Design in Miami

By Claire Dufournier

When people think of Miami, they usually jump to heat and tacky Miami Beach taste. What most people don’t realize is that Miami also holds an impressive art community. One major gem of the city is Wynwood.

Before Wynwood became Miami’s booming Art District in the early 2000’s, it was a residential warehouse district. Today, this up-and-coming neighborhood brings everyone from artists to hungry trend-followers together. Once a Puerto Rican neighborhood, Wynwood was gentrified to become a hip and creative hot-spot.

Wynwood’s signature look is the murals and street art that seem to cover every inch, including trash cans. The murals serve as a free “outdoor museum” featuring the work of the best street artists from around the world. While most people saw run-down concrete, developer Tony Goldman from Goldman Properties saw extensive artistic potential to Wynwood. The gentrification was born from a business plan that was rather straightforward: let’s buy some property, add a couple restaurants and cover the streets with art. Today there is not one good restaurant but ten and not a couple of painted facades but streets, parking lots and even trashcans covered in imagery by talented muralists.

South Beach hosts Art Basel’s main events but people of the art world love retreating to a more low-key and intimate vibe in the streets and galleries of Wynwood. Often repainted before Basel, the Wynwood Walls are temporary and this adds to the energy and excitement of this place. Every second Saturday the galleries open up and the streets come alive for the Art Walk. It is an opportunity to buy and admire the work of both new and established contemporary artists.