Miami Design District Public Art Tours

Wednesday, February 19th from 6:30 – 8pm join the Miami Design District, in partnership with Arts Encounters, for a free guided tour of the neighborhood’s world-renowned public art. Art critic, journalist and educator Margery Gordon leads two tours a month that showcase selected public artworks and architectural highlights along distinctive routes. This Event is FREE and Open to the Public, RSVP here.

Meet in front of the Fly’s Eye Dome on the first floor of Palm Court. (enter at 140 NE 39th Street)

The Abstract Expressionist Art of South Florida Artist Brandon Aday

‘Greed Decomposed on a Martian Desert’, Mixed Media, 24″ x 30″

South Florida-based artist Brandon Aday creates ethereal abstracts that reflect both the natural and man-made world, focusing on an abstract expressionist style of painting.

Brandon Aday discussing his work on exhibit at Pridelines Gallery during Miami Art Week

Miami artist Brandon Aday works with acrylics & oils on canvas and paper, he is best known for his eye-catching, large-scale abstract paintings. Brandon has had a lifelong love of art, inspired from an early age by his Mother who is also an artist. He is originally from the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, and attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia. In addition to his paintings, the artist creates his own line of art merchandise, which includes home decor, apparel and accessories.

"I get inspired by urban scenery, concrete structures, cracked sidewalks, or graffiti filled walls. If I see a stain or peeled paint on a weathered surface, I need to take a picture of it for later use. I have hundreds of these inspirational photos on my phone from random places. I like to look at them to absorb them into my subconscious, to come out in unexpected ways on the canvas," explained Aday.

‘Emerald Coast of a Fractional Future’, Mixed Media on Canvas, 30″ x 24″

Brandon exhibits his work with Pridelines Gallery, located in Miami’s historic MiMo/Little River District. He is one of many participating artists committed to Pridelines mission of supporting, educating, and empowering South Florida’s LGBTQ youth and community in safe and diverse spaces to promote dialogue, wellness, and to foster social change. As a result, 30% of all proceeds generated from the sale of an artists’ work is donated back to Pridelines to fund programs and services for local youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, and community seeking safe and affirming programs, services, and spaces.

‘Incoherent Dimensionality in Development’, Mixed Media on Canvas, 36″ x 48″. This painting is being donated and auctioned at Art From The Heart on April 25, 2020

Brandon is passionate about giving back, he also participates in an annual art fundraising event ‘Art From The Heart‘, taking place this year at Paradise Plaza in the Miami Design District on Saturday, April 25th, 2020 from 7-10pm. Guests will have the opportunity to view and purchase works from Miami’s world renowned artists and talented emerging artists. There will be over 150 art pieces to select from. All proceeds from the art auction will go towards building a better tomorrow for 1,000 children in foster care at the Family Resource Center of South Florida. Enjoy an open bar, vendors, music, and delicious hors d’ oeuvres prepared by Miami’s premier chefs. Purchase tickets here, and if you buy them before February 14th, you can use the Promo Code: EARLY to get them for half the normal price.

‘Dialogue with Chiseled Canvas’, Mixed Media, 22″ x 28″. This painting is being donated and auctioned at Art From The Heart on April 25, 2020

Artistically, he is inspired by Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism & Abstract Expressionism. Artists who have influenced him the most through the years include Monet, Van Gogh, Munch, Kollwitz, Picasso, Pollock, de Kooning & Rothko. He is also a big fan of Anselm Keifer, Gerhard Richter and artists with similar styles. Brandon loves observing the imperfections and randomness found in everyday life, and transferring that to the canvas.

‘Adventurous Extract from Torqued Morphism’, Acrylic on Canvas, 16″ x 20″. This painting is being donated and auctioned at Art From The Heart on April 25, 2020

To learn more about this fascinating artist, for sales, commissions or general inquires, please email: brandon@artbybrandonaday.com. Visit his website to purchase artwork as well as Brandon’s art merchandise, which includes home decor, apparel and accessories: www.artbybrandonaday.com. Use the special Promo Code MAS10 to purchase paintings that are available with this discount. You can purchase tickets for the upcoming “Art From The Heart” charity event at https://one.bidpal.net/artfromtheheart2020/welcome, and if you buy them before February 14th, you can use the Promo Code: EARLY to get them for half the normal price.

Locust Projects: 20th Anniversary Edition of SMASH AND GRAB

Saturday, October 13th from 6:30-9:30pm enjoy Locust Projects Annual Smash & Grab Fundraiser 2018, the 20th Anniversary edition of SMASH AND GRAB. Followed by SMASHED, the After Party featuring artist activations. Auction starts promptly at 7:30pm, live DJ, food, drinks included.

There is no other fundraiser quite like this one. The lively event revolves around a raffle, for which over one hundred local, national and international artists have donated artwork — enough so that each raffle ticket is guaranteed to win an artwork. Tickets are drawn at random during the party, with the winner getting their choice of artwork (i.e, first called gets first pick, and so on). The result is a fun way to place artwork into collections, build visibility for artists, connect with Miami’s art community, and support Locust Projects. This event SELLS OUT EVERY YEAR so BUY YOUR TICKET TODAY!

ICA Miami: The Everywhere Studio

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami will open its new permanent home on December 1, 2017 with a major group exhibition exploring the significance of the artist’s studio, from the post-war period to the present day. The exhibition will be on view from December 1, 2017 through February 12, 2018.

Encompassing some 100 works in painting, sculpture, video, and installation, 'The Everywhere Studio' brings together over 50 artists from the past five decades to reveal the artist’s studio as a charged site that has both predicted and responded to broader social and economic changes of our time.

'The Everywhere Studio' interprets the works of post-war artists and emerging practitioners through the lens of the social and historical conditions in which they were made. Organized chronologically, the exhibition examines the changing relationships that artists have had to their sites of production. From the studio as a site of labor, to one that blurs production, performance, and spectacle, to a concept that defines the artist’s own identity, the exhibition features artists who, in response to changing socioeconomic influences, represented new modes of working and living that would subsequently spread across society.

'The Everywhere Studio' is organized by ICA Miami and curated by Deputy Director & Chief Curator Alex Gartenfeld, Curator of Programs Gean Moreno, and Assistant Curator Stephanie Seidel. Exhibition design by MOS Architects. This exhibition will inaugurate the museum’s new permanent home in the Miami Design District.