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Two-Day Program Advances the Latinx Art Conversation in Miami and Heightens Visibility of US Latinx Artists in Public Exhibitions and Beyond

Morel Doucet, Baptized In A River Of Fire, 2018. (Carbon Drawing, Little Haiti, N. E. 75 St). Assorted Charcoal Densities, Aerosol Black, Flora & Fauna. 42′ x 52’. Photo by David Gary Lloyd.

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(MIAMI, FL — Jan. 8, 2019) — Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and ArtCenter/South Florida are pleased to announce the programming schedule for the first-ever Latinx Art Sessions on January 24-25, 2019. Free and open to the public, this two-day future-focused discussion program—connecting artists, industry leaders, and the greater Miami art scene—will explore the impact that Latinx art is having on the national landscape and how greater research and academic focus can drive even greater impact.

“This program addresses the complexities of artists of Latin American and Caribbean descent working in the United States, whose practices allude to U.S. art history, rather than Latin American modernism. We are asking, can we talk about Félix González-Torres’ work through questions of identity,” said María Elena Ortiz, PAMM Associate Curator.

The series aims to start the conversation about Latinx art by connecting artists and art industry leaders to advance the Latinx art dialogue in Miami, a young city at the crossroads of the Americas. The program will develop original scholarship and research on the subject as Latinx continues to gain momentum nationwide, and enhance the visibility of US Latinx artists in public exhibitions, public art spaces, private, and institutional collections and academia. The Latinx Art Sessions are a future-oriented call to action and a platform for conversation for heightened visibility, solidarity, and access to mobility within the field.

“Miami is home to artists from across the Americas, who have been making important contributions to the body of Latinx work. The city is not just a natural fit for this important conversation, but a place where the artists are and should help drive the dialogue on its future,” said Dennis Scholl, CEO of ArtCenter/South Florida.

Highlights include a presentation that looks at the significance of Cuban artist Felix-González-Torres, an openly gay man who had a major influence on the politicization of art during the 1980s AIDS crisis; a discussion about the ways in which U.S. Latinx artists are disrupting racial binaries in America; and a panel that focuses on what this national conversation may mean in Miami, a city where over 60% of the local population is Hispanic. The full program can be found here and below.

The Latinx Art Sessions are an extension of PAMM’s new Latin American and Latinx Art Fund, a new affiliate group created to support exhibitions and programming at PAMM for Latin American and Latinx artists, such as PAMM’s upcoming exhibition, Beatriz Gonzalez: A Retrospective, which is scheduled to open in 2019.

This program builds on PAMMs commitment to the professionalization of the Latinx field. In February 2018, PAMM welcomed Latinx Art Sessions co-organizer Naiomy Guerrero as the first Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative Curatorial Fellow. This two-year fellowship, made possible by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation, is offered to students from historically underrepresented groups.

PAMM’s new initiatives reflect an ongoing commitment to diversity and presenting art from historically underrepresented communities, including the Caribbean, Latin America, US Latinx, and the African Diaspora within these regions.

FULL SCHEDULE
*All sessions are free and open to the public.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

7pm | Opening Remarks
Esther Park, VP of Programming, ArtCenter/South Florida
Franklin Sirmans, Director, Pérez Art Museum Miami

7pm | Felix González-Torres, A Latinx Case Study | RSVP
PAMM (1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132)
This presentation looks at the significance of Cuban-born, American artist Felix-González-Torres, an openly gay man whose work played a major influence in the politicization of art during the 1980s AIDS crisis. More broadly, this panel also aims to discuss questions of gender in Latinidad through a queer and Latinx lens.

Panel participants include artist Teresita Fernández (via Skype), Joshua Takano Chambers-Letson, Associate Professor, Performance Studies, Northwestern School of Communication, and C. Ondine Chavoya, Professor of Art, Latino/a Studies, Williams College. This panel is moderated by PAMM curator María Elena Ortiz.

Friday, January 25, 2019

9am–12pm | Studio Visits at ArtCenter/South Florida
ArtCenter/South Florida (924 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139)
ArtCenter/South Florida will host an open studios for participants and attendees.

Rocío Aranda-Alvarado, Program Officer, Creativity and Free Expression, Ford Foundation and artist Daniel Joseph Martinez will visit select artist studios during this time.

2–3:30pm | Disrupting Binaries in Latinidad | RSVP
PAMM (1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132)
This session will consider how Latinx artists navigate being caught between different colonial legacies. The result of these legacies often produce narrow readings of artistic practices which silence experiences in order to make people more digestible. This conversation will center around Black/Indigenous/Queer/Non-binary Latinx creatives and what it means to disrupt the racial and gender binaries that are dominant in U.S.

Panel participants include artist Janel Martinez, AintiLatina Founder, Guadalupe Maravilla, Artist, and Morel Doucet, Artist, ArtCenter/South Florida resident. This panel is moderated by Naiomy Guerrero.

4–5:30pm | Questions Remain | RSVP
PAMM (1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132)
This closing panel will consider questions of solidarity, representation, and visibility and what they may mean for Miami’s Latinx art community.

Panel participants include artist Daniel Joseph Martinez, artist Juana Valdes, and curator Cecilia Fajardo-Hill. This panel is moderated by Natalia Zuluaga.

5:30PM | Closing Reflections
Deborah Cullen, Executive Director, Bronx Museum of the Arts

The program is organized by María Elena Ortiz, associate curator, PAMM; Naiomy Guerrero, DAMLI curatorial fellow, PAMM; and Natalia Zuluaga, Director, [NAME] Publications.

ABOUT PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. Led by Director Franklin Sirmans, 35-year-old South Florida institution formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), Pérez Art Museum Miami opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park on December 4, 2013. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab and classroom spaces. For more information, please visit pamm.org, find us on Facebook (facebook.com/perezartmuseummiami), or follow us on Instagram/Twitter (@pamm).

ABOUT ARTCENTER/SOUTH FLORIDA
Established in 1984, ArtCenter/South Florida is a nonprofit that advances the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture to an audience of approximately 80,000 people per year. ArtCenter/South Florida creates opportunities for experimentation and encourages the critical exchange of ideas through residencies, exhibitions, public programs, education and outreach. The residency programs include a Studio Residency Program, a PRINTshop Residency Program, a Cinematic Arts Residency and Art in Public Life Residency. Exhibitions and programs at ArtCenter/South Florida are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners; the State of Florida, Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.artcentersf.org

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Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Support is provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Additional support is provided by the City of Miami and the Miami OMNI Community Redevelopment Agency (OMNI CRA). Pérez Art Museum Miami is an accessible facility. All contents ©Pérez Art Museum Miami. All rights reserved.

 

PRESS CONTACTS

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ali@culturalcounsel.com

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