazz Dance Theater choreographer and artistic director Augusto Soledade draws on an enormous variety of dance forms. He favors contemporary dance but the details – a twist of the hips, a winding spine, an explosive leap – reveal his many other influences: African and Afro-Brazilian, ballet, modern dance, and hip-hop. … +

Strength may be the foundation of well-executed dance, but without character, the beauty of dance can still be elusive.

The newest and arguably one of the most ambitious art spaces to hit the Wynwood neighborhood is L-M-N-T Contemporary Art Space. Run by Gino Tozzi, it is a massive 15,000 square feet establishment aimed at not only exhibiting artwork, but also fostering the growth of those who make it. In addition to the gallery portion of the space there are artist-in-residency studios, … +

It is no small feat of endurance in Miami to transition from a burgeoning gallery into one of notoriety. It takes a great deal of time, patience and ingenuity to carve out that much-desired niche in this social stratosphere. An inventive and resourceful soul, however, can bring the dream of running a successful gallery in this city to fruition. This has become … +

If there is something to be said about Miami locals is that they are the most avid supporters and contributors of our developing art scene and cultural identity. Although it is true that our galleries, events, and fairs attract art enthusiasts from all over the world, year-round, it is our core that should be accredited for our successful ascension in the international … +

There is something incredibly captivating about each and every production of GableStage at The Biltmore in Coral Gables. Executive Producer Joe Adler leads a talented troop with his charismatic presence and contagious passion for theater, always welcoming audiences with warmth and transmittable devotion.

Harold Golen first began to acquaint himself with the sort of work presented in his gallery, dubbed “Pop Surrealism,” during the 10-year span of time in which he ran a collectibles shop in South Beach. “I used to go to Magic, the fashion expo in Las Vegas,” says Golen, “where I would see new art I was excited about. Because South Beach … +