DWNTWN ARTS & CULTURE

Art is in the air and season is just around the corner but with sizzling events like Art Days just weeks away the scene is hot and don’t expect it to cool down any time soon!

The Design District has had a cohesive art community for a while now and after last Basel I think it’s clear that their neighbors in Wynwood are caught up. In 2010, the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) launched a desperately needed arts and culture initiative, DWNTWN Arts & Culture. For the past two years the DWNTWN Arts & Culture organization has been working towards bringing together all of Downtown’s culture and business under one cohesive umbrella to promote cultural institutions as well as facilitate and incentivize art exhibitions and cultural events.

HIGHLIGHTS

DWNTWN Art Days is the first collective two-day arts and culture event inviting the community to walk the streets of Downtown Miami and will provide a trolley to get you around and in on the action. [View Miami Trolley Map] On Friday, September 7th and Saturday, September 8th there will be a series of day and night activities with family programming, happy hour exhibits, events, and an after party.

Over the next few days, we will be covering some of our faves, tune in!

WinePhoto: The Symmetry of Wine & Photography

For those of you who like to start the weekend early, kick-off Art Days Thursday at Wine by the Bay in Downtown Miami . WinePhoto was originally conceived as a means to express how photography relates to wine in both conventional and unconventional ways. Since 2004, the contest has evolved into a collection of stories about the contemporary world. Each year a theme aims to project a different point of view. The 2012 theme is based on William Faulkner’s Light in August “Diaries — Memory believes before knowing remembers.” The WinePhoto jury is comprised of highly-recognized photographers. The 2011 edition, “Renaissance, stories that could not have been” includes the works of: Marc Shoul, South Africa; Christopher Capozziello, United States; Sanders Marsman, Netherlands; Giovanni Troilio, Italy; and Sarah Amy Fishlock, United Kingdom. (Past Winner Gallery Below)

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Agenda

Thursday, Sept 6, 2012 3:30 PM — Meet & Greet Fabio Balan, Owner of Balan Wines, Italy and Diego Orlando, Creative Director WinePhoto — A private event for wine and restaurant professionals, professional photographers/photojournalists, and media. Registration is required to info@winebtb.com or 305.455.9791.

Friday, Sept 7, 2012 at 7 PM — Private Preview of 2012 WinePhoto — Winners will be announced at a private VIP dinner/wine tasting and Media Invite at Etra Fine Art, Design District.

Saturday, Sept 8, 2012 until 10 PM — WinePhoto 2012 at Etra Fine Art as part of 2nd Saturday Art & Design Night/Art Walk. Free.

Thursday, Sept 7 & Sept 8, 2012 12–9 PM — WinePhoto 2011 at Wine by the Bay, Downtown Miami in collaboration with DWNTWN Art Days 2012. Free.

View participating venues here (next page). Visit DWNTWNARTDAYS. Download full calendar of events here. View Miami Trolley Map here.

DWNTWN ART DAYS: PARTICIPATING VENUES

American Airlines Arena

Since its spectacular grand opening on December 31, 1999, the American Airlines Arena–South Florida’s Waterfront Showplace and proud home to the 2006, 2012 NBA Champion Miami HEAT–has become one of the nation’s premier facilities in sports and entertainment and a center of activity in South Florida.

Built with state-of-the-art sound and lighting and HD and electronic media signage inside and out, the impressive 19,600-seat American Airlines Arena ranks among the nation’s top 10 venues annually for total ticket sales and among the top 5 for Latin entertainment.

Arsht Center

From opera to Broadway, dance to drama, symphonic to pop concerts, cabaret to comedy, jazz to world music, and beyond, this center is home to the greatest artists and productions from around the world.

With three state-of-the-art theaters: the 2,400-seat Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat Knight Concert Hall, and the intimate Carnival Studio Theatre; the beautiful Thompson Plaza for he arts, designed as a perfect stage for outdoor performances; a street-level Bombay Sapphire Lounge housed inside a historic Art Deco Tower and Prelude by Barton G, a full-service upscale restaurant, this is a premiere showcase for the performing arts and all types of events.

Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park Management Trust manages two downtown waterfront parks, which also serve as host sites for many special events. Bayfront Park is located in the heart of Downtown Miami on beautiful Biscayne Bay.

It has 32 acres of lush greenery, with a small sand beach, tropical rock garden and waterfall, playground, fountain, Light Tower, and many different monuments.

Special event facilities within the park include Klipsch Amphitheater and Tina Hills Pavilion. Bicentennial Park, a 29-acre park, is also located in the heart of Downtown Miami on Biscayne Bay.

Centro Cultural Español de Cooperación Iberoamericana (CCEMiami)

Centro Cultural Español de Cooperación Iberoamericana (CCEMiami), is a non-profit organization that aims to promote and make tangible the cultural presence of Spain and Latin American countries in Florida by means of a culturally relevant and multidisciplinary annual program.

CCEMiami emphasizes the support of local creativity, collaboration with other cultural local institutions and the promotion of those values that contribute to the improvement of coexistence and respect of human and cultural rights.

CCEMiami, founded in 1996, belongs to the network of Cultural Centers that AECID (Spanish International Agency for Cooperation and Development) has throughout Latin America.

The Cisneros Foundation (CIFO)

This non-profit organization was established in 2002 by Ella Fontanals-Cisneros and her family to support art and artists who are exploring new directions in contemporary art.

The Cisneros Foundation (CIFO) fosters cultural understanding and educational exchange through primary initiatives: Grants and Commissions programs for emerging and mid-career visual artists from Latin America; an exhibitions program showcasing work by Latin American artists and international contemporary art from the Ella Cisneros-Fontanals Collection at CIFO Art Space; and foundation-initiated support for other arts and culture projects.

Freedom Tower at Miami-Dade College

Constructed in 1925 as a home for The Miami News, the MDC Freedom Tower is one of South Florida’s most distinctive historic buildings. From 1962 to 1974, it was a reception center for Cuban refugees. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Interior designated it as a National Historical Landmark.

Today, the Freedom Tower is a part of Miami Dade College and home to the MDC Art Gallery System. Its galleries has served as a venue for major exhibitions including The Divine Comedy, Salvador Dalí’s masterful series illustrating Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, and Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection, an exhibit exploring the subtle messages behind the former Secretary of State’s famed wardrobe accents.

MDC Gallery at Freedom Tower will be exhibiting Elena Sisto: Between Silverlight & Orange Shadow in the Main Gallery during DWNTWN Art Days.(Sept 7 — November 2, 2012)

HistoryMiami

HistoryMiami is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas.

We accomplish this through exhibitions, city tours, education, research, collections and publications. HistoryMiami advocates for helping everyone understand the importance of the past in shaping Miami’s future.

Legal Art

Founded in 2003, LegalArt has dedicated itself to providing artists with affordable legal services, grants and educational opportunities.

By empowering artists with access to legal and professional support, resources and information, LegalArt creates opportunities and protections for Miami’s art community; fostering a generation armed with the skills to legally protect their creations.

All LegalArt programming helps artists by creating a community both dedicated to, and invested in, their success.

Miami Art Museum (MAM)

Miami Art Museum (MAM), a modern and contemporary art museum located in Downtown Miami, is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting international art of the 20th and 21st centuries with an emphasis on the cultures of the Atlantic Rim “the Americas, Europe and Africa” from which the vast majority of Miami residents hail.

MAM serves one of the most diverse and fast-growing regions of the country, where a confluence of North and Latin American cultures adds vibrancy and texture to the civic landscape. MAM’s move to Museum Park in downtown Miami is scheduled for 2013.

Miami Children’s Museum (MCM)

Miami Children’s Museum, (MCM) a non-profit educational institution, is dedicated to enriching the lives of children by fostering a love of learning and enabling children to realize their highest potential.

The Museum’s primary audience is children ages three months to 12 years, their families, caregivers, and educators.

Through arts and educational programs, MCM seeks to include and target all audiences in Miami’s changing and diverse community by becoming the ‚”tow” center” for Miami-Dade County’s children and families.

Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus

Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings including The Miami Book Fair International, the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, the MDC Live! Performing Arts Series, The MDC Tower Theater Cinema Series, nine visual arts galleries including The Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College and the School of Entertainment and Design Technology, in addition to the renowned Miami International Film Festival.

MDC is the largest institution of higher education in the country and is nationally recognized for many of its academic and cultural programs. With an enrollment of more than 174,000 students, MDC is the nation’s top producer of degrees. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer nearly 300 distinct degree programs including several baccalaureate degrees. It has admitted nearly 2 million students since it opened its doors in 1960.

The Main Library

The Main Library shares its home in the Cultural Plaza with HistoryMiami and the Miami Art Museum. The Library has a number of departments that contain extensive collections in their subject areas.

In addition to rare books and documents, it houses the Gleason Waite Romer collection of 17,500 photographic negatives and prints recording Miami’s history from pioneer days through 1950.

Other departments includes Social Sciences, Humanities and Young Adults; Fine Arts; Business and Science; Foreign Languages; Genealogy; Urban Affairs; and Vasari Project.

Miami International University of Art & Design

Miami International University of Art & Design is a multi-campus, career- oriented institution that provides students with academic preparation and practical skills through programs in the applied arts and design industries.

The institution prepares its undergraduate students for entry-level positions and its graduate students for advancement in their chosen fields. The University is dedicated to fostering a culture that encourages creativity, research, and learning- centered endeavors.

The Miami Science Museum

The Miami Science Museum, a Smithsonian Institute Affiliate, features a Wildlife Center, Planetarium shows and a brand new Energy Tracker exhibit featuring anything from basic energy principles to the future of renewable energy.

Visitors can dance on a huge Energy Dance floor that captures their energy and converts it to electricity, or rocket themselves 10 feet in the air. Live Science demonstrations and theater shows daily. Laser shows every first Friday of the month.

New World School of the Arts (NWSA)

Celebrating its 25th year, New World School of the Arts (NWSA) is a world- class center of excellence in the visual and the performing arts providing a comprehensive program of artistic, creative and academic development.

With programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, Music, Theater, and Art and Design, NWSA offers the high school diploma, the AA and the four-year BFA and BM college degrees.

Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts

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Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts[/caption]

Tucked into Miami’s contemporary skyline is an enchanting Mediterranean courtyard with shimmering stars and golden balconies. Majestic turrets and towers suggest another era when performances were events, and grand theaters provided a dreamlike escape from the modern world.

The Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts is not just a “venue” — is the jewel of South Florida arts and entertainment facilities, affording South Florida’s diverse community and its international guests a unique cultural experience that defies comparison.