Art and Design Night Draws Crowds to Culture

Every second Saturday of the month, galleries and restaurants in the Design District and neighboring Wynwood area near Downtown Miami, host a gallery walk open to the public. The initial idea behind this event was to create an ambience where both art aficionados and the common folk felt welcome and able to have a good time. Likewise, it aids in generating exposure not only for the artists whose art is being displayed, but also for the galleries, shops, and restaurants that make up this artistic locale. In essence this event has established an admired yet trendy art scene in the district.

The galleries found among the home design showrooms that make up the District area generally feature “new talent”, giving exposure to artists who are just emerging on the scene by displaying their work to the public. There is a tremendous amount of talent within these walls.

Apart from the art, the sidewalks and galleries are filled with music, from DJs spinning the latest hits to musicians playing their various instruments. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres are readily available, as well as several bars introducing the latest wines and liquors out on the market (all on the house). From friends and couples to families, everyone can find something to catch their eye at the gallery walk.

Upon arriving at the Design District, I was greeted by a smiling face holding out a ticket: “Valet is free before 10:30 p.m.” On my way, I met up with a few friends and agreed on the fist show of the night, “Obscura” in a glass-walled showroom on the second floor of the Newton Building at 3901 N.E. Second Ave.

As we walked up the steps, the music was clearly pounding, the room was filled with people wearing simple T-shirts and jeans mingling with women wearing colorful cocktail dresses, conversing about the latest pieces being displayed. DJ in one corner, bar on the other, servers passing out canapés and bruschetta, the spacious second floor of the building was now converted into an open social gathering.

“Five brave new visions” was the theme of the exhibition at Osbcura. Artists Jan Hungerland, Laura Tillinghast, Jeffrey Irwin, Daniel Clavero, and Sam Beasley displayed their art in various forms. Hungerland’s combined images of race and sex were projected onto a white backdrop, while Irwin’s colorful photography hung amid a yellow brick road. Tillinghast’s Kama Sutra-based portraits were housed in a separate lounge-style room adorned with couches and pillows, beckoning the crowd to sit and enjoy. Clavero’s “Color” series hung suspended from the ceiling, whereas Beasley’s Women and Weapons film played in a dark room dead-center in the gallery.

At Etra Fine Art Gallery, at 50 NE 40^th Street, I was able to speak to the artist, who happened to be displaying her work in Miami for the first time. Admiring a beautiful painting of soldiers divided by a broken wall and a man and women embraced on the other side, I asked her what was her vision behind it. “At the Sundance Film Festival this past year, I saw a film where war was the cause of everyone’s problems, but these two people still had each other and were not letting the war tear them apart.” In essence, the painting sought to capture the breaking down of barriers between love and war.

The Moore Space, a nonprofit art organization located on the second floor of the Moore Building at 4040 N.E. Second Ave., attracted attention to its group exhibition “Hurricane Projects: Outburst of Energy” with the TM Sisters’ art performance, Things Will End Before They Start. With the TM Sisters’ performance against the backdrop of a video projection attracting a large crowd, this was definitely one of the “it” places of the night. The TM Sisters’ video game, projected in a darkened gallery where visitors took turns playing, proved that art also can be interactive.

With many other venues in the District’s tight grid of streets --including “Urban Manifesto” at The Buena Vista Building, Diaspora Vibe Gallery in the Madonna Building, and MAG Gallery, to name a few--the walking distance between galleries proved to be short. I also learned that the Miami Metro Public Transportation Department provides free transportation to the farther galleries in the Wynwood area for those attending the gallery walk.

Superb ambience, insightful art, plenty of lively music, and free cocktails provided me with a great night out. The event listing claims the opening hours to be from 7 to 10 p.m., but many galleries remain open after hours and there are plenty of great restaurants, clubs, and lounges in the surrounding area. There’s no telling what you’ll see or what to expect, whom you’ll meet or where the night will take you.