Carol Damian
2020 Art Circuits’ Critic’s Choice art writer

Carol Damian, Ph.D. is an Art Historian and Independent Curator specializing in the Art of Latin America and the Caribbean.  She is the former chairperson of the Art and Art History Department and former Director and Chief Curator of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University.

 

A "New Normal" Summer

June finds us in the new normal again, but with some hope as businesses start to reopen, including some galleries and museums.  Very restricted and socially distanced, most open by appointment, which does allow you to see art in person if you are tired of the virtual experience.  My choices for June:

Institutions, Gardens and More: I start with the gardens, because we can all use some nature to enjoy, and mixed with art these locations are ideal.

Deering Estate

is open to the public to enjoy the beautiful serenity of the bay, visit the house and see the work of Monkey Minds, a series of paintings by Natalia Garcia – Lee, in the Stone House. Her works delve into neuroscience and behavioral patterns as she captures brain patterns in meticulous detail. The work is part of Deering’s Spring Contemporary Projects, a series of artistic interventions, now into the summer.

Deering Estate. Natalia Garcia-Lee. Photo: Francesco Casale. Courtesy of Deering Estate and LnS Gallery.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

is open for house tours and garden visits, always a respite from the city and its problems, and filled with works of art and history.  Miamians know Vizcaya but they may not know its significance for the time and for the city’s history.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. Center Island.

The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood

is open with the family-friendly exhibition Time to Play! The exhibition includes works by local and international artists that will incorporate both visual objects and immersive art to encourage forms of play through education and creativity. Curated by Meaghan Kent.

Jen Clay, immersive site-specific installation

 


Galleries and New Spaces:

Diana Lowenstein Gallery

has a group show of a selection of artists from their gallery for the summer – she has moved to the Magic City district of Little River.  You can visit it virtually or by appointment. Curated by Diana Lowenstein with artworks by Loris Cecchini, Udo Noger, Dirk Salz, and Santiago Villanueva.

Diana Lowenstein Gallery, Installation View.

Ascaso Gallery

presents Abstraction and Figuration in Space: Sculptures from Soto, Otero, Marisol, Negret, Valera, Cárdenas, Zitman, Botero, Valdés, Larraz, Barrios, Medina and Otterness, for a comprehensive exploration of how three-dimensionality reflects changes in the history of sculpture.

Ascaso Gallery. Marisol, Magritte II, 1998. Oil, Charcoal, Plaster, Cloth, Wood and Umbrella, 67.5 x 41.5 x 31.5 in.

Dot Fiftyone Gallery

in Little River is open by appointment and features “On Paper” with the works of a group of artists working IN paper, more than ON paper in unique ways.  Check out Douglas Rodrigo Rada, Skull + Meter, 2017.

Dot Fiftyone Gallery. Douglas Rodrigo Rada, Skull + Meter, 2017. Ink on Paper and wood meter 7 × 10 in.

The CAMP / Contemporary Art Modern Project 

is the new rebrand of the Directed Art Modern. Now the Contemporary Art Modern Project, the Camp Gallery is a platform for artists that is organized to benefit them more directly than traditional galleries. The exhibition on view, "The Feel” by New York artist Joe Ginsberg, addresses the interconnectedness of humanity and art and all the emotions of the day.

The CAMP Gallery, Joe Ginsberg, With Me. 2017, Watercolor on Paper, 22 x 30 in.

Artists' Studios:

Sheila Elias

She has a perfect exhibit for this time with her Mask series that is a colorful take on our new reality. 

Sheila Elias, Mask III, mixed media on canvas 46 x 46 in.

Sculptor Aimée Pérez

Fills her studio with her unique and often strange ceramic pieces. They are always conversation pieces.

Aimée Pérez, New Series: Back to Basic: The caged red bird, 2020, Ceramics, 14 x 8x 5 in.