Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Blue Full Moon Party at The National Hotel Miami Beach 7/31/15

Miami turns down free art. A city known for art and for culture suffers the absence of a $30 million investment to improve the city’s reputation as a capital for art in the US.

Originally posted in the Miami Herald editorial section. Click here for the original article.

It’s baffling when an opportunity arises for taxpayers to benefit from the generosity of a wealthy investor and art patron – and the city of Miami acts like it doesn’t care.

That appears to be what happened to Miami resident and successful hedge-fund manager Bruce Berkowitz, founder of Fairholme Capital Management.

Mr. Berkowitz wanted to build an Arquitectonica-designed office building, but not just any building — an area-unique, anvil-shaped 10-story headquarters for his business and also his foundation on a lot on 26th Street and Biscayne Boulevard in Edgewater. The exterior of the nearly windowless building will be a new type of concrete embedded with glass fiber optics that renders it translucent. At night, the building should glow. Yes, grandiose plans, but all privately funded.

The perk for the public was that it was Mr. Berkowitz’s intention to install in two massive sculptural modern art masterpieces by art stars Richard Serra and James Turrell, which the investment manager purchased and are valued at $30 million, in the lobby. The pieces could only improve Miami’s art cred.

All Mr. Berkowitz needed from the city of Miami was zoning approval. He was willing to bend, and to amend his architectural plans to conform to the Miami 21 zoning code. No problem. But Mr. Berkowitz told the Miami Herald he got the bum’s rush from the city. After months of willingly trying and failing to get a clear-cut response from the city as to whether he could proceed, a frustrated Mr. Berkowitz has pulled the plug on the project. “All work has been suspended,” he told the Editorial Board Thursday.

Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, whose district includes Edgewater, is now taking a personal interest in rescuing the effort. “I don’t want to lose this project,” he said.

Mr. Sarnoff said the project’s cancellation would be a big loss. We agree. To miss out on being the city that displays these art pieces, especially during Art Basel, would be a mistake. Best of all, it would not cost local residents a penny.

“I think things will get back on track,” Mr. Sarnoff told the board. But Mr. Berkowitz vehemently disagrees. “There are no ongoing discussions and the only thing I’ve heard from the city is that I’ve been fined $300,000 for the way we cleared and secured the lot.”

If Miami wants to be a world-class city, it can’t commit a blunder like this. It should try to save this enhancement to the local art scene, not to mention beautification of Biscayne Boulevard.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article28475401.html#storylink=cpy

Obviously Miami is known for never fading sunshine, sandy beaches, and crystal blue water–but that’s certainly not enough to keep people in Miami. Miami has always been a gateway to Latin America, but now people from all over the US and Europe are coming, staying, and investing in Miami…and not for the beaches and sunshine. Miami boasts an environment ripe for entrepreneurship and opportunity, a one of a kind cultural melange, and a gateway to the globe. In his article featured in “Ocean Drive”, Jon Warech touches on the people who have decided to move to Miami and why.

The full article is below and can be found here.

When Dr. LaWrence Schiffman was an undergraduate at the University of Miami, he fell in love with this city for the same reason that most people do—the year-round sunshine, the glistening ocean waters, and the vibrant nightlife. A New Jersey native, Schiffman dreamed of returning and calling Miami his permanent home, but at the time, starting a successful dermatology practice in a vacation town seemed impossible. “I went back up north for all of my medical training, and when I finished my residency requirements, I looked into returning,” says Schiffman. “I knew that if I went to work for a group practice in New York or Philadelphia, I could make a lot more money, but I wanted more out of life.”

Schiffman’s thoughts might have been typical for professionals just a few years ago, but more and more people are deciding there’s no reason to wait to live in paradise. Schiffman himself headed south, worked for a group practice in Miami, and in July 2012, he broke out on his own and opened Miami Skin Doctor. “I set up shop in Doral, where there were very few dermatologists, and in three years the town has grown exponentially around me,” he says. “It’s expanding so much that I can’t even get into the office sometimes.”

Doral, which is home to corporate headquarters for Carnival Cruise Lines, Univision, the Miami Herald, and many other major companies, is just one area of Miami that is booming, and Schiffman’s success story of a practice that “is growing faster than I can keep up with” is one of many in a developing city where sun and fun are taking a backseat to entrepreneurship, big business, and a plethora of opportunities for people in all professions.

“No longer is Miami simply known as a place where the rich come to play,” says Alyce Robertson, executive director of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, an independent public agency helping business boom downtown. “It has emerged as a sophisticated financial hub where real money is being put to work. Dozens of hedge funds and other financial firms are flocking to Miami’s urban core from New York, California, and parts of Latin America.”

Miami’s evolving design and culture scenes act as a magnet now more than ever. Santiago Smulevich’s family moved from Argentina to the Magic City more than a decade ago and opened AM Profile, a furniture and custom-closets store in the Design District. Smulevich moved back to Argentina after school, chasing what he thought was a better opportunity. But with the Design District morphing into one of the country’s top high-end shopping destinations over the past few years, he knew Miami was the place to be.

“I moved back here four years ago because Miami offered an opportunity to grow as a businessman in a way that Argentina did not,” says Smulevich, who now owns and operates AM Profile. “For South Americans, it’s a lot easier to be in Miami than anywhere else because of the language and the culture. We can be successful here without having to change too much of our daily lives.”

Though the Latin influence makes Miami an American city like no other, the growing cultural and intellectual landscape lends a gravitas that Miami lacked in decades past. The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and the arrival of the Faena Forum, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, and even smaller projects like the Wynwood Greenhouse put Miami on par with any major US city. “Specifically in the art world, everyone is watching Miami,” says Leann Standish, who came here from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2011 to become the deputy director of external affairs at PAMM. “Everywhere I travel, people ask about the museum. Miami is in a very unique position in that it’s an important international city, yet it is also a young city that moves at an incredibly fast pace.”

While the quick advancements have more people planting roots in Miami, tourism is still going strong. New hotels continue to pop up all over town, and new restaurants are opening their doors on what feels like a daily basis, coming from Canada, Europe, South America, and, of course, New York. Celebrity chefs are either opening outposts of their famed eateries here or using the city as a launching pad for new establishments. Tourism is thriving, but now it’s no longer Miami’s only source of income. In fact, many of those tourists end up staying after their vacation. On average, 50,000 New Yorkers relocate to Florida every year. More than 537,000 people from all over the world moved here last year, according to 2014 Census figures, making Florida now the third-most-populated state in the country, behind California and Texas.

“People are shocked to learn that the tourism component of the Miami economy accounts for just 12 percent of employment—the third-largest sector of employment, behind professional and business services (16 percent) and education and health services (15 percent),” says Jordan Niefeld, a CPA, certified financial planner, and investment advisor at Raymond James in Aventura. “With companies like ExxonMobil, Sony, IBM, Cisco Systems, Caterpillar, and Johnson & Johnson locating their Latin American headquarters in Miami, that number will continue to shift.”

And, of course, there have been those rumors about Facebook setting up shop in Wynwood.

Miami’s development in recent years into a well-rounded city has attracted big spenders looking to get in on the action. The Knight Frank 2015 Wealth Report’s Global Cities Survey recently revealed that only two US cities ranked in the top 10 for global investment—New York and Miami, which, according to Jacob Roffman, principal of 13th Floor Investments, means that investment in Miami should remain. In fact, 28 of Florida’s total 42 billionaires list South Florida specifically as their primary residence, according to Forbes’s World’s Billionaires list of 2015. Billionaires tend to know something about where to live, invest, and work.

“Miami continues to mature as a city and is, today, far more than simply a gateway to Latin America—it is a gateway to the world, and a magnet for highimpact investment,” says Roffman. “Miami is a safe and secure place for foreign investors to put their money.”

On a small-business scale, though, Miami is a land of opportunity as well. Stacy Josloff, owner of Pure Therapy and designer of Inca Swimwear, opened a retail store in Miami Beach six years ago but planned to move back to New York after the first year. “One year passed. Two years passed. Now we’re on year seven,” she says. “I always thought that New York was the place that I’d live and die in, but in Manhattan, if your last name isn’t Rockefeller, it’s hard to be an entrepreneur. If you retain the work ethic and business mind that you had in New York and bring it down here, there is opportunity to grow and be successful.”

Dr. Schiffman echoes that sentiment. “In New York, you have 50 million dermatologists with their own skincare lines and TV shows,” he says. “You can be part of that, but you’re just one of many. Here, there is a sense that all goals can be achieved if you put your mind to it.”

In Miami, doctors, lawyers, artists, and businesspeople of all kinds are achieving career milestones that less than a decade ago seemed impossible. The idea of working where others vacation is no longer a pipe dream but instead a reality as Miami morphs into the city that Schiffman hoped it could be back when he was a college student. “My practice is growing at a phenomenal pace, I met the love of my life, and I’m on the water nearly every weekend,” he says. “It’s a pretty nice life.”

Which basically proves if you can make it here, you don’t need to make it anywhere else.

Happy Thursday All!

We wanted to just remind everyone that movement and dance are spaces that allow us to not only express ourselves but come together to create space between one another and create joy within that space! Be sure to applaud and celebrate the organizations and individuals who are holding this spaces.

The article below was shared from the Miami New Times.

THE 14TH-ANNUAL MIAMI SALSA CONGRESS PROVES “SALSA IS STILL KICKING BUTT”

As founder of one of Miami’s most popular Latin dance studios, Rene Gueits just might be the Magic City’s number-one salsa lover. But in 2001, Gueits took his pasión del ritmo and his dance company Salsa Lovers to another level by kicking off the Miami Salsa Congress.

“I attended the first congress in Puerto Rico in 1997,” Gueits recalls. “I was invited to teach Miami-style casino/Miami-style rueda around the world. I was in Holland with Albert Torres [coproducer of the global salsa congresses]. I told him I wanted to do the first Miami congress, and I asked him to help me out.”

One year into the new millennium, Gueits, Torres, and like-minded dancers from el mundo entero congaed their way to the 305 for the inaugural Miami Salsa Congress. Fourteen years later, MSC is still rumbiando its way through the city.

And for 2015, the five-day pachanga will take over the Deauville Beach Resort from July 29 to August 2 with 120 hours of nonstop rueda y son action, including dance workshops, tribute concerts to Cheo Feliciano and other salsa giants, a Club Mystique reunion, and a performance by legendary salsero Willie Rosario y Su Orquesta.

Salsa may be one of the first things that come to mind when people think of Miami, but as Gueits points out, with the number of salsa congresses that go down around the world, it’s obvious that el baile is a global phenomenon.

“There are [salsa congresses] in Bulgaria, South Africa, Sweden, Rome, Norway, Japan — it’s huge in India, Dubai, and Turkey,” he explains. “It has grown. After the salsa congress in Puerto Rico [in 1997], they started moving them around. Let’s say someone from Israel came to the conference; they would bring it to their city.”

Gueits credits the globalization of salsa (aside from its catchy beats and mesmerizing hip action) to Cuba’s Communist regime and the thousands of citizens who fled the island in search of political asylum: “There are a lot of Cubans who live in Europe. Since then, salsa started growing. It’s an explosion.”

The aforementioned Willie Rosario, who turned a sprightly 85 years old last month and will celebrate a half-century of música at this year’s MSC, has a different take on salsa’s expansion.

“The word ‘salsa’ is like an umbrella,” the timbales maestro explains. “It carries many rhythms. For instance, I used to play [different variations of salsa like] guaguancó, guaracha — those were classified individually, but they all originated in Cuba and fall under salsa. It’s one of those rhythms that are known all over the world.

“The question of change,” he continues, “there hasn’t been much. In [the mid- to late-’80s], there was romantic salsa — those, like Gilberto Santa Rosa and Rey Ruiz, who emerged from an orchestra as a soloist — but there isn’t much of a difference because the rhythm and percussion is the same.”

While Rosario believes salsa’s permanence has a lot to do with its commitment to el ritmo, he looks at the past to really understand its international reach.

“The Fania All-Stars helped a lot,” he says, “but in the era of mambo — which falls under that umbrella of salsa — Americans knew a lot about it. There was a famous club in New York, the Palladium. A lot of movie stars, like Marlon Brando, would all go there to see mambo,” thus turning it into a global trend, one that has never gone out of style.

But Gueits’ mission isn’t to find a textbook explanation for salsa’s global influence. Instead, his purpose is to keep salsa alive in the Magic City para la gente.

“People like ourselves who live in Miami, we take being Latin for granted,” he admits. “In Europe, they all wanna be Latino. At the congress, you’ll see a lot of Europeans wearing their guayaberas. We take salsa for granted. But salsa is very big. It’s a multibillion-dollar business.”

More than about el dinero, though, the MSC “is so much about keeping a culture alive,” Gueits says.

“Salsa is still kicking butt,” he laughs. “When I was a little kid, I used to dance at my family’s parties. They would put on Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo [de Puerto Rico], Willy Chirino — that’s always stayed in my blood. I have a passion for it. I’m keeping it alive.”

The 14th-Annual Miami Salsa Congress. Produced by Salsa Lovers. Wednesday through Sunday, July 29 through August 2, at the Deauville Beach Resort, 6701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-865-8511;deauvillebeachresortmiami.com. Weekend party, workshop, and full-day passes cost $85 to $320 plus fees. Visit miamisalsacongress.com.

Hi Everyone, We love to create awareness around art that creates a platform for us to both celebrate the diversity in our community and the history and those that create new options and places & spaces for us all to come together

This article is Shared from Miami New Times:

Cuba Out of Cuba: Through the lens of Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte in collaboration with Tico Torres

Few cities embody the American dream like Miami. For decades, Cubans seeking refuge have made Miami their own, leaving a lasting legacy enriched with culture from their homeland. A new exhibit at MDC Museum of Art + Design celebrates the nostalgia, success, and triumph of this singular immigrant experience. “Cuba Out of Cuba: Through the Lens of Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte in Collaboration With Tico Torres” inaugurates the new Cultural Legacy Gallery, a permanent space dedicated to the impact of Cuban culture on South Florida and throughout the world, housed at the National Historic Landmark Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College (600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). The exhibit features iconic photographs of Cuban figures living away from the island, from performers and designers to writers and artists. “Cuba Out of Cuba” was shot over the past 20 years in Miami, New York, London, Paris, Florence, Venice, and Los Angeles. The photos and keepsakes highlight the legacies of Celia Cruz, Bebo Valdés, Gloria Estefan, Cristina Saralegui, Andy Garcia, Cundo Bermudez, Nilo Cruz, and Paquito D’Rivera, among other Cubans who have culturally influenced generations. “Cuba Out of Cuba” will be on display through August 30, 2015.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Call 305-237-7700 or visit mdcmoad.org.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Swashbucklin Swing Dance 7/17/15

National Ice Cream Day at Concrete Beach Brewery 7/19/15

Trivial Poursuit at Concrete Beach Brewery 7/23/15

There is an indelible struggle between city developers trying to develop, modernize, and raise the value of property and residents of these areas seek to maintain reasonable housing prices. The new Miami Worldcenter has received approval for a prelimenary funding of $1.7 billion. However there is a lot of negative response by residents–including jobs going to workers outside the neighborhood and city and rising property values. In an article by Ben Kennedy, more is explained about the benefits and negatives in the proposed Worldcenter.

Overtown residents voice concern over Miami Worldcenter

The Miami Worldcenter is one step closer to becoming a reality after Miami-Dade County commissioners gave the $1.7 billion project preliminary approval.

Overtown residents packed the Miami-Dade County government center Tuesday morning to voice their concerns with the project.

The nearly $2 billion project will transform the Magic City and connect Museum Park to the proposed downtown train station, 1 million square feet of retail space, new hotels and condominiums.

“It’s hard for people in the communities where these developments are happening to have more of a say,” said Phillip Agnew.

The commission will vote Tuesday on the community development district.

“It means that we are allowing the developer to charge the people that are going to be part of the development, whoever is renting it, etc. to have an extra fee so that they can pay for infrastructure,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. “Today, Miami-Dade County is not giving any tax dollars to this developer.”

The project is set to create 20,000 construction jobs and thousands of full-time work.

Some residents want developers to lock down competitive wages that can sustain people in their community.

“What we want is in the contract that the permanent jobs will have quality wages and that they will be able to unionize,” said Agnew.

Jay Massirman has been in real estate for 30 years.

Starting in 1986, Massirman worked as a commercial broker at CBRE. Then, in 2008, when he saw a market ripe with opportunity, he became an investor and developer. His first focus was on fractured condo and single-family projects that went belly-up during the financial crisis.

His development firm, Rivergate Companies, today focuses on multifamily projects and building urban infill self-storage facilities. With partners Stephen Garchik and Steve McBride, Massirman runs Miami City Self Storage. The company has snapped up six plots of land across Miami-Dade County in the last two years for about $12 million.

Massirman has also formed a partnership with KW Property Management and Consulting to manage multifamily and commercial properties in Florida and North Carolina.

A big believer in the promise of technology to enhance real-estate development, Massirman has experimented with crowdfunding a rental project in Orlando. He answered questions from the Miami Herald on the future of his companies and South Florida’s real-estate market via email. Here is an interview by the Miami Herald’s Nicholas Nehamas. Article here. 

Q: What trends led you to believe that self-storage would be a good investment in Miami? What are your future plans for that area?

A: Having developed storage in the previous cycle, the timing felt right. My partners Steve Garchik and Steve McBride, veteran storage developers from D.C. and NYC, got together in early 2013 to form a joint venture to build urban infill, high-end self-storage facilities. We found that little self-storage building had taken place in the last 10 years. With the continued growth and expansion of South Florida, it was the opportune time to ramp up our self-storage effort. Currently, we have five deals under construction and 13 deals in process. Our plans are to build out the South Florida market with the best sites we can acquire. Our leading-edge designs have been favorably accepted by most municipalities we have targeted. We are in active discussions to scale our footprint beyond South Florida.

Q: You’ve expressed interest in crowdfunding real-estate developments. How successful has that innovation been?

A: We crowdfunded an apartment community in Orlando with EarlyShares and got a very strong reception from investors. I believe crowdfunding will continue to gain market acceptance for raising capital from both accredited and non-accredited investors. We will continue to explore this emerging marketplace.

Q: Genting has been extremely quiet about its plans for the old Miami Herald site. What do you think is the best use for that land?

A: The Genting land is located in the epicenter of Miami at the confluence of downtown, Edgewater and Miami Beach. The original plan was oriented toward gambling, but its timeline regarding legalization is unknown. I am sure they are working on the strategic plan for their holdings, which could encompass a resort, office, hospitality, condos, retail and beyond. The challenge will be how to integrate this into the competitive landscape with Worldcenter, Midtown, Design District, Brickell City Centre, to name a few.

Q: Where do you think we are in the current real-estate cycle?

A: The South Florida market has been at full tilt since the market reignited in 2010. First, it was the distress wave, which lasted a couple of years morphing into a robust development market for condominiums and luxury rental communities, which is reaching peak levels. Acquisitions are getting pretty tight due to cap rate compression. Current trends in development include mixed-use, urban infill development and high-street retail. It feels like we are in mid-cycle, and the fear of a rise in interest rates is looming. That said, we are truly a unique economy driven by international focus, the emerging tech industry, port expansion, convention center expansion and airport expansion, to name a few major infrastructure projects. Include the arts, professional sports, gentrifying urban markets, and it all spells a very exciting time to be a part of the globalization of Miami.

Q: What under-exposed neighborhoods should developers be targeting next? What kind of developments does Miami need more of?

A: We have seen frantic activity in Wynwood, Little River, downtown Miami, Miami River and Edgewater. I think sticking to these markets and looking for second-generation and backfill opportunities will be a viable strategy. We are in the process of rolling out a platform to explore these opportunities.

Q: Miami is one of the most expensive cities in the country for renters. Why are rents so high compared to incomes? And what can be done to help address this problem?

A: The main factors involved here are high land values, availability of prime sites for rental and construction costs. Couple that with the fact the condo developers have paid a premium on a per-unit basis for land and that we have seen a “land rush” in the last few years — it complicates matters. This makes building affordable rentals virtually out of reach. The affordable housing developers in town just can’t get enough tax credits allocated to meet the rising demand. Affordability is a significant issue in Miami-Dade County. There is a growing need for affordable, clean, safe housing for the people that make our economy function, including teachers, firefighters, police, restaurant, clerical, government, hospitality, retail and domestic workers as an example. These individuals make up the fabric of our economy, and it is a struggle for them to build savings when over half of their earnings goes to rent. Solutions include creating more workforce housing just outside the urban core on less expensive land. These projects will need subsidies to get the numbers to work inclusive of: tax-exempt bond financing, increased allocation of tax credits to urban Miami-Dade County, streamlining of the HUD 221-d4 program, and tax-increment financing, for instance.

Q: Why did you see an opportunity in property management, and where have you directed your resources? How pleased are you with the new venture?

A: Rivergate Management started as a multifamily acquisition platform for its own assets, as well as third-party industry relationships in 2008. In early 2013, I was introduced to Robert White and Paul Kaplan, both CPAs and the founders of KW Property Management & Consulting. In just 10 years, they have built their condo-management business to 60,000 + units and are one of the leading service providers in that industry. They laid out their vision to duplicate their success on the rental side of the business, and Rivergate | KW Management was conceived as a separate entity. Currently, Rivergate | KW Management has close to 10,000 units in the management pipeline, including 2 million square feet of commercial. Our resources are focused on hiring the best people in the business to grow this company into an industry leader. I am very fortunate to have great partners in all of my entities.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/biz-monday/article26934190.html#storylink=cpy

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday, July 10th

Environmental Impact Film Festival at Colony1 Wynwood 

Saturday, July 11th

Learn about nutrition with Short Chef 

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Sunday, July 12th

8th Annual Miami Takeover 2015

Monday, July 14th

MAMP Labs Workshop

9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Venture Hive
1010 NE 2 Ave,
Miami, Florida 33132
None Link
Cost: $35

Tuesday, July 15th

A Taste of Haiti at NSU Art Museum Cafe 7/15/15

Wednesday, July 16th

“Starry Nights” at NSU Art Museum 

4:30 pm – 08:00 pm
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
One East Las Olas Boulevard,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
None Link
Cost: Free

Thursday, July 17th

U.S. Brazil Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast

Date/Time: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel
1633 N. Bayshore Drive
Miami, FL 33132

Contact Person: info@multiculturaltourism.com

Phone Number: 954-792-2579

http://www.multiculturaltourismsummit.com/

We are so excited to see our younger generations acting as leaders and role models in our city’s discussion about gender and equality. This article was release this morning in the Miami New Times. When leadership is taken on my youth it holds all of us more accountable for our actions.

I AM JAZZ DOCUMENTS THE LIFE OF SOUTH FLORIDA TRANS TEEN JAZZ JENNINGS

Jazz Jennings, whose TLC docuseries I Am Jazz premieres Wednesday Courtesy of TLC

There have been few stories as widely discussed in recent months as Caitlyn Jenner’s journey from Olympic gold-medal-winning male track star to transgender woman. In June, as Vanity Fair’s cover made its rounds online, South Florida native Jazz Jennings sensed her own life would never be the same. The 14-year-old transgender girl, who was assigned male at birth, is an activist for trans rights and a voice for trans youth. She says Jenner is the biggest thing that’s ever happened to the trans community.

“She’s opened her doors for others to learn by watching her,” Jennings says. “It’s certainly impacting my life. When I have to explain to people that I’m trans, I’ll just say I’m a younger version of Caitlyn Jenner.”

Jennings herself has been a face for the trans community since 2007, when, at age 6, she appeared as transgender in a20/20 interview with Barbara Walters. Now she’s about to go even more public about her journey, with a TLC show set to launch next week. I Am Jazz premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m.

The show will invite viewers into Jennings’ home and family life, introducing her parents Greg and Jeanette, sister Ari, and twin brothers Griffen and Sander. It will show Jennings’ typical teenage life, which includes a passion for soccer and art.

Jazz, front center, and her family in their South Florida homeCourtesy of Mark DeLong/TLC

“I’m going to show everyone that I’m just like any other teenager,” she says, “except for the fact that I happen to be transgender.”

But it will also explore how she has battled the dark moments in her life and how she is fighting to change perceptions around trans youth.

Jennings was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at age 3. She first presented as a girl at age 5, but not everyone was immediately accepting. After the United States Soccer Federation would not allow her to play on girls’ teams, her parents fought a two-and-a-half-year battle, which resulted in the USSF changing its policies to allow trans students to play on their gender-identified team. And she has faced her share of harsh words and bullies.

“Over the years, I’ve tried to ignore the bullies at school,” she says. “I surround myself with friends who love and support me… I remind myself that what others think doesn’t matter.”

For her outspoken activism, Jennings was named one of Time‘s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014 and was the youngest person ever featured on Out’s Out 100 and the Advocate‘s 40 Under 40 lists. She is a spokesmodel for Clean & Clear’s “See the Real Me” digital campaign and the winner of Equality Florida’s 2014’s Voice for Equality Award. Last year, a children’s biographical picture book was published about her life. And she has her own mermaid tail company, Purple Rainbow Tails, which raises money for transgender children.

“I want other transgender kids to know that they aren’t alone and should be proud of themselves for having the courage to live as their authentic selves,” she says.

That’s her hope for I Am Jazz, which comes on the heels of unprecedented change in the LGBT community in the United States.

“It’s obvious now that things are improving for the LGBT community and that our country is more progressive than ever,” she says. “I truly hope the positive energy resonates with others who want to find out more about transgender youth too.”

Today, Miami New Times released the article below focusing on the increase in the cost of living for Miami residents and the growing economic disparity in the city. As our city continues to allow ‘development’ via these luxury large scaled projects, we have to ask the question, Miami for who?

Read the full article below:

ANOTHER GRIM REMINDER THAT MIAMIANS PAY INSANE RENTS YET MAKE LITTLE MONEY

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

1940s USO Swing Dance 7/3/15

Thursday July 9th

Film: La Belle Vie: The Good Life 7/9/15

Here is a translated excerpt from that interview.

Q. You’re helping Cuban artists “break the ice” in regards to U.S.-Cuba relations?

Q. Stephen Ross, who co-founded The Related Group with you, made headlines upon his return to Cuba and his announcement that he didn’t see great investing opportunities there. Do you share this opinion?

A. Neither Steve Ross nor myself held any meetings with Cuban officials to decide or learn if they’re promoting real estate or not. Those were just impressions from what he saw in Havana. What Steve said is, it will be a long time before he invests in Cuba because the infrastructure is in such bad condition.

Q. What would have to happen so that a group such as yours would decide to invest in Cuba?

Q. Do you have any plan designed for that rehabilitation?

Q. Would the luxury hotel industry have potential in Cuba?

Q. Have you thought about how you can help re-urbanize Havana?

Q. Many people are concerned that populations will be displaced in the process of urbanizing Havana.

Q. This is the second time you’ve visited Cuba. What were the greatest changes between your first trip in 2012 and your recent visit?

Q. But with this level of poverty, luxury condominiums seem to be part of a faraway future?

Good news: Business is booming in South Florida. Bad news: housing prices are soaring. Comparitive to San Fransisco, Miami rental prices are very similar. But why? In an article published by NBC6, Jennifer Peltz summarizes a recent study conducted on rental prices across the US.

Is Rent Out of Reach? Study Shows How 11 US Cities, Including Miami, Stack Up

By Jennifer Peltz

From Boston to Miami, New York to Los Angeles, more than half of tenants are paying what experts consider unaffordable rents, says a report by New York University’s Furman Center, which studies real estate and urban policy, and bank Capital One, which is a leading affordable-housing lender and financed the research.

While various housing experts have noted such trends, the study zooms in on 11 of the nation’s most populous cities. Overall, it’s a portrait of increasing competition and often slipping affordability, but the picture isn’t universally bleak and looks noticeably different from city to city.

“The study brings into light the limited options there are for renters,” Capital One community finance chief Laura Bailey says.

THE CITIES

The study analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data from 2006 to 2013 on the central cities of the 11 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

RENTERS ON THE RISE

As of 2013, most residents were renters in nine of the 11 cities, all except for Atlanta and Philadelphia, compared with five in 2006. At least 60 percent of residents are now tenants, rather than owners, in Boston, L.A., New York and Miami. Nationwide, about 35 percent of people rented in 2013, up from 31 percent in 2006, the Census Bureau says.

Experts trace much of the rise in renting to the 2008 mortgage and financial crisis, which left some people unable and others reluctant to own homes. And when rent becomes a stretch, leaving less income to save toward homeownership, “it’s a reinforcing cycle,” Furman Center faculty director Ingrid Gould Ellen says.

But other factors may include home-downsizing within the giant and aging baby boom generation and hefty college debt that slows some young people’s saving for a home purchase.

MORE RENTALS BUT LESS AVAILABILITY

In each city, the amount of rental housing grew faster than any rise in owner-occupied homes. In fact, the data suggest some homes were converted to rentals.

Nonetheless, the vacancy rate declined everywhere except Miami and Washington, where increases were slight. San Francisco surpassed New York for the title of tightest rental market: New York’s 3.8 percent vacancy rate was the lowest in 2006, but by 2013 San Francisco had the floor with a mere 2.5 percent. New York, L.A. and Boston were hovering around 3.5 percent. Atlanta, meanwhile, had the highest vacancy rate of the cities in the survey, at nearly 10 percent.

CLIMBING RENTS, UNEVEN BURDENS

Amid growing demand and tight supply, median rents rose faster than inflation in all the cities but Dallas and Houston, where they were nearly flat. Washington’s median rent shot up by 21 percent over the seven years, to $1,307 a month. New York’s rose by 12 percent, to $1,228. The calculation is in inflation-adjusted for 2013 dollars, includes utilities and encompasses market-rate, rent-regulated and subsidized housing.

New York has about 1 million rent-regulated apartments, perhaps helping explain why it has a lower median rent than Washington, San Francisco ($1,491) and Boston ($1,263). Meanwhile, median rents were under $1,000 everywhere else except Los Angeles ($1,182).

But rents don’t tell the whole story of affordability: Renters’ median household incomes varied widely over the years. Housing experts like to gauge affordability by the percentage of income that goes to housing costs, with anything over 29 percent being rent-burdened. Over 49 percent is considered severely burdened.

On that scale, the landscape is uneven. The percentage of rent-burdened tenants grew in six cities while dropping in the rest, and the findings were full of seeming contradictions. San Francisco had the highest median rent but the lowest percentage of rent-burdened tenants, 45 percent; Miami had a far lower median rent, but 68 percent of tenants were burdened.

One reason: San Francisco renters’ median household income was $61,200 a year, nearly 1.5 times what their Miami counterparts made.

TO SAVE ON RENT, STAY PUT

In each city, apartments that had come open within the last five years were less likely to be affordable to low- and middle-income tenants than apartments that hadn’t.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday May 29

Casino Night at Rubi Lounge
Friday, 05/29/2015 – 05/30/2015 10:00 pm – 05:00 am
RuBI Lounge
141 SW 7th St,
Miami, Florida 33130
Eventbrite Link
Cost: Complimentary Admission on David Garay’s VIP List Before 12am
Dress to Impress

INFO & RSVP
Call/Txt 786-985-3520

Venue Description:
The new lounge in Brickell. Come and see this beautiful place that everybody is talking about.

Saturday, May 30

Tango Undressed by Miami Contemporary Dance Company 5/30/15

What chronic problem slows cities’ economies down and reduces the standard of living for every citizen? Sky high credit rates? Nope. Natural disasters? On extremely rare occasions. Traffic and paralyzing public transport? Bingo! Being stuck in traffic is the  bane of everyone’s existence and also a symptom of a larger problem. The issues of poor city planning and development are being exposed after the economic boom that has been happening in Miami. With companies relocating to the city to be closer to Latin and South America, the city has seen an influx in investment–of money and people–but how has the capital investment been used to scale for the amount of people? What has this cost Miami? Everyone from small business owners to executives of large multi-national corporations has been effected by the traffic jams in Miami, making it an issue that defies cultural and economic barriers. Nicholas Nehamas of the Miami Herald explores and dives deeper into this discussion in his article, “Business Slowdowns: Traffic Jams Up South Florida’s Economy“.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday May 22

Ball and Chain Presents Miami Boheme Fridays with Two-Time Grammy Nominated, Locos Por Juana 5/22/15

Ball and Chain Presents Miami Boheme Fridays with Two-Time Grammy Nominated, Locos Por Juana
Friday, 05/22/2015 – 10:00 pm – 03:00 am
Ball & Chain
1513 SW 8th street, 
Little Havana, Florida 33135
None Link
Cost: FREE

live music performance THIS FRIDAY, May 22, 2015 at Ball & Chain as part of the Miami Boheme Fridays hosted by Joe Cardona. The TWO TIME GRAMMY nominated band, Locos Por Juana will take the Pineapple Stage at 10PM followed by a set by DJ Edward. (21 and over to attend, this event is open to the public, no cover).
www.ballandchainmiami.com
For additional info on Locos Por Juana, please visit: http://www.locosporjuana.com/

Saturday May 23

Special ED’s B-Day Jump-Off w DJ ‘ Heron & DJ Exes 5/23/15

Special ED’s B-Day Jump-Off w DJ ‘ Heron & DJ Exes
Saturday, 05/23/2015 – 10:00 pm – 04:00 am
Will Call Miami
700 NE 2nd Ave, 
Miami, Florida 33132
Eventbrite Link
Cost: $10 Advance

Please Join us as we celebrate the Birthday of Mr Ed Archer aka Special ED.
ED is an American hip hop musician of Jamaican descent. Hailing from Brooklyn in New York City, and is identified with East Coast hip hop.
At Approximately 1:00 am Special ED will be performing at Will Call Miami in the Heart of Downtown, right across the street from the Miami Arena where the Miami Heat play. Music will be played by two of Miami’s hottest Hip Hop DJ’s Heron and Exes so make sure you bring your dancing shoes. We will be celebrating all night.

Sunday May 24

Ballet Flamenco La Rosa and Miami Dance Festival Present “El Padre” with special guest artist Carmela Greco 5/23/15 – 5/24/15

Miami Dade County Auditorium
Miami Dade County Auditorium, 
2901 W Flagler St, Miami, FL, Florida 33135
Webpage Link
Cost: $33 VIP $28 Advance $23 Seniors/Students

Monday May 25

Remembering Our Heroes 5/25/15

Remembering Our Heroes
Monday, 05/25/2015 – 11:00 am – 
Woodlawn Park Cemetery
3260 SW 8th Street, 
Coral Gables, Florida 33135
None Link
Cost: Complimentary

The Greater Miami Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee honors Veterans with a Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony. Those wishing to honor our fallen heroes are invited to a Wreath Laying Ceremony featuring presentations by the singing Miamians, a parade of color guards, and special remarks by BG General Kurt L. Sontag, US Army, Commanding General, Special Operations Command South. Those participating include Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10212 Commander Oswaldo (Ozzy) Perez, the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 620 President Luis E. Lalama, The Cuban American Veterans Association President Marco Gorrin, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10212 Auxiliary President Miriam C. Molleda, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 346 President Irma R. Montes, American Legion Post 346 Commander Jorge L. Montes, and Chaplain FR. Luis Fernandez, Major USAF (Ret.) Light refreshments, courtesy of Woodlawn Park Cemetery, will be served following the ceremony.

Tuesday May 26

Soul Of Miami presents River Of Art #22 Business + Arts Social Event at La Gloutonnerie 5/26/15

Soul Of Miami presents River Of Art #22 Business + Arts Social Event
Tuesday, May 26, 6:30pm-9:30pm
La Gloutonnerie
81 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Tickets: $10 with Advance Purchase, Promo Code: SOUL
$20 at the door.
Buy Advance Tickets Now Advance Ticket sales end at 2:00pm on May 26th
Includes complimentary tastings and drink specials courtesy of La Gloutonnerie.
Proceeds go to support Life Is Art’s mission of supporting the arts and community.
Hashtag: #RiverOfArt
Share with your Facebook friends

Bringing People and Art Together
Life Is Art & Soul Of Miami present the River Of Art with an exciting evening of business networking featuring an interesting show, excellent music, delicious cuisine tastings and refreshing beverages. The River Of Art is a monthly gathering place of Miami’s good people, executives, industrialists, innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, changemakers, activists, and artists. Attendees enjoy complimentary tastings and drink specials with entry.

Featuring
Visual Artists: Sandra R. Epps, Theresa Echeverry, Courtney Einhorn
Charities: No More Tears, Best Buddies
Music: DJ Hank Justice

Each month, Life Is Art brings the community together at our River Of Art pop-up art-in-public-places show to socialize through the power of the arts with the goal of exposing new artists, introducing new people to art appreciation, providing an inspiring space to make new connections, showcasing local businesses and charities, while providing a fun break during the work week.

Art is an inspiring talking point, discussing it is a great way to break the ice. Culture is one of the primary elements that build community and hosting a business networker within an art show is a unique way to encourage socializing, so attendees are encouraged to bring plenty of business cards and an open mind.

Premiere Sponsor: Spectrum Miami
Partners: Fabulous Miami – YOMiami – SocialMedia305 – Catalyst Miami – InTheLoop305 – Arts & Business Council – Bakehouse Art Complex – Association of Fundraising Professionals – Social Media Club South Florida – The New Tropic
With 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.

Wednesday May 27

Charmed by Charity Soiree at Alex & Ani 5/27/15

“Charmed by Charity Soiree” at Alex & Ani
Wednesday, 05/27/2015 – 06:00 pm – 08:00 pm
Alex & Ani
1012 Las Olas Blvd, 
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

Fort Lauderdale’s hottest new retailer, Alex & Ani, is inviting everyone out for an evening of shopping and the chance to make a difference in the lives of millions when they host a “Charmed by Charity Soiree” in the newly-opened store to benefit Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. 15% of all sales during the event will be given back to the organization whose mission is to find a cure for digestive diseases and to improve the quality of life for the sufferers. The sparkling night will include small bites and delicious sips and is free to the public. For more information please contact Robin Cartwright at rcartwright@ccfa.org or 561-218-2929.

Thursday May 28

The Education Fund’s For the Love of Art Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration presented by Ocean Bank 5/28/15

The Education Fund’s For the Love of Art Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration presented by Ocean Bank
Thursday, 05/28/2015 – 05/28/2015 06:00 pm – 09:15 pm
Douglas Entrance
806 S. Douglas Road, South Tower Penthouse, 
Coral Gables, Florida 33134
Webpage Link
Cost: $125 per ticket, sponsorships available

The Education Fund to auction 180 pieces of original student, teacher art at the annual For the Love of Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration

6 – 9 p.m. Thursday, May 28 at Douglas Entrance South Tower Penthouse in Coral Gables

WHAT: The Education Fund’s For the Love of Art Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration presented by Ocean Bank, will showcase more than 180 original pieces of artwork created by Miami-Dade County public school students and teachers. This Children’s Trust sponsored event showcases artwork crafted from materials found at The Education Fund’s Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials, a warehouse with donated supplies where teachers can pick up free materials for classroom projects and for their students.

For the Love of Art features the Sapoznik Insurance Public School Alumni Achievement Awards, which honors 30 extraordinary community leaders who graduated from public schools.

In addition, the auction will feature more 120 luxury items, performances by the New World School of the Arts Alumni Jazz Combo, special drinks by Bacardi, and catering by the 2015 Teacher of the Year Chef Myrna Betancourt and her students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

EVENT TITLE: The Education Fund For the Love of Art Annual Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration

BENEFITTING: Miami Dade County public school art programs and The Education Fund’s Ocean Bank Center

WHEN: Thursday, May 28
6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: Douglas Entrance, South Tower Penthouse
806 S. Douglas Road
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Valet and self-parking available

WHY: The annual charity event supports and raises funds for The Education Fund, which has acted on the belief that the quality of public schools must be the top priority for our community. Working with the private sector for 26 years, The Education Fund has raised more than $50 million to support and improve public schools with an emphasis on designing and implementing innovative initiatives. The goal is to ensure that every child learns, graduates and succeeds.

Tickets are $125 per person. Available at EducationFund.org and at the event.
Call 305-558-4544, ext. 107

CONNECT: The Education Fund Website: www.educationfund.org
Like The Education Fund on Facebook at www.facebook.com/educationfundmiami.
Follow us on Twitter @EducationFund. The event hashtag is #edfundart

INDIAN CREEK ISLAND ROAD IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE STREET IN AMERICA

Indian Creek Island Road is the only road on Indian Creek Google Maps

When you’re rich, the only information on your driver’s license that really matters is your address. Real estate says everything, and there’s no more exclusive street to have on that ID in the entire United States of America than Indian Creek Island Road right here in Miami-Dade. Zillow crunched the numbers and found that the average home on the street is worth $21.4 million dollars.

That’s considerably more expensive than second place Beverly Park Circle out in Beverly Hills, California where celebs likes Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington live in a comparative shanty town where the average home is only worth $16.2 million.

Of course, its not exactly a secret that the island village of Indian Creek right off of Miami Beach is a multi-millionaire and billionaire haven. Billionaire businessmen like Norman Braman and Carl Ichan call it home, as do both Iglesiases, Julio and Enrique, and Sabado Gigante host Don Francisco. In fact, four of America’s 500 richest people have homes (or at least second homes) on the island.

Indian Creek Island Road is the only road on the island (with the exception of 91st street which only serves to connect the island with nearby Surfside). It draws a “U” through the island with mansions on one side and the island’s country club and golf course in the center.

If you want a peek at an example of a typical home on the island, here’s a look at one that sold for $47 million back in 2012. It broke records as the most expensive residential real estate transaction in Miami-Dade history.

Arvida Parkway is the main road in the Gables Estates neighborhood Google Maps

Though, it’s not the only Miami-Dade street in Zillow’s top ten. Arvida Parkway in Coral Gables comes in at 10th place with an average home price of $11.2 million. That’s the main road through the Gables Estates, and is apparently much fancier than its nearly parallel sister street Leucadendra Drive. Former Miami Heat player Alonzo Mourning and Heat President Pat Riley use to own homes on the street but have sold them in recent years. Other resident’s names aren’t quite as A-List, but they probably prefer it that way tucked all the way down there in Coral Gables.

Nearby Tahiti Beach Island Road, also down in Coral Gables, came in 14th. Homes there go for $10.3 million. Residents there include NFL player and University of Miami alum Jonathan Vilma and equity fund manager Bruce Berkowitz.

No other Florida streets were in the top ten.

MIAMI FIRST AMENDMENT ACTIVIST SUES FOR RIGHT TO FILM IN FLORIDA COURTROOM

Carlos Miller is suing to fight a Jacksonville judge’s restrictive media definition. Courtesy of Carlos Miller

For the past eight years, Carlos Miller has operated the Miami-based website Photography is Not a Crime (PINAC), a nationally-known free speech and media advocacy blog with roughly a million visitors a month. But recently a Jacksonville judge ruled the organization couldn’t film the trial of its own correspondent because the site doesn’t fit the court’s definition of a media organization.

Now PINAC is fighting back by filing a lawsuit to get the right to film in courtrooms.

“The laws are very clear,” Miller tells New Times. “But now, in this case, the judge does not want us to record…because they don’t like our organization.”

The case revolves around the trial of Michale Hoffman, a reporter for PINAC who is being charged with trespassing, a misdemeanor, for holding signs outside a local airport.

At Hoffman’s first hearing last October, another PINAC reporter requested to film the court proceedings and was allowed. But for a subsequent court date, Miller says, the court threw in a hurdle, forcing PINAC to apply for media credentials, then repeatedly denying its application.

In March, Judge Mark Mahon finally issued an order outlining a narrow definition of what constitutes media: traditional print and broadcast organizations that “reach or influence people widely”; and digital media that posts original news, has an editor review all stories, and can prove it has regular online visitors.

All kinds of blogs, or citizen journalists, would be effectively excluded, especially PINAC — even though the website’s viewership numbers roughly compare with those of the top news sites in Jacksonville, where the trial is taking place, Miller says. Throughout the process, Miller says, PINAC has repeatedly tried to comply with the requirements, but the judge keeps “moving the goal post” — adding in restrictions like a nonsensical mandate that to be authorized to cover the judicial system an organization has to have already covered the judicial system for six months. “He’s just trying to put all kinds of obstacles in front of us,” Miller says.

But Miller is confident the law is actually on his side. In Florida, he says, in order to bar the filming of a trial the court in effect has to prove there’s a good reason for a camera not to be present, which usually is that it compromises a fair trial for the defendant. But in this case the party seeking to film is also the defendant, so the argument is ridiculous. And the judge’s restrictive media definition, Miller contends, will also ultimately be swiftly thrown out.

“The First Amendment says there’s freedom of the press,” Miller says. “It doesn’t say, ‘there’s freedom of the press if you run a newspaper.'”

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

 Friday, May 8th

Boston College Nelson Chair Roundtable Discussion

Saturday, May 9th

L.A. Boudoir Miami 5 Year Anniversary Celebration 5/9/15

Sunday, May 10th

Mother’s Day Brunch at Fresh American Bistro 

Monday, May 11th

CubaNostalgia

May 15 – 17, 2015

Arnold Hall Reilly Coliseum Fuchs Pavilion

May 15 & 16: 11AM – 11PM
May 17: 11AM – 10PM

Admission: Adults – $12
Under 12 Years Old – $6

Attractions & Highlights
– A celebration of Cuban culture
– Exhibits
– Art
– Music
– History
– Memorabilia
– Food

Phone: (305) 856-7595
Fax: (305) 857-0027

www.cubanostalgia.org

email: info@cubanostalgia.org

Link – www.cubanostalgia.org

– See more at: http://www.thefair.me/thefair/calendar.php#sthash.hdlSm0UG.dpuf

Tuesday, May 12th

Maker Hour: A Primer on the Maker Movement 5/12/15

Wednesday, May 13th

Aqua Girl: A Party for a Cause

Aqua Girl® traces its beginnings to the year 1999. That year, Alison Burgos and NYC’s legendary women’s producer, Shescape, gathered a committee of like-minded women from around South Florida to produce an exciting one-night event to benefit breast cancer. The event, Sweet Charity, was an extraordinary dance event bringing together over 800 women and raising over $15,000 for two local breast cancer organizations, Cancer Link and Gilda’s Club.

In 2000, Sweet Charity grew into an entire weekend of events and Aqua Girl® was born. The goal was to create a dynamic national fundraising weekend celebrating women and the issues that affect them. Women descended on Miami from all over the world and the first year of this spectacular weekend of events was a huge success.

We can’t believe how time flies. Now in its sixteenth fabulous year, Aqua Girl® continues to attract women from all corners of the country, the Americas and around the globe. The week continues to grow with an ever-expanding variety of events that enhance its appeal and have created what is now the hottest women’s festivals in the country.

As the largest charity women’s week in the country, your participation in Aqua Girl® contributes to a very good cause. In fact, 100% of the proceeds from Aqua Girl® benefit the Aqua Foundation for Women, a not-for-profit foundation whose primary mission is to serve as the funding catalyst for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender wellness and equality in South Florida through grants, scholarships, and initiatives.

Thursday, May 14th

Miami Dance Festival 2015 4/4/15 – 5/24/15

Miami Dance Festival

St. John’s on the Bay
4945 Pinetree Drive
Miami Beach
Free Admission

Arts at St. John’s On the Lake United Methodist Church, a collaborative improvisational program with Guest Artist J.J. Freire, percussionist.

BAYFRONT PARK POLLUTED WITH LEAD AND ARSENIC, NEEDS CLEANUP BEFORE ULTRA 2016

Fireworks and ravers at Bayfront Park during Ultra Music Festival. Photo by George Martinez/gmartnx.com

Bayfront Park is polluted. There is lead, arsenic, and other toxins in the soil. This contamination was actually discovered during last year’s survey of the City of Miami’s 112 public parks, which followed the discovery of poison ash in Coconut Grove at the former site of the Old Smokey municipal trash incinerator, since used as a training center for the fire-rescue department. But now, finally, the cleanup is being planned.

Opened in 1925, Bayfront was created by filling a 62.5-acre piece of land with mud pumped up from the bottom of Biscayne Bay. This is perhaps how the tainted dirt ended up at park. However, it had been previously used as a shipyard by the Florida East Coast Railway for years. And there was also a landscaping redesign in the 1980s that could have brought toxic soil to downtown Miami’s most prominent green space. But at no time in the 20th century was the earth tested, and city officials have no idea how it became polluted.

Of course, Bayfront, now 32 acres, is only one of Miami’s so-called “poison parks.” As the city has surveyed its green spaces, lead-, arsenic-, and barium-laced toxic ash from Old Smokey and other toxins have been found in the dirt of many other parks, including Blanche Park and Merrie Christmas Park, as well as Douglas, Curtis, Southside, Brothers to the Rescue, and Billy Rolle Domino parks. Even the former Bicentennial Park, now the location of the Pérez Art Museum Miami and once the site of Port Miami docks, was discovered to be contaminated in 2010.

So far, cleanup of Miami’s parks has cost millions of dollars. And money is predictably the major point of contention in the current negotiations between Miami-Dade County environmental regulators, the City of Miami, and the Bayfront Park Management Trust over how — and even whether — to remove Bayfront’s lead- and arsenic-tainted soil.

The Bayfront Park Management Trust makes much of its yearly revenue from Ultra Music Festival. Photo by George Martinez/gmartnx.com

At a meeting this week of city officials and the trust, the Miami Herald reports, the price of cleaning up Bayfront (as estimated by consultants from SCS Engineers) was said to be several hundred thousand dollars to over $1 million. The most expensive method would be total removal of the tainted dirt. This sort of approach took 18 months and $1.2 million at Merrie Christmas Park in Coconut Grove.

The Bayfront Park Management Trust, the controlling agency responsible for all Bayfront-related business, insists it has neither the funds, nor the time for a pricey and lengthy cleanup. The trust is also perturbed about paying the bill on its own without contributions from the city.

“The whole issue has been moving along extremely slowly,” trust chairman and Miami city commissioner Frank Carollo said, according to the Herald. “The only city park that the city has not been paying for any of the work, and where there is no plan for the remediation, is Bayfront Park. This is expensive, especially for an organization that doesn’t receive any money from the city of Miami.”

Certain trust board members, including Carollo, even suggested the removal of the toxic soil is unnecessary, because the pollution is low enough to not actually pose a public health risk.

As quoted by the Herald, trust member Nathan Kurland said: “You would have to literally ingest the dirt to get sick. I want the park to be a safe place for people to be. But we’d like to see some kind of sanity involved in this.”

(Found in lower concentrations than at other Miami parks, based on the results of city tests, Bayfront’s lead and arsenic is present in soil along Biscayne Boulevard between NE First and Second streets, an area that’s currently restricted and cordoned off.)

Still, despite the trust’s objections and the seemingly less dangerous levels of contamination at Bayfront, city officials insisted on a cleanup and threatened to close the park, just as the since-reopened Merrie Christmas was shut down, if the trust refused to cooperate.

In the end, Carollo, Kurland, and the other dissenting trust members relented, voting to contract consultants for a cleanup plan. The fee for those services will be $100,000.

Another, probably more serious cost concern for the Bayfront Park Management Trust is the potential loss of funds generated over the coming year from leasing the park to event organizers.

The Bayfront Park Amphitheater was just recently rebooted by Live Nation, which announced an ambitious spring/summer schedule featuring eight major concerts by acts like Nicki Minaj, Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson, and the Culture Club. But it seems unlikely that any cleanup would interfere with these live-music shows, because the polluted patch of dirt is all the way on the other side of the park.

However, with 11 months till Ultra 2016, the trust’s most lucrative weekend of the year may be at risk. And that’s why, as board members even admitted to the Herald, they really can’t afford an 18-month cleanup.

We are so excited for Maker Space and expansive thinking!

MEET MIAMI’S FIRST MAKERSPACE: MIAMI INDUSTRIAL ARTS 

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From Herring’s Raku demonstration during the Innovation and Engineering Weekend at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. Courtesy of James Herring/World Red Eye

Miami has no shortage of artists and creative types. While there are a lot of homegrown talents living and working here, there is also a large community of transplants looking to evolve artistically in this newish mecca for the arts. With many high-profile events and institutions taking place and hold within this community, it’s easy to lose focus on the nurturing aspects of the arts and the basic elements of creation. “Makerspaces” anyone?

“What we are trying to do here with this collaboration between Miami Industrial Arts and MADE at The Citadel, is nurture creative thinking,” explains master potter James Herring. “These two groups are formed to bring together artists, designers, engineers, craft practitioners, programmers, and makers of every level from amateur to professional in an environment that will foster collaboration, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Herring, the exhibition manager at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, is a well-known practitioner and advocate for pottery. As a man who has worked artistically and professionally with his hands, he understands the necessity for a makerspace in Miami.

A makerspace is an easy solution for those, amateur and professionals alike, who are looking to get back to basics, but can’t afford the tools and hardware that creation necessitates.

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James Herring at the wheel during the Innovation and Engineering Weekend at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. Courtesy of James Herring/World Red Eye

RELATED STORIES

• MADE at the Citadel: A Peek Inside Miami’s Newest Creative Space

• Spanish Artist Antoni Tàpies Is Still Present in His Paintings

“Experiencing the joy of creating is clearly as fundamental to being human as is eating and sleeping,” says Miami Industrial Arts (MIA) founder Paul Thomas. “All across the United States, a revival of the maker identity is taking place. [..]Makerspaces are public workshops, where you can have access to tools and machinery, as well as the knowledge and skills to fuel your learning and creativity.”

MIA is the first makerspace in South Florida and as such is leading this charge with its 6,000 square feet warehouse housing a fully equipped wood shop, metalworking tools, ceramics area and instructional space for workshops and demonstrations.

What makes a makerspace unique and an attractive option is the ready-made infrastructure that it provides. With membership packages ranging on a dependence on time commitment, MIA offers a great yearlong membership for $110 a month with prices increasing to $150 per month depending on monthly commitment. Even at $150 for a month, the access to tools in a rent-free space is a mere pittance.

MIA’s goal to provide the community a fully operational and funded makerspace can only occur through membership fees and fundraisers. Many in the community have already come aboard and made donations, like Swampspace’s Oliver Sanchez who donated woodturning chisels, and MADE at the Citadel who have joined in creating a Raku evening benefitting the fledgling ceramics studio within MIA.

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From Herring’s Raku demonstration during the Innovation and Engineering Weekend at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. Courtesy of James Herring/World Red Eye

“This Raku night is a way to introduce people to ‘learning through making,’” says Herring. “Raku is a traditional Japanese glazing and firing technique first devised in the 16 century to satisfy the needs of the tea masters to the Shogun who was the de facto leader of that nation. The Japanese Tea Ceremony was designed to focus the attention of the participants on the beauty of everyday objects and to remove class distinctions.”

The  Raku lead event will help fund the ceramics department.There will be ready-made pots for purchase at $15 (or two for $25) that will be glazed, raku-ed and ready to take home that night.

As introduction to the benefits of a makerspace in a community, I’m hard-pressed in thinking of a better one that marries artistry and neighborhood empowerment with the grace of the collaborative spirit; ensuring Miami’s continued vitality as a nest and destination for creative types at any skill level.

Herring puts it best into perspective, “this is a way of bringing people to the space, to raise some funds for the ceramics program and maybe have someone walk away with an object they actually helped create. Often people just need something to get them past the idea that they are incapable of making anything.”

Raku Night at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, at Miami Industrial Arts, 300 NW 73rd St., Miami. Call 305-772-5043.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday, May 1st

Scars and Stripes: The Immigrant’s Story 5/1/15

Saturday, May 2nd

Mayweather vs Pacquiao Watch Party 5/2/15

Sunday, May 3rd

Special Olympics Sponsor and Athlete 5k

Monday, May 4th

Cinco de Cleve-o 

Tuesday, May 5th

Tea Tuesday: Mother’s Day 5/5/15

Wednesday, May 6th

Rachel Deahl Publishing 101 

Thursday, May 7th

We wanted to take today to recognize the incredible work and education that is taking place at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.

There are always a plethora of events taking place here in our city, but often cultural facilitators and educators are not highlighted enough.

We hope that you can all take the time to participate in their programming.

You can find their event calendar listed here

We loved this project that was created four years ago. What if we made this a yearly ongoing exhibition that worked to highlight Miami’s Local Culture – the historic and changes faces of our neighborhoods?

A SKETCHY PARTY CELEBRATES MIAMI LOCALS AS ARTISTS AND AS SUBJECTS

If ever you’ve wanted a sketch of yourself that wasn’t an outrageous caricature, or even wanted to try your hand at sketching, now is your chance. Sketchy Miami is having alaunch party at Lester’s this Thursday.

Sketchy Miami features portraits, or sketchys as they call them, of people from all over the Magic City. It’s a project by the folks at BeachedMiami with the mission statement” “The goal of Sketchy Miami is simple and impossible: to create a portrait of every person in Miami.”

Residents submit their photos to the blog, which artists then turn into portraits. And by “artist,” they mean anyone who wants to participate.

Laura of Miami by Nicolette Sketchy Miami

“The relationship between portraitist and portrait subject is one of the

strongest in the history of art, and we want to facilitate that

relationship between as many Miamians as possible,” said Robby Campbell,

who runs Sketchy Miami. “Portraiture is traditionally a stuffy genre, but, as you can see on the site, it doesn’t have to be.”

Tony Dandrades by Nadyia Duff Sketchy Miami

To submit a photo of yourself, or a sketch of someone else, just click on the corresponding tab at the top of the site and enter your information along with the image. The sketchys are then featured on the blog for everyone to see.  They would like to eventually exhibit the sketchys offline, but have no concrete plans at the moment.

The upcoming party will feature local artists ready to do quick portraits of guests, “particularly those with handsome moustaches and/or adorable ears,” says Campbell. Artists include Ximena Prugue, Elizannette Blanco, Brian Butler, Annie Blazejack, and Carrie Sieh.
Lester’s is discounting beer 25 percent for the first hour, and Joey’s is

serving up free pizza. And in keeping with the local theme, Miami-born

singer Sam Friend will perform.

Leah Weston by Ximena Prugue Sketchy Miami

“This is not a curated

project and we aren’t trying — and don’t expect — to get a thousand

Mona Lisas. We’d prefer to get a million different Sketchys that show

how creative and diverse a city Miami really is,” said Campbell.

Attend a Sketchy Party, presented by BeachedMiami, this Thursday at Lester’s (2519 NW Second Ave., Miami). The party begins at 8 p.m. and is free.

Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday, April 24th

Emerge Amadlozi Gallery Exhibition

6:00 pm – 09:00 pm

Saturday, April 25th

Children’s BookFest 

10:30 am – 4:30 pm

Sunday, April 26th

The Ultimate Pro-Audio Sound Lab 

Monday, April 27th

FOUNDATIONS, PARAMETERS AND VOLUMES

 LOCATION INFO:

Tuesday, April 28th

Rose Max & Ramatis Trio at LILT Lounge

Wednesday, April 29th

Miami Dance Festival 2015 4/4/15 – 5/24/15

Miami Dance Festival

Thursday, April 30th

SunFest 4/29/15-5/3/14

To piggyback off of our Tuesday blog post we wanted to highlight the article that was released a few years back around the arrests made of restaurant owners in Wynwood. To the community we will ask, has this type of policing been set to rest or will this conversation rear its head agian.

WYNWOOD BAR OWNERS SAY THERE’S A CONSPIRACY TO KILL THE NEIGHBORHOOD

This article was shared via NewTimes Miami on Thursday, April 16, 2015. The question that we want to ask is: What do we as a community want to see become of Ocean Drive. What was the original culture of the area and space? How do we work to preserve our original cultural blueprint of our commercial and tourist areas that make them accessible for community members and visiting parties?

Miami Beach Moves To Ban Late Alcohol Sales As Mayor Calls Ocean Drive A “Cancer”

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday, May 1st

eMerge Americas 5/1/15 – 5/5/15

Saturday, May 2nd

Art and Artisan Expo- Haitian Cultural Month

Sunday, May 3rd

Gulliver Hosts Special Olympics Sponsor An Athlete 5k Run/Walk 

Monday, May 4th

“Hurricanes” 

Tuesday, May 5th

Cinco De WallBrawl presented by El Jimador Tequila 5/5/15

Wednesday, May 6th

Rachel Deahl Publishing 101 5/6/15

Thursday, May 7th

“Global Positioning Systems”

Jonathan Hernandez

 DETAILS

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

4/17/15

Peter Hook and The Light 

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Grand Central
697 N Miami Ave.,
Miami, Florida 33136
Webpage Link
Cost: $25

In May 2010, Peter Hook, legendary bassist of both Joy Division and later New Order, decided to honour the outstanding work of his first band and the undoubted genius of the late Ian Curtis by giving people the opportunity to hear both of Joy Division’s masterpiece albums, ‘Unknown Pleasures’ and ‘Closer’, live and in their entireties. Backed by his new band The Light, Hooky first played ‘Unknown Pleasures’ at the Factory club in Manchester on May 18th & 19th 2010 in order to celebrate the life of Ian – one stand alone sold out night quickly became two, and due to phenomenal worldwide demand, Hooky then began taking the show on the road with headline gigs & major festival appearances throughout Europe, a full tour of Australia & New Zealand as well as the band’s first tour of the United States in December which culminated in Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell appearing live with the lads in Los Angeles to sing ‘Transmission’.

4/18/15

YoungArts Presents Outside the Box: The Langston Hughes Project 

07:00 pm – 09:00 pm
YoungArts Campus
2100 Biscayne Blvd,
Miami, Florida 33137
Webpage Link
Cost: Free; RSVP:outsidethebox@youngarts.org

In honor of National Poetry Month, YoungArts will present Outside the Box: The Langston Hughes Project, a multimedia concert performance of Hughes’ Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz, on April 18. Directed by YoungArts Master Teacher Ron McCurdy, this epic jazz poem suite in music and verse about the struggle for artistic and social freedom in the ‘60s will feature McCurdy’s quartet, YoungArts Alumnus Kenyon Adams (1997 YoungArts Winner in Theater and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) and special surprise guests.

 4/19/15

IMUSA USA to Participate in Walk Now for Autism Speaks 

9:00 am –
JC Bermudez Park / Doral Central Park
3000 NW 87th Ave,
Doral, Florida 33172
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

Walk Now for Autism Speaks is an inspirational and impactful opportunity to raise money and awareness to help change the future for all those who struggle with autism, which IMUSA USA has been a proud sponsor of since 2009. This year IMUSA will continue the tradition by participating in the Walk Now, as well as the Puzzle Piece Campaign in partnership with Sedanos to get the local community involved to donate $1 per puzzle piece to help raise money and awareness for Autism Speaks. Along with other fundraising, IMUSA will also be selling their Puzzle piece pans at the walk on April 19th.

4/20/15

Reaching New Heightz vol. 2

Where

170 Northeast 38th Street, Miami, FL 33137, USA

Event Details

4-20 Special Hosted by Marcus Blake … Mixtape release Show/Event at The Stage in Miami, FL For HeighTz and his Brand new Mixtape Reaching New HeighTz VoL.2 Hosted by DJ Yoyo. Other real dope Talented artists will also be hitting the stage as well like Guapo Breaksbars Tyler VerseWon Miller Eric Orion Toledo Hazey Hendricks Ray Sookdial Jonathan Heimann Marcos Fernandez so get ready to make a movie and puff it down and have a great night. Ya don’t want to miss out on this one.

4/21/15

Lilt Lounge: Agustin Conti Trio

---

Jazz Agustin Conti is a very talented innovated jazz musician. He will perform a fusion of tango and jazz through original compositions. Free

 

4/22/15

Scott Marischen Trio at LILT Lounge 

9:00 pm – 12:00 am

LILT Lounge
270 Biscayne Way Blvd.,
Miami, Florida 33131
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

Scott Marischen plays a variety of instruments such the harp, acoustic and electric music, coconuts and even trashcans. LILT Lounge brings the first high-design lounge to downtown Miami with nightly live music curated by Kristian Caro and creative cocktails by Dean Feddaoui. Lounge opens at 6 p.m. with social bites by acclaimed executive chef Wolfgang Birk including charcuterie & cheese, oysters & caviar, lobster cocktail and tuna tartare gazpacho. Happy Hour runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and includes fine champagnes from $7 per glass and a daily selection of oysters at $1.

4/23/15

Smart City Startups 

02:00 pm – 08:00 pm
Wynwood Warehouse Project
450 Northwest 27th Street,
Miami, Florida 33127
Webpage Link
Cost: $99.00-$499.00

The Smart City Startups Festival is a unique opportunity to see, try and ride the very best emerging technologies from 100 of todays leading startups that are re-imagining cities. You can meet their creators, too.
You can hear about the future of cities from award-winning sci-fi author and researcher, Ramez Naam, who Wired has described as “Scary Good”. And CNNMoney’s Aimee Rawlins will discuss the changing meaning of “location, location, location” in the face of massive changes in mobility technologies.
We’ll also ask for your opinion to help us select 3 startups to bring to South Florida to take on challenges in areas like mobility, economic development and climate change.
Smart City Startups is made possible with support from Knight Foundation, Direct Energy, The National League of Cities, Max Borges Agency, Cognicity and Urban.Us. With their support, we are able to invite the very best Urbantech startups to Miami.

In Light of continued conversations about race in our community. We felt that it is important to share some facts about current white sentiments against people of color in our communities.

STUDY: WHITE FLORIDIANS ARE PRETTY RACIST

Posted on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014 | 4 MONTHS AGO

Some white people seem to think the only way to be racist is to wear a KKK hood while shouting the n-word. That’s not the case, and often racism is more subtle and codified. So much so that a racist may not even know how racist they’re being.

Project Implicit, as the name would suggest, seeks to explore implicit biases, and over 2 million people have taken their Implicit Association Test which measures people’s hidden biases — negative associations based on skin color the taker might not even know they have.

Turns out that white people in Florida tend to be amongst the most implicitly racist in America.

The map above, via the Washington Post, shows each state’s white population’s implicit biases against black people.

Florida scored a 0.436 (1 would represent totally racist, 0 would be totally not racist). Granted, that’s slightly less racist than the stretch of deep south state from Louisiana to South Carolina just above us, but its nothing to be proud of. We’re more racist than Texas!

Though, the Post notes the data is not based on a random sample, and rather based on people who voluntarily took the test: “which may actually mean they are less biased than average. (After all, at least they wanted to know how biased they are.)”

“These volunteers are younger, more educated, more politically liberal, and more female than the U.S. population as a whole,” the creator of the test, psychologist Anthony Greenwald of the University of Washington, told the paper.

Which is to say that this really isn’t a perfect measure of Florida’s racism, but it does tell us that any notion that racism is somehow less prevalent in Florida than it is in the cultural deep south is a lie.

If you’re interested in finding out about your own implicit biases, you can do so here.

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

4/10/15

Miami Watercolor Society Spring Exhibition 2015 

Are you familiar with the PAMM Fund for African American Art? If not check them out and think about how you can support their cause.
​The PAMM Fund for African American Art was initiated with a $1 million grant, funded equally by Jorge M. Pérez and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, for the purchase of contemporary art by African American artists for the museum’s permanent collection. Through the fund, the museum first acquired works by Al Loving, Faith Ringgold and Xaviera Simmons. These pieces joined other significant PAMM collection objects by artists such as Leonardo Drew, Sam Gilliam, Rashid Johnson, Lorna Simpson, James Van Der Zee, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley and Purvis Young.

Join Pérez Art Museum Miami as an Ambassador for African American Art, and your participation will help PAMM acquire and exhibit major works by African American artists for years to come. 

Join Ambassadors

Advocate $250
Steward $1,000
Guardian $2,500

90% of each gift is fully tax deductible and is fully directed toward the fund.

Advocate

Support the Fund with a donation of $250 or more. Enjoy Dual museum membership including free admission for 12 months and 10 percent discount at the PAMM Shop and the waterfront Verde Restaurant. You will receive invitations to quarterly Ambassadors’ events and name recognition in PAMM’s e-newsletter and on PAMM’s website.

Steward

Make a contribution of $1,000 or more and you will also receive a complimentary invitation for two to PAMM’s official Miami Art Week/Art Basel celebration, plus select talks and tours with art connoisseurs and curators throughout the year.

Guardian

With a contribution of $2,500 or more receive all benefits listed above, plus four complimentary guest passes for friends and family and an invitation to a special recognition event.

PAMM Fund for African American Art Advisory Committee: To support the planning and selection process, the museum has put together an advisory committee, led by PAMM Chief Curator Tobias Ostrander, comprising of renowned curators, art historians,and artists. Advisory group participants are: Thom Collins, director of PAMM; Tobias Ostrander, chief curator and deputy director for curatorial affairs of PAMM; Naomi Beckwith, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Adler Guerrier, Haitian-born artist living and working in Miami; Carole F. Hall, former editor-in-chief of African American interest books at John Wiley & Sons; Tumelo Mosaka, contemporary art curator at the Krannert Art Museum in Urbana-Champaign, Ill; Toni Randolph, Miami-based art collector; Dennis Scholl, Vice President / Arts for the Knight Foundation; Lowery Stokes Sims, curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York; and Michele Wallace, professor of English at The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Photos from recent related events

View Flickr album

View Facebook album

Miami Gardens, the city that’s home to Sun Life Stadium and one of Florida’s highest crime rates, has had a wrenchingly difficult week. Days after police fatally shot a mentally ill man armed with a broom, city leaders are now dealing with an apparent hate crime.

Yesterday, someone spray-painted “KKK” symbols — along with phrases like “move out” — around Miami Gardens. City leaders and civil rights activists this morning are calling for justice.

See also: Internet Won’t Let Lavall Hall, Mentally Ill Man Shot by Miami Gardens Police, Be Forgotten

“We condemn this vandalism,” Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Florida Regional Director Hava Holzhauer said in statement to New Times. “We urge law enforcement to investigate this as a potential hate crime, as well as for all members of the community to publicly denounce this hateful vandalism.”

The graffiti was found in at least five locations around Miami Gardens, a predominantly African-American city.

Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson told reporters that the department is treating the graffiti as a grave crime. “Prank or no prank, we are going to be treating this very seriously,” he told the media.

A police spokesman told New Times this morning that no new information has emerged in the case.

The ADL, though, says that whoever left the graffiti had one goal in mind: intimidating residents in their own homes.

“[It was likely] someone within the community who seeks to instill fear in a particular group with the intent of pushing them out of the neighborhood,” Holzhauer says.

The crime comes as Johnson scrambles to deal with outrage over Monday’s shooting of Lavall Hall, a schizophrenic man whose mother had called police for help during an episode. Hall was shot and killed when he used a broom handle to attack two officers.

Anti-police-violence activists have seized on the death as the latest in the #BlackLivesMatter campaign on Twitter and Facebook, while Johnson has been quick to defend the officers involved.

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday, 4.3.15

Mega Egga Hunt! Adventure at Jungle Island

Saturday, 4.4.15

Miami Dance Festival 2015

Sunday, 4.5.15

Easter Sunday Brunch at Jalapeño Mexican Kitchen

Monday, 4.6.15

Rootsy Juicy Reggae

Where: Purdy Lounge | 1811 Purdy Ave. Miami Beach, FL  33139

It’s Monday night. The work day is over and you’re still sobering up from the weekend. Lucky for you, there’s always a place where you can unwind after ending the crappiest day of the work week: Purdy. The SoBe watering hole has been the go-to underground Monday night reggae party for almost a decade. Jean P. Jams plays the marimba and DJ Icue mixes tracks all night. The best part: $4 Prestige beer. Yeah, mon

Tuesday, 4.7.15

A Picture & Poem Can Voice a 1000 Wrongs

Where: Bakehouse Art Complex | 561 NW 32nd St.Miami, FL  33127

When: 12pm – 2:30pm

University of Miami Intensive English Program presents an afternoon of bilingual poems to highlight issues of social justice.

Wednesday, 4.8.15

Ecommerce For Beginners Workshop

Thursday, 4.9.15

ARTcycle

When: Open to Close

This event and commentary was put out by The Atlantic back in February of this year. Seeing, we have had a few months to reflect. What are your thoughts and reactions? What has changed? What remains?

Police Officers React to the Bad Behavior of Cops in Miami Gardens

After highlighting a scandal in Miami Gardens, Florida, where police officers arrested a man for trespassing dozens of times even though he was at his place of employment, I solicited insights from law-enforcement personnel in my readership. What did they make of the story? How did they explain the fact that the abusive behavior continued for so long? What did they regard as an appropriate punishment? How would they guard against similar abuses elsewhere? How would they react if they encountered colleagues treating a man that way?

Several were generous enough to share their thoughts.

One correspondent has spend roughly a decade at a federal law enforcement agency. He writes:

I came across your article coincidentally after a colleague and I were discussing the This American Life podcast you referenced. We in law enforcement are feeling a little underappreciated these days, but to answer the question you pose at the end of your article regarding how I feel about the behavior of the Miami Gardens police department, in a word, I am sickened.

I feel every bit as outraged as I imagine anyone listening to the account was, as does everyone in law enforcement that I have discussed this with. This behavior undermines the credibility and perceived legitimacy of law enforcement everywhere, and bolsters the narrative that so many in the media and elsewhere are trying to push today: that police are biased and trampling the rights of citizens everywhere. I have no statistics at hand to prove that the Miami Gardens case is an anomaly, I only have my own experiences and observations. Every day when I go to work, I see people in Federal, State and Local law enforcement working together to try to make a difference, trying to treat all people they encounter with respect and dignity, and trying to make the world a better place. Do we get a little cynical at times? Sure. Are we sometimes frustrated by a lack of cooperation we get?  You bet. Are there times when our jobs feel completely futile? Too many, but at the end of the day, can we look ourselves in the mirror and say with conviction that we did something to make things a little better? The answer is yes.

In any profession or large population, there are going to be examples of misconduct. In a country with thousands of arrests, there are going to be some that go wrong, or could have gone better. These should absolutely be investigated. Procedures should be reformed. Personnel should be disciplined (or prosecuted) if called for. But to taint an entire profession, built around the “to serve and protect” ideal, by viewing them only through the lens of the Miami Gardens case or other examples of police misconduct is wrong.

One of the most frustrating things to listen to in the This American Lifepodcast came in Part 1, Act 2, when the Milwaukee police responded to a shooting, and did by all accounts a thorough, professional and respectful investigation, which resulted in the arrest of the perpetrator. Despite this, the complainant, Trina, stated that she still didn’t trust the police. That was tough to hear. I’m not sure what other experiences Trina had to make her feel like that, or what environment she was raised in that may have affected her trust in the police, but from the perspective of law enforcement it is very disheartening. It’s somewhat like being a waiter or waitress and really busting your butt to provide great service to a client and getting stiffed on the tip, except that you’re not a waiter, you’re actually doing something where you’re putting yourself in physical danger at times on behalf of the people you serve.

What bothered me most about the This American Life piece was not the Miami Gardens segment itself (I actually thought the piece was well done and informative, a story to be shared and learned from) but the fact that the segment was broadcast under the heading “Cops See it Differently,” intimating that all cops see the behavior discussed in the segment as acceptable, appropriate, or defensible. It most certainly is not any of those things. It represents a leadership failure, and if the allegations are true, a failure of personal integrity and violation of public trust for many of the officers involved.

Cops are entrusted with a lot of responsibility and need to be held accountable. Body cameras could be a potential solution, but with body cameras has to come the recognition that law enforcement is a tough job, often involving the need to make split second decisions, potentially having life or death consequences, based on limited information. Body cameras need to come with the understanding that cops are human and cannot be perfect 100% of the time, although they need to strive to be. Oh and they also need to come with the understanding that someone needs to pay for them.

Thank you for the opportunity to vent.  I’m glad someone actually asked for an opinion. Understand that all of the above represent my opinion as a private citizen and are not associated with any government or law enforcement agency.

Here’s another note that begins with the correspondent giving a brief synopsis of his career:

I’ll begin by letting you know that I’m a former Law Enforcement Officer who retired after 27 years of service. My career began in 1980 in the South Bronx as a member of the NYC Transit Police Department before it merged with the NYPD. My career coincided with a very turbulent and violent period in the history of New York City: the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80s and homicide rates that can best be described as astronomical. During these times, New York City was not a very safe place to live, work, or visit. I truly believe that my fellow officers were men and women who cared about the city and its people, who held a deep and sincere sense of caring that transcended the color of a person’s skin, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation.

There was a time when I viewed the world in which I lived and worked in as just black and white. There were good guys and bad guys, and no one in between. Fortunately that was a phase in my career that lasted for only a few years (this is attested to by a plaque I received from members of my unit  wishing “the liberal” luck upon his transfer to the narcotics division). What had happened to cause this change in my ‘good guy, bad guy’ philosophy? It was the realization that I could be a good cop without having to conform to that ‘good guy, bad guy’ mindset. That was a mantra that was embraced by many back then, and unfortunately, that still is true today, for a number of reasons.

It is hard for me to comprehend why a police officer would not investigate further to substantiate or disprove his claim that he was an employee of the Quickstop. It seems very simple and effortless. ‘Excuse me sir, does this individual work here?’ When empowered with the authority to take a man’s freedom you have a moral obligation to ensure that you do the right thing. It is clear that these police officers were not interested in doing the right thing. We all carry implicit biases with us, police officers included. And to deny that prejudice and racial bigotry may have played a role in Mr. Sampson’s sixty or so arrests is to be naive to say the least. Some may argue that neither prejudice nor racial bigotry on the part of the police had anything to do with Mr. Sampson’s plight. That this theory of ‘implicit bias’ is nothing more that liberal mumbo jumbo. To those I say, then why? Why was this man repeatedly arrested for a crime he did not commit? Why didn’t any of the police officers involved in his arrest have the common sense to have asked a question or two at the scene? I feel I’ve already rambled on too long, but I do feel strongly about this as someone who takes a great deal of pride in my profession.

A third correspondent has spent decades in Louisiana law enforcement. Female police officers from that state who read on will be glad to know that he is retired. He writes:

I grew up with many state troopers living nearby as a kid and I guess it’s what made me want to be a cop. First let me say this about Florida: It is one weird state as far as law enforcement goes. I know you will say to yourself, what, Louisiana is great? Well, there are problems everywhere these days, for sure. But over there, even different agencies in the same counties are often at each other’s throats, arresting each other’s officers for various things from misdemeanors to true felonies. That said, I find the story from Miami Gardens heartbreaking and terrible at once. I am the parent of a mentally challenged adult child and I would be destroyed if my son was dealt with in this same manner.

When I became a deputy, the job was pretty much political in that the sheriff faced re-election every four years. We never had any serious challengers in and often were returned to office with no one registering to run against our sheriff.  But it being political, we did not go out of our way to make people’s lives a problem or punish them abnormally because we had to deal with them.

Far from it, we gave rides to people who needed one or tried to be neutral arbiters, if possible, in disputes. We tried pretty hard NOT to have to arrest people. We just didn’t want to do it. We weren’t “badge heavy,” throwing our weight around or whatever.  If we had to take care of business, we did so, but there was none of the stuff I see so much in the news these days. We did not have tasers. We had a revolver (and were warned to NEVER pull it unless our life depended on it), cuffs, and a nightstick, which we often just left in the cruiser.

But when someone refused to go we simply had to put hands on them and MAKE them go. This, I think, is where these cops of today are so messed up. It used to be that they were fast to pull that Taser. Now it’s the gun. And if the Taser doesn’t work they SHOOT the gun! I read one story and saw the video where one cop in Montana, in less than 8 years on the force, had already killed two people for being trigger happy. That is someone who wants the job but is terrified of everything that moves in my book. It’s unconscionable!!

Women in law enforcement are a joke as well in my book. They do not have the physical size and power of a male and they just simply lose in any physical confrontation. That and they get their male counterparts hurt for having to lookout for them and do all the work if any physical restraint is called for. A suspect being questioned in the Jacksonville, Mississippi, headquarters by a female officer had her weapon taken from her by the subject who then used it to shoot and kill two male officers in a shootout in the HQ. It’s all PC to hire them and everything but they get others and themselves hurt.

A big problem is that the officers they have hired in the last 20 years or so are of the PlayStation or video game generation. They grew up playing these violent games killing digital foes, and then they think current day technology will make a Buford Pusser out of tiny women and men too cowardly to put hands on the people they must arrest. It just DOES NOT work. It’s the only reason I can see for the videos that have surfaced where male officers shoot an unarmed or lighly armed (that is to say, a rake, stick, or a stone) subject.  We met the force of resistance to arrest with just what it took to overcome it. No more, no less.

I was fortunate to pull my sidearm out on only three occasions in 18 years. Two were in assisting with surprise arrests of potentially armed subjects and the third was the emergency movement of inmates from a jail facility that we thought was on fire.

That’s it. I never pulled it during an average arrest, wrestling with someone or a traffic stop.

I loved being a law enforcement officer, but near the end of my active years, I used to wonder what I might do in the spur of a moment that lawyers and judges and DA’s would have years to Monday morning quarterback me on. I could lose my livelihood, my possessions and my LIFE if something went wrong.

That said, the treatment of the subject of the article is inexcusable, the deafness of police administration to the man’s employer to cut it out and the fact they did not want to stop it is beyond shameful. Those are not cops. They are bullies using Gestapo tactics and too enamoured of admiring themselves in mirrors. I am no lawyer, but I would say each and every one of those activities are violations of the man’s civil rights and he should SUE the dept and the individual officers in question. If Holder wants to put a stop to police BS why isn’t he looking into THAT?!?  Something truly real and truly wrong?

But I feel things are not going to get better and I don’t know why. One of the best things I ever heard was something to the effect that “common sense is the most un-common thing.” That is what seems so sorely lacking in today’s police environment. Maybe it’s just a few bad places, or bad apples and the 24/7 news cycle finds these things and vomits them up no end. Maybe we were no better back then, it’s just that we were more separated from each other pre-internet.

(For a more positive assessment of female police officers, see here.)

That wasn’t a selection of the responses emailed to me—it was all of them, very lightly edited for concision. If you’re a police officer whose perspective wasn’t represented, or who wants to take a crack at any of the questions I posed that remain unanswered, more correspondence to conor@theatlantic.com is encouraged. I’m eager for anything that will help my readership to better understand cops. Once again, I’ll publish emails without names unless otherwise requested.

Feb. 6^th to May 3^rd

Tàpies: From Within is a major historical survey that features a selection of more than 50 large-scale paintings and sculptures, representing diverse moments from throughout Antoni Tàpies’ (b. 1923, Barcelona, Spain; d. 2012, Barcelona, Spain) career. These include early examples from 1945 through to recent works created in 2011—the year prior to his death. The exhibition explores the Spanish artist’s use of unusual materials and forms and the development of his unique visual language, which earned him an international reputation as one of the most successful abstract painters of his generation.

Curated by former Tate Director Vincente Todolí, this retrospective offers a unique view into Tàpies’ groundbreaking practice, which fused impoverished materials with symbols of Eastern and Western culture to create dense works covered with graffiti-like gestures. His alchemical practice mixed spiritual and existential questions with unique material investigations of surface, mark-making, and found objects. The exhibition presents an intimate and unusual view of his oeuvre, through a selection of works drawn exclusively from his own private collection and that of the Fundació Antoni Tàpies.

http://www.pamm.org/exhibitions/t%C3%A0pies-within

Where to Be: Here at InTheLoop, we know there are always places to be and events to attend. Each Friday, we feature a special “where to be” post on our blog to make sure every day of the week has some sort of cultural event to check out. We hope that you all can come out into the community and learn and commemorate some influential people and events around Miami!

Friday, 3.27.15

Represent Drum & Bass WMC 2015

This article is being shared from Naked Politics via the Miami Heeald. Let’s remind ourselves to be vigilant about conversations involving our young people and conversations about violence and lobbying attached to violence and our youth.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2015/03/testimony-from-campus-police-chiefs-riles-nra-lobbyist.html

This is a great performance taking place tonight that we recommend you all attend. Its a great way to start off the week.

http://frenchculture.org/film-tv-and-new-media/events/speaking-french-cinema-mbc

When: March 23, 2015

Where: Miami Beach Cinematheque | 1130 Washington Avenue Miami Beach 33139 FL

The Miami Beach Cinematheque presents the first edition of Speaking in Cinema series of 2015, IN CONVERSATION WITH THE STARS OF GIRLHOOD, hosted by Miami Film Critic Juan Barquin, in the presence French actresses Karidja Touré and Assa Sylla, and L.A. Weekly Chief Film Critic Amy Nicholson on March 23.
The film “Girlhood” by Céline Sciamma  (2014) will be screening at the Miami Beach Cinematheque from March 20th to March 29th. The French Embassy Cultural Services Miami Office will be co-hosting a welcome reception for the stars of the film on Saturday March 21 at 8:20pm, between the 6:30pm and 9:10pm shows.

KARIDJA TOURÉ and ASSA SYLLA are the stars of Céline Sciamma’s GIRLHOOD. Both young students living in Paris, it is their first acting role in a long-feature film. Karidja Touré was nominated for a César Award for her performance in the film.

AMY NICHOLSON is chief film critic for L.A. Weekly. She co-hosts the weekly Voice Film Club podcast. Her first book, Tom Cruise: Anatomy of an Actor, was recently published by Cahiers du Cinema.

JUAN BARQUIN is co-founder of the website, Dim the House Lights, which focuses on long-form film criticism and essays. He is also a freelance writer for the Miami New Timesand YAM Magazine.

The SPEAKING IN CINEMA series presented by the Miami Beach Cinematheque is a series of events giving an in-depth look at the intricacies of the art of filmmaking led by local and visiting film critics. With filmmakers, artists and international specialists as guests, the series is an ongoing and inclusive celebration of the art of cinema, the “Seventh Art”, which brings together all of the other six. SPEAKING IN CINEMA explores cinema’s past, present and future as the medium that encompasses spatial, temporal and visual aspects of art. The series provides a platform for continued engagement with a video library of the events to be released soon on the MBC website. Past editions have included guests such as Daniel Patrick Carbone, director of « Hide your smiling faces », starring actor (and son of the director)  Brontis Jodorowsky of « Danza de la realidad » ,  director of « Child of God » James Franco, among others…

This edition of Speaking in Cinema Series in sponsored in part by the French Embassy Cultural Services.

MIAMI BEACH CINEMATHEQUE

Friday, 3.20.15

PreMoney Miami Investor Conference 3/20/15

Saturday, 3.21.15

The 10th Annual Jazz In the Gardens Music Festival 

Sunday, 3.22.15

The Seven Year Itch

Monday, 3.23.15

April GoLightly Hosts Girls Night Out at HSI Professional HAIRBAR 3/23/15

Tuesday, 3.24.15

River Of Art #20 Business + Arts Social Event at Tongue & Cheek 

Wednesday, 3.25.15

Incorrect Music Wmc 2015 Showcase

Thursday, 3.26.15

Hard Rock RISING – Miami Beach 2015

The article below was taken from Miami New Times. What we are requesting that you all consider are the questions of: how does the mall affect our local economy? How does this mall go to benefit our local communities?

American Dreams Miami Mall Will Include World’s Largest Ski Dome, Art Deco Village, Water Park, Coral Reef, and More

Announced yesterday as the largest mall in America, American Dreams Miami is being dubbed by developer Triple Five Group as the “largest entertainment attraction in the world.”

Yes, the mall will end up being much more than a mall.

Triple Five tells New Times plans are expected to include:

1. Planet’s largest ski dome, year-round “powder” in the heat of summer.2. 7-acre covered lake supplying cool water for the country’s largest water park.

3. A separate 7-acre submarine lake where self propelled subs built in the Atlantic explore a live Caribbean reef.

4. An Art Deco Village of gourmet restaurants, live theater, and a Tivoli garden.

5. A London size Ferris wheel with views at the top from the Everglades to the Ocean.

6. Ice stadium for ice ballet, figure skating, and hockey instruction for children and young adults.

Triple Five

American Dreams Miami will feature a similar water park.

All of this is in addition to the Legoland theme park, minigolf, and sea lion show attraction that were reported yesterday.

Triple Five says the mall will “capture the very best elements” of its other properties. Those include the continent’s largest mall, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada; the Mall of America in Minnesota; and the under-construction American Dreams Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near the stadium where the New York Jets and Giants play.

The mall is planned to be built near the intersection of Florida’s Turnpike and I-75 in Northwest Miami-Dade. The project will be within the Urban Development Line, and no county money will be used to build the mall.

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook.

Friday, 3.13.15

W.O.W. (Women of the World) Event

Sunday, 3.15.15

YoungArts: Dance, Music, Theater & Voice Performance |Directed by John Heginbotham 

Monday, 3.16.15

Jokes in the Grove

Tuesday, 3.17.15

St. Patrick’s Day @ JohnMartin’s

Wednesday, 3.18.15

Biz To Biz Spring Business Expo 2015

Thursday, 3.19.15

Rooftop Unplugged with Robby Hunter Band 

What is PULSE?

PULSE Miami Beach returns to Indian Beach Park, 4601 Collins Avenue, with new dates, from Tuesday, December 1 to Saturday, December 5. For more information including hours, directions and to purchase tickets, please see our Visitors page.

Since 2005, PULSE Contemporary Art Fair has been the premiere satellite fair for the discovery and acquisition of cutting-edge contemporary art. With annual editions in Miami Beach and New York City, the fair cultivates a supportive environment for its international community of galleries and provides a platform for their growth and expansion in the contemporary art market. From its inception, PULSE has presented thoughtfully-curated exhibitions and ever-evolving programming that reflect the fair’s commitment to making the visitor experience a dynamic one.

Click here to apply to PULSE Miami Beach 2015.

PULSE MIAMI BEACH 2015 APPLICATION
Tuesday, December 1 – Saturday, December 5, 2015

PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is pleased to announce new dates for its Miami Beach fair, which returns to Indian Beach Park at 46th Street and Collins Avenue. PULSE Miami Beach will be open from Tuesday, December 1st through Saturday, December 5th, 2015, beginning the week with its signature Private Preview Brunch on Tuesday from 1pm-4pm, followed by an Opening Celebration with special programming from 4pm-7pm, and ending with a Closing Celebration on Saturday, December 5th, from 5pm-7pm.

“After speaking with a number of collectors, many of whom now to travel to Miami earlier in the week, and consulting with our core community of exhibitors, it was clear we needed to change our dates,” states Director Helen Toomer. “We look forward to offering our visitors additional time to discover great artworks at PULSE Miami Beach and also provide a chance for our exhibitors to enjoy all that Miami has to offer, with a day off on Sunday.”

In response to PULSE’s success at its new home on Indian Beach Park, the fair is expanding its footprint to over 50,000 square feet of beachside exhibition space, spanning two tents and hosting over 80 local and international exhibitors. Each tent will embody a distinct style – the main structure will house both PULSEand IMPULSE exhibitors, juxtaposing curated group shows by PULSE galleries next to solo artist presentations by IMPULSE galleries, the latter of whose artists will be nominated for the PULSE Prize. In a space adjacent to this, POINTS exhibitors will be showcased within the new POINTS Pavilion. This will provide a smaller and more affordable platform for alternative models, non-profits, first time exhibitors and galleries who wish to present a project, which they have not yet been able to realize within their gallery space. Core and memorable programming will return to PULSE Miami Beach, including PROJECTS, PERSPECTIVES and PLAY, which will be integrated throughout the fair.

After a full day of commencement festivities on Tuesday December 1st, PULSE Miami Beach will be open to the public from 10am-7pm daily from Wednesday, December 2nd through Saturday, December 5th, 2015, ending with a Closing Celebration on Saturday, December 5th, from 5pm-7pm.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PULSE MIAMI BEACH

PULSE, IMPULSE, POINTS: WHICH EXHIBITOR ARE YOU?

PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is comprised of three types of exhibitors, PULSE, IMPULSE and POINTS. PULSE and IMPULSE exhibitors are integrated throughout one tent and POINTS exhibitors will inhabit a new connected space – the POINTS Pavilion. The majority of the fair is made up of PULSE exhibitors, who are local and international, emerging and established galleries. IMPULSE exhibitors each exhibit a solo artist presentation within their booth. Each of these artists will be nominated for the PULSE Prize, a cash grant awarded directly to the artist and each nominee will receive extensive coverage in the lead up to, and at the fair. Booths within the adjacent POINTS Pavilion provide a smaller and more affordable platform for alternative models, non profits, first time exhibitors and galleries who wish to present a project which they have not yet been able to realize within their gallery space.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO PULSE AND IMPULSE

CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO POINTS

APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 1st, 2015

If you have questions regarding your application, please contact Vanessa Seis or call +1 212 255 2327

This March we want to take some time to focus on concepts of mobility here in Miami. Below you will find a recent article from New Times Miami talking about the proposed “Underline.” The question that we want to pose to everyone is how much community input will be involved in the planning and building process. Also, how much the local artist community will be involved in the build out.

Designer of New York’s High Line Park to Design Miami’s Underline

When New York City opened the first phase of its High Line park in 2010, Miamians naturally said, “Oh, we want something like that.” The High Line is 1.45-mile linear park built atop an abandoned elevated railway.

Miami’s answer was to propose a 10-mile linear park underneath an active railway, the Metrorail, and dub it “the Underline.”

Naturally, when the designer of the High Line was one of 19 firms to bid to design the Underline, he was the one who won out.

James Corner Field Operations, a New York-based landscape architecture firm, was officially announced as the winner of the contract by Miami-Dade County. Corner is also working on the new Lincoln Road masterplan and also did work for the PAMM and Frost museums. It beat out four other finalists, none of which were local firms. Preliminary plans for the park had been designed by University of Miami architecture students with assistance from Arquitectonica’s Raymond Fort.

The Underline will follow underneath the Metrorail, from the Miami River to Dadeland South, creating an uninterrupted 10-mile path to be enjoyed by joggers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

Courtesy of Anna Baez/Underline

The proposed 10-mile Underline park

A timeline for competition has not yet been set. The park’s website notes that similar parks have taken more than a decade to complete. Funding comes from the cities of Miami, Coral Gables, and South Miami and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Miami Foundation, the Health Foundation of South Florida, and the Mitchell Wolfson Foundation. However, the park is also soliciting private donors with hopes of speeding up the process.

Now, before you complain too much about Miami ripping off New York wholesale, know at least two things:

One of the first big artistic exhibitions on the High Line was an installation of then Miami-based artists FriendsWithYou’s Rainbow City project. That project had previously been exhibited in the Design District during Art Basel.

The High Line itself wasn’t even its own original vision either. It was in turn inspired by the Promenade plantée, a 2.9-mile elevated park in Paris. Nothing is truly original anymore.

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook.

Friday, February 20th

Misa E’ Gallo, Cubita Da Poet and 3CO @ Jazid 

Hey Everyone we thought we would start the conversation early about voting a early because in truth its never to early to register to vote. We pulled the information below from Rock the Vote’s website. Check them out and find out how you can be more involved.

FLORIDA ELECTION INFORMATION GET ALL THE ELECTION AND VOTER INFORMATION YOU NEED BELOW

– See more at: http://www.rockthevote.com/get-informed/elections/state/florida.html#sthash.hK4IPMFk.dpuf

Today, we thought that we would point out the parallels of art and food. Both work to bring people together. Restaurants are if designed from a community concept have the ability to showcase curate and act as the biggest supporters or our local artists. We really appreciated the spread that was done for Art Basel back in 2013. Enjoy

Where To Eat: Art Basel Miami Beach 2013

Here’s what not to miss during Art Basel, food-wise

+ ENLARGE

The Art Of Eating (clockwise From top left): Wynwood Kitchen & Bar (featuring art by Shepard Fairey), the scene-y Cecconi’s inside Soho Beach House, fried chicken And waffles At Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, the under-the-radar but highly recommended Mandolin.

It’s that time of the year again: every fashionable East Coast-er has either booked or is frantically trying to book a flight to Miami this week for partying and socializing under the sun. And there’s the art. To prepare you for Art Basel  — the massive annual art fair on Miami Beach, and the dozens of other fairs and one-off events and marketing ploys that pop up around it— here’s a list of great places to eat. In addition to the art, the fair has become known for pop-up nightclubs, restaurants and cafés. Here’s a look at some of our favorite spots (new and old) not to be missed this year, split up by your own priorities.

Go For The Food: 

Lorenzo
1776 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139
(786) 483-1796
We’re big fans of Tony Mantuano, a Midwestern chef and restaurateur best known for Chicago’s Spiaggia, but who also happens to run the best pop-up restaurant each year at U.S. Open time in Queens (that’s tennis, not golf). Now, he’s (ahem) taking his talents to South Beach with Lorenzo, a new 200-seater right in the heart of the action (and inside the new Redbury Hotel), serving up a crowd-pleasing menu of Tuscan classics, handmade pastas and pizzas out of the wood oven. Plus, an ambitious cocktail program and high-end design.

Mandolin Miami
4312 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137
(305) 576-6066
Mandolin is a mecca of Aegean cuisine in Miami’s Buena Vista district (not far from Wynwood, where Art Basel activities will be in full-swing). This quaint, out-of-the-way spot features fresh, light Turkish-Greek cuisine that’s still hearty enough to fuel you for the night’s debauchery. Don’t miss the grilled squid and the house white sangria. When you need a break from the fairs and the partying and want to focus on food and friends, this is the place to do it.

Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
130 NE 40th St, Miami, FL 33137
(305) 573-5550
One of the first to move into Miami’s now–ultra glam Design District, Chef Michael Schwartz’s iconic restaurant continues to be one of the city’s premier dining destinations — and its toughest reservation during Basel. If you’re not seen here breaking bread (and exquisite farm-to-table fare) with VIPs at some point during the week, you haven’t made the scene. The MGD team’s newer Cypress Room, also in the Design District, features a $139 côte de boeuf for two, so art world players will be sure to add a stop to this artfully designed restaurant to their schedules as well. And Schwartz now runs the restaurant at the Raleigh,Restaurant Michael Schwartz, for excellent outdoor dining on South Beach, and will return with his pop-up at Design Miami on the beach as well (more info here).

Garcia’s Seafood Grille & Fish Market
398 NW North River Dr, Miami, FL 33128
(305) 375-0765
Tired of the Basel scene? Hop into a cab for a short ride to the Miami River for a meal at Garcia’s Seafood, a long-running spot where locals flock for seafood and atmosphere. The Cuban family-run seafood joint has been serving some of the freshest fish in town for over 40 years.

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar 
1600 Lenox Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 538-5220
Yardbird offers some of the best fried chicken around, a touch of the South in a southern city that’s about as far from Dixie as Nova Scotia. Its Lincoln Road proximity makes it a convenient draw for a realiably awesome dining experience.

Buena Vista Bistro
4582 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33137
(305) 456-5909
Tucked into the quiet Buena Vista district, just a stone’s throw away from both Wynwood and the Design District, is Buena Vista Bistro. Book a table at this a quaint French restaurant serving traditional fare, including an array of housemade pâtés and mousse, and escape from the scene alongside the coolest and most down to earth Miami locals.

Go For The Scene:

Wynwood Kitchen & Bar
2550 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127
(305) 722-8959
Situated adjacent the Wynwood Walls, a graffiti heaven with walls tagged by the likes of Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf and Futura, Wynwood Kitchen serves Latin-inspired cuisine in a casual open-air environment, right in the middle of the Wynwood Art District. It also ups the ante during Basel, hosting special showcases for street art, including this year’s “Women on the Walls,” with big names like Claw Money, Lady Pink and Martha Cooper,” and a tribute to recently passed owner Tony Goldman curated by Scharf, Tony’s Oasis.

Cavalli Restaurant and Lounge
150 Ocean Dr. Miami, FL 33139
Scheduled to open just in time for Art Basel, the bi-level restaurant and lounge will “reflect the Cavalli signature beacons of excellence: fashion, food and design, and will offer the ultimate in luxury and sophisticated exclusivity,” according to Roberto Cavalli himself. The restaurant will, most likely, also provide Paris Hilton and Mike Tyson sightings, for better or worse.

A Little Bit Of Both Worlds… 

Cipriani Downtown Miami 
465 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131
(786) 329-4090
Miami newcomer Cipriani Downtown has quickly garnered a huge fan base in South Florida. The legendary Venetian restaurant offers the same menu as its New York locations, with classics such as the Carpaccio Alla Cipriani, baked taglialini with Praga ham and of course, the iconic bellini.

Cecconi‘s
385 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140
(786) 507-7902
Situated in Miami’s Soho Beach House, Cecconi’s is the place to go for consistent Italian cuisine, served in a relaxed, open-air environment. Be sure to make a reservation well in advance, as the Basel crowd will surely be taking the hotel and club by storm.

Hakkasan
4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140
(786) 276-1388
Next door to Soho Beach House is the legendary Fontainebleau Hotel, the debut American location for the world-renowned Cantonese restaurant. Don’t miss the dim sum lunch menu available on weekends.

Lure Fishbar
1600 Collins Ave, Miami, FL 33139
The wait is over! Josh Capon is opening the long-anticipated branch of his trendy NYC seafood spot Lure tonight, December 2nd. Located in the Loews Hotel, the restaurant will dish out raw and cooked seafood, as well as Capon’s famous burger, four-time winner of NYC’s Burger Bash.

Michy‘s
927 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33138
(305) 759-2001
Be sure to make time for a stop at Michy’s, Miami golden girl, Chef Michelle Bernstein‘s namesake. The long-time Miami native was one of the first chefs to take a leap of faith and set up shop in Miami.

Pop-Up Specials

Michy’s Miami Beach Pop-Up 
Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, Florida
(305) 759-2001
Chef Bernstein is staying busy this year, with not one, but two pop-up restaurants. Michy’s Miami Beach will reflect the same spirit as her Biscayne gem, serving creative contemporary American fare with a menu created exclusively for the pop-up.

Garden Café By Michelle Bernstein
Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, Florida
(305) 572-9444
The Garden Café is a one-stop-shop for salads, freshly made sandwiches, hot plates, soups and exquisite baked goods.

Maison Ladurée
1108 Lincoln Road Miami Beach, FL 33139
Maison Ladurée, known for exceptional French pastries and macarons, will be collaborating with artist Will Cotton, who developed a macaron with ginger-infused whipped cream, among other creations.

Friday, February 13th

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Macchialina 

6:00 pm – 12:00 am
Maccialina Taverna Rustiva
820 Alton Rd,
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Webpage Link
Cost: varies

Enjoy Valentine’s Day (weekend) at Macchialina Taverna Rustica in Miami Beach starting Friday, Feb. 13th – Sunday, Feb. 15th. In addition to his regular menu, Chef Michael Pirolo will also have specials such as truffle risotto, whole orata and vitello tonnato. Specials can be ordered a la carte or included in the Chef’s tasting menu for an additional charge.

Mixologist Will Rivas is also including a special La Vie en Rose cocktail to the menu with Dillon’s Rose Gin, strawberry balsamic syrup, thyme and lemon.

Saturday, February 14th

Wynwood ArtWalk Valentine’s Edition

5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wynwood Arts District
2250 NW 2 AVE,
Miami, Florida 33127
Webpage Link
Cost: FREE

Singles rejoice! This Valentine’s Day is all about them. ArtWalk, the center of Second Saturday Art Walk, is hosting the largest, free Valentine’s Day party this February 14th in the heart of Wynwood.

There’s a good chance that people will spot the love of their lives dancing to live music or roaming The Big Tent, while perusing live art displays. No worries if they’re shy and can’t break the ice? A street artist will get them involved in a titillating art lesson that will unleash their hidden creativity and keep the conversation going.

This Valentine’s Day, why bother with over-priced restaurants and over-flowing movie theaters?! ArtWalk will have 30 food trucks, several bars fully equipped with liquid courage, and a live video DJ to turn the heat up. This Valentine’s Day, singles unite at ArtWalk — where hook ups are free!

February 14, 2015
5:00 PM and goes ALL night

In the heart of Wynwood right on the main artery, NW 2nd Avenue.
(For GPS, use 2250 NW 2 AVE, Miami, Fl 33127)

No tickets needed. The event is FREE. ArtWalk is brought to you by the folks behind Wynwood Life and Basel House. For updates and information, follow them on Twitter and Instagram at WynwoodLife.

Sunday, February 15th

The Get Together Miami

10:00 pm – 03:00 am

The Stage Miami

170 NE 38th St,
Miami, Florida 33137
Webpage Link
Cost: $20House of Marley and Ghetto Youth’s Int’l Presents:
The Get Together Miami at The Stage

Monday, February 16th

St. Stephen’s Art Show 

9:30 am – 6:00 pm

Saint Stephens Episcopal Church
2750 McFarlane Road,
Coconut Grove, Florida 33133
Webpage Link
Cost: $2.00

A top ranked and international outdoor arts festival The St. Stephens Art Show is an oasis of art that plays a beloved and dynamic role in the South Florida Art Scene in Coconut Grove over all three days of Presidents’ Day Weekend. “Art is in the Heart” as over 50,000 Visitors will enjoy the artwork of over 160 internationally and nationally renowned artists, an international food court, children’s interactive art area, an authentic English tea room, and musical entertainment.

All happening beneath the oak tree shade on St. Stephen’s campus, in the heart of Coconut Grove, 2750 McFarlane Rd, Miami, Florida 33133. The Show, held annually on Presidents’ Day Weekend, takes place Saturday, February 14th through Monday, February 16th, 2015, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

If you need further information about this amazing weekend in Coconut Grove please contact Daisy Holcombe at 305.648.0056 or via Email at daisy@sseds.org

Tuesday, February 17th

Baauer in Miami

 9:00 pm

Where: Club Space - 34 Northeast 11th Street Miami, FL 33132

Hit DJ and trap producer Baauer is on his way back to Miami this February for another head-rocking show. Baauer is most famous for the viral sensationHarlem Shake. Since riding the wave of popularity generated by that hit, the producer has become one of the leading personalities in the EDM world, working with hit producer Diplo’s record label, Mad Decent. In addition to his popularity, the young musician from NYC is known for putting on an excellent show.

Wednesday, February 18th

The Unofficial Kickoff to Miami Food Week:

5-Cubed Presented by Haute Dining 

1111 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
VIP: $250.00
General Admission: $150.00

OmmeGang and Haute Dining will host a unique experience that is set to blow the minds and tantalize the palates of food lovers and beer enthusiasts alike. 5³, an exclusive Miami Food Week event debuting on February 18th, will give guests the select opportunity to taste the creations of five A-list culinary innovators, with each chef pairing their dish to an OmmeGang craft beer in order to escalate the ecstatic flavors of each culinary creation. 5³… 5 chefs, 5 beers, 5 courses.

The night will be hosted by the iconic Executive Chef Sean Brasel, from Meat Market, and the event will be sponsored by Certified Angus Beef, Goya Foods and American Food Equipment. 5³ promises to be a dynamic night of sharing inspirations, conversations and memory-making tastings.

The event is a tribute to the passions and creativity of:
· Sean Brasel – Chef/Partner Meat Market – Miami Beach, Palm Beach and Puerto Rico – Miami Ommegang HopChef Winner 2014.
· Johnny Sheehan – Chef New World Tavern – Boston, Ommegang HopChef Winner 2014
· Alex Chang – Zagat Top 30 under 30 opening the Vagabond this month
· Adrianne Calvo – Chef/Owner Adrianna’s Vineyard
· Brad Kilgore – Miami Eaters Chef of the Year, formerly J & G Grill and now opening Alter in Wynwood

Thursday, February 19th

Salsa Bachata Thursdays at Moca Lounge 2/19/15

9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Moca Cafe & Lounge
738 Ne 125th st,
miami, Florida 33160
Facebook Link
Cost: $6

Salsa & Bachata Thursdays sets the trend of the weekend in social dancing entertainment. During the month of January we will be celebrating the 2nd year anniversary with the best dance performances and shows. Great Guest DJ’s.

REMEMBER our Free Salsa Lesson starts at 9pm-10:00pm With Dvice Lds (Latin Dance Studio) very own Dominic Melendez!

 

 

Happy Thursday Everyone.  We wanted to make sure that you all have access to the city’s election calendar for 2015.

Make sure to register or re-register if you have moved since the last election.

ELECTION CALENDAR FOR 2015
Last updated January 21, 2015

(subject to change)

January | February | March | April | May | June
July | August | September | October | November | December

Please note that Candidate Qualifying Dates are subject to change.
Questions about municipal elections must be directed to the municipal clerk.
For a listing of municipal clerks and their contact information, click here.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

(This article was pulled from the New Miami Times)

David Beckham is smitten with the idea of constructing a new Major League Soccer Stadium at PortMiami and calls the site perfect because it reflects a city that “is all about the water, all about the culture.” Becks is right. For evidence, simply visit the planet’s most popular port to discover Coral Reef City, Bhakti Baxter’s first large-scale public artwork in Miami.

For his eye-popping project, part of Miami-Dade County’s Art in Public Places program, the homegrown artist created site-specific designs for the port’s toll collection booths that reference the site’s unique role as gateway to the tropics. Baxter collaborated with Coral Morphologic, a Miami-based scientific art endeavor led by marine biologist Colin Foord and musician Jared McKay to create the 18 unique designs that wrap each individual toll booth.

Each delivers a stunning vision of our vibrant local sea life. To accomplish the feat, Baxter and his collaborators enlarged macro photographs of corals that inhabit the waters in and around Miami, creating a striking synergy between nature and art that captures our town’s appeal as a pulsating paradise. The resulting explosion of the brilliant, rainbow-hued colors of the soft corals (technically known as zoanthids) delights not only the likes of Beckham and the millions of other visitors passing through on cruise ships, but also locals, who rarely get a chance to behold the mystery and beauty of the creatures populating our coastline.

Check out the video on the installation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2cWivEuS2I

Just to revisit the discussion about the black museum that we were having last year at  via the Miami Hearld. 

We are wondering what happened to this conversation…

___________________________________________________________

There would have been no official black support when the Miami-Dade County Commission endorsed putting a Cuban exile museum on prime county waterfront land if Dennis Moss hadn’t voted yes — with a caveat: Moss, the senior African-American commissioner, said he would vote for the museum celebrating Cuban heritage but that he expected support once he proposed a black history museum.

Recently, Moss took the first step toward that backing when the commission’s Cultural Affairs committee voted unanimously last week to recommend a county study on how to bring a black history museum to the Miami waterfront. But the particulars of Moss’ proposal — instructing Mayor Carlos Gimenez to explore using tax dollars for construction — promises to inject more tension into the already delicate task of prioritizing Miami-Dade’s cultural institutions.

Organizers of the Cuban exile museum made a point of insisting they would never seek public dollars for their proposed $125 million facility on county-owned land behind AmericanAirlines Arena, saying they could raise enough money from people of Cuban heritage around the world, particularly those with significant fortunes.

In rejecting that approach, Moss is pointing to both the prosperity divide between the Cuban and black communities, and the tax support Miami-Dade gives to local museums backed by two of Miami’s wealthiest citizens. Moss noted commissioners already approved more than $200 million to build the Pérez Art Museum Miami and Frost science museum named for, respectively, condo developer Jorge Pérez and Phillip Frost, a medical-research mogul, and his wife, Patricia.

“There is significant county support for those museums,” Moss, a five-term commissioner, said in an interview. “I don’t see a black history museum being treated any differently.”

Last week, Pérez led a delegation to County Hall seeking the additional $1.4 million for PAMM that Gimenez initially put in his proposed 2015 budget, but later dropped in order to shift the funds to the police budget. The group met with Rebeca Sosa, the commission’s chairwoman and an opponent of the plan to increase PAMM’s funding beyond the annual $2.5 million in hotel taxes it already receives. Sosa said she told the group she couldn’t support the request “when I’m trying to find funding for police and other county services.” A PAMM spokeswoman declined to comment.

The PAMM funding question should come to a head this month, with the commission’s first budget hearing scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday and a final vote on the $6.2 billion budget needed before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. And while it will likely be weeks before commissioners take up the issue of a black history museum, the PAMM debate adds another wrinkle to the Moss request.

The concept of a black history museum received strong encouragement from fellow commissioners on July 17 when Moss linked his Cuban museum support to the commission also endorsing a black history museum. But with county funding now in the equation, Moss can’t count on an easy win.

“If he’s exploring public dollars to build, that’s not what the Cuban museum did,” said Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo, the sponsor of the exile museum ordinance. “I’m going to hold everyone to the same standard.”

The Moss resolution heading to the full County Commission this fall only calls for exploring the use of tax dollars for the black history museum, and recommends having voters first endorse borrowing the money to build it.

Moss listed three possible sites: Miami’s Museum Park, near the planned location of the exile museum; Watson Island, home to the Miami Children’s Museum; and the southwest corner of Port Miami, where David Beckham wanted to build a soccer stadium until commissioners voted to block it. Of the three sites, Miami-Dade County controls only the port.

The Moss-sponsored resolution that the four-member Cultural Affairs panel passed unanimously Thursday echoed comments Moss made during the exile museum vote: black immigrants played a central role in Miami-Dade’s history and deserve as much celebration as any community.

According to the resolution, “this County was developed by black people who, while dreamers, made up the bulk of the pioneer labor force that helped make this County into the thriving metropolis it is today.” It noted that black residents provided labor for Henry Flagler’s railroad, construction of Miami Beach hotels, the Vizcaya mansion and the original Dade County Courthouse.

Moss’ resolution came less than two months after the commission finally agreed to the concept of a Cuban exile museum on county-owned waterfront land. On July 17, the full commission voted 8-3 to endorse a home for the Cuban exile museum. That decision followed years of debate and false starts, including a similar route of commissioners asking Gimenez to study the issue. The vote didn’t divide the commission by race or ethnicity: Xavier Suarez, who served as Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor before winning a county seat, joined two black commissioners, Audrey Edmonson and Barbara Jordan, in voting against it.

And while commissioners instructed Gimenez to negotiate a deal with exile museum organizers, the commission would still need to approve any plan to actually build the museum on the county-owned land known as Parcel B. Nicolás Gutiérrez, an organizer of the exile museum, said last week his group welcomes the Moss effort.

“To the extent we can be supportive in any way, we’re happy to do so. We agree they deserve their own museum, and we wish them the best,” he said. “They’re obviously free to use whatever approach they think is best.”

Moss said it’s not fair to hold a black history museum to the financial pledge made by the exile museum, given the economic disparity between the two. “You’re looking at an African-American community that doesn’t have the resources of the Cuban community,” Moss said. “They’re better positioned to do the museum themselves.”

His resolution calls for the Black Archives, a Miami-based research and heritage nonprofit, to develop the new museum, which would house the archives’ extensive collection of historical memorabilia and materials. The organization owns and operates some of Miami’s top historic sites related to black history, including the Lyric Theater, once a magnet for the nation’s top black performers, and the Dr. Samuel Johnson X-Ray Clinic, which opened in 1939 to treat black residents denied treatment in Miami’s segregated hospital system.

Timothy Barber, director of the archives, said he was asked to get involved with Ross’ effort after the exile museum vote. He sees the museum as a way to showcase Miami’s black heritage in a high-profile location popular with tourists.

“It would allow us to serve as a gateway for this community,” he said from the archives office in the Joseph Caleb center near Brownsville.

“It’s difficult to get people to come to these communities, particularly with the negative stigma the media has put some of these neighborhoods, like Overtown. That’s why you have the Pérez and the Frost and the AmericanAirlines Arena there,” he continued. “The arena was in Overtown, but it closed to move to the waterfront.”

Miami-Dade County budget hearing

New announcements about Red Bull Guest House announcements made on the 305

7 Showcases, 4 Days & 3 Nights at Sagamore, The Art Hotel

Miami, FL – Red Bull Guest House is making its return to Miami this year in its third incarnation, this time taking place at Sagamore, The Art Hotel, March 26-29th, coinciding with Miami Music Week and Ultra Music Festival. This year, Red Bull Guest House (RBGH) hand-selected curators and artists to create seven individual showcases over four days and three nights, returning with its celebrated daytime pool parties and memorable late night breakfast club blowouts, all of which are exclusive to RBGH.

Curators include Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment, whose showcase is the only one of its kind during MMW, and the HARD Pool Party, which promises electrifying B2B sets as their only poolside soiree throughout the week. Debuts to Miami Music Week include Guy Gerber’s RUMORS and New York nightlife icons Ladyfag & Seva Granik present: SHADE: MELTDOWN. Making its North American debut is Seth Troxler presents Big Tittie Surprise, and in what will be the first of its kind is the premiere of new eventKygo + Thomas Jack’s Tropical. A special seventh showcase and the full lineup will be revealed at the start of March, while surprise guests from the music and art world will continue to make Red Bull Guest House an experience unlike any other.

This year at RBGH, International Music Summit (IMS) will host documentary screenings and moderated Q&A’s while the Traktor Cookery School will return with top DJs cooking up their favorite dishes poolside. Red Bull Music Academy Radio will once again hold down the airwaves with exclusive live interviews, DJ sets and broadcasts throughout the four-day experience. Guests will enjoy hospitality from fashion line Public School NYC and bikinis by Miami’s own I SHINE 365 swimwear, grooming and beauty services by Nail Swag, Blo Miami, and Brooklyn’s Heartbreakers Barbershop, and more.

Fans wondered if Red Bull Guest House’s first year in 2013 could be topped, as that inaugural year saw Skrillex, Jamie xx, Pusha T, Carl Craig, A-Trak and more step up to the decks. With high expectations, guests returned in 2014 to see Skrillex curating an entire OWSLA-run showcase, and a true Mad Decent rager with Diplo, DJ Snake, RiFF RAFF, Waka Flocka and Trinidad James. Diddy and Guy Gerber introduced 2014’s 11:11 album in a surprise event and the legendary Giorgio Moroder spun one of his most intimate sets in years. This year, RBGH returns with a lineup that celebrates the taste and ear for talent from a select group of passionate curators and the artists they’re inspired by most.

J Dilla Weekend 2/6/15

J Dilla Weekend
Sunday, 02/06/2015 – 02/08/2015 10:00 pm – 05:00 pm
The Stage Miami
170 NE 38th St,
Miami, Florida 33137
Buy Tickets Link
Cost: $25 – $80

DILLA WEEKEND – FEB 5-8 2014
Performances from Pete Rock, Mobb Deep, Joey Badass, Madlib, Talib Kweli, Slum Village, Dead Prez, Black Milk, Soulection, Camp Lo, and many more.

In recent years, fans have celebrated the legacy of the late, great producer J Dilla with the annual Dilla Day tribute concert in Detroit. In 2015, the festivities will be officially moving to the warmer climates of Miami, FL for a full weekend of Dilla events.

Presented by Dilla’s mother Ma Dukes, this year’s Dilla Day Weekend is set to take place in Miami from February 5th – February 8th. Confirmed performers include Mobb Deep, Joey Bada$$, Pete Rock, Madlib, Talib Kweli, Slum Village, Black Milk, ESTA, Camp Lo, and many more to be announced. The events will take place in a number of different locations around Midtown/Wynwood Miami including: The Stage, Bardot, and LMNT.

Brought to you by III Points, Nature Sounds, Addicted Affairs & DNA Entertainment.

 

Filmgate Interactive, Learn. Do. Share. – An Open Space For Collaboration, Design Fiction & Social Innovation 2/7/15

Filmgate Interactive, Learn. Do. Share. – An Open Space For Collaboration, Design Fiction & Social Innovation
Sunday, 02/07/2015 – 02/08/2015 10:00 am – 05:00 pm
The Wolfsonian-FIU
1001 Washington Avenue,
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
More Info Link
Cost: (305) 531-1001

Filmgate Interactive presents “Learn Do Share,” a roving event that mobilizes social innovation initiatives from around the world. Produced in collaboration with Reboot Stories, this workshop will welcome high-school teens, ages 14 to 19, to prototype, design and storyboard their wish for the future. Each event will take place over a three-day period that’s structured as a think tank, and is geared towards bringing together a tangible and realistic framework for resolution. Topics will range from DIY Urbanism and Youth Unemployment, to The Future of Education and The Sharing Economy. The Learn. Do. Share. at Filmgate will be led by Weiler and Megalis Martinez, Impact Designer of Reboot Stories and Board Member on LA Makerspace.

 

Tomato Festival Farmer’s Market 2/8/15

January 21, 2015 by calendar

Tomato Festival Farmer’s Market
Sunday, 02/08/2015 – 12:00 pm – 05:00 pm
Arts + Entertainment District
90 NE 17th St,,
Miami, Florida 33132
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

Your neighborhood Farmer’s Market just got a whole lot greener: come enjoy fresh produce, specialty vendors, live music and much more as you peruse the stalls of Miami’s freshest farmers. The amazing Rhythm & Vine will be hosting a Pop-Up Beer Garden and culinary demonstrations from Chef Paulette Bilsky.

Stay tuned for a full list of vendors!

Arts + Entertainment District
90 NE 17th St,
Miami, Florida 33132

 

DoMENation: Saturday, February 9th at Forbidden Downtown Miami 11:00pm-5:00am 2/9/15

Ready for more DoMENation?

DoMENation is hitting Downtown Miami again at:

FORBIDDEN
950 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33132
(in the Mekka/Discotekka complex, Separate entrance and Parking in Rear).

For masculine men and their admirers…

Doors open 11pm

NO COVER BEFORE MIDNIGHT, $5 cover AFTER.

LATE NIGHT COMPLIMENTARY OPEN BAR 2:30 to 3:00 am

Music by DJ ALEX RAMOS

College Planning Seminar presented by Power Financial Credit Union 2/10/15

January 15, 2015 by calendar

College Planning Seminar presented by Power Financial Credit Union
Tuesday, 02/10/2015 – 06:30 pm – 08:30 pm
Power Financial Credit Union
2020 NW 150th Ave.,
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33028
Webpage Link
Cost: FREE

Power Financial Credit Union and Peter Ratzan, a nationally recognized higher education expert, will present a free seminar to help parents and prospective college students understand how students can attend a great college at a price they can afford. Topics to be covered include:
Why funding should be part of your child’s admissions process
How financial aid is calculated
The biggest myths about college funding

 

Wednesday Morning Birding 02/11/2015

9:00 am – 11:00 am
10430 State Route 185
(937) 335-6273, Ext. 104
www.MiamiCountyParks.com

The Miami County Park District will host its Wednesday Morning Birding program on February 11 starting at 9 a.m. at Maple Ridge Reserve, 10430 State Route 185 north of Covington.  Scour the trails with a park district naturalist to find a variety of feathered friends.  All sightings will be submitted to eBird, an online community of birders, conservationists and citizen scientists.  Stay warm – remember to layer up before you head out.  Meet in the parking lot.  Register for the program by going to the program calendar at MiamiCountyParks.com, e-mailing register@miamicountyparks.com or calling (937) 335-6273, Ext. 104.

 

Bonfire Under The Moonlight W/ Palo 2/12/15

Bonfire Under The Moonlight W/ Palo
Thursday, 02/12/2015 – 07:00 pm – 09:00 pm
Canvas Lot
90 NE 17 ST,,
Miami, Florida 33132
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

Join us for our 3rd Bonfire Under The Moonlight with one of Miami’s spiciest live acts to hit the stage, Palo! Opening tunes are yet to be confirmed, but we can guarantee they’ll be dope. Get your live music fix with free PBR, toasty bonfire smore’s + Ms.Cheezious serving up the grub.

RSVP Required: rsvp@aedistrictmiami.com

An older article, but we wanted share some backstory on these concepts of Art Revolutions, which are about access and exposure.

!Women Art Revolution Documents 40 Years of Feminist Art

​After conducting a penis count of major NYC art institutions in the ’80s, activist group Guerilla Girls asked, Do ladies have to be naked to get into the Met?Only five percent of the exhibited artists were women while 85 percent of the nudes were female. While we haven’t done an exact tally, we’re confident that Miami’s weenie count is pretty balanced in comparison.

Think of local art superstars Christy Gast, Agustina Woodgate, Jillian Mayer, Susan Lee-Chun and Jen Stark. Add to that major curators like Bonnie Clearwater and Ruba Katrib at MOCA, and gallerists like Bernice Steinbum, and our feminist art report card looks pretty good. But it wasn’t always this way. A documentary, !War Art Revolution, which catalogs the feminist art movement, Filmmaker and artist Lynn Hershman Leeson has been filming frustrated women artists for over 40 years. Her latest, !W.AR., documents how their work was discredited by art programs, galleries, and museums for decades. Leeson herself sold one of her pieces in the mid-70s, only to have the collector return it when he found out she was a woman.

With an original score by Carrie Bowenstein (of Sleater Kinney and Wild Flag), the film is a collection of interviews with dozens (frankly, too many) feminist artists, female curators, and tenured art professors. It traces back to early activism like a protest at the Whitey where feminist artists projected their artwork on the outside of the building and placed eggs inside the walls where their work was ignored.

Censored from the white, male art world, women sought out rooms of their own by starting their own magazines, galleries, and academic programs. Judy Chicago, while developing the first female art program at Fresno Sate, noticed women were immediately drawn to “act out” via performance art. Another interviewed artist backs this up with “There’s a long tradition of women being looked upon. Performance art was a way of looking back.” (Interestingly, most of Miami’s major female artists work in performance.)

In a scene from 1990, House representatives spend an hour and half raging against vagina art as porn via a bill censoring Chicago’s The Dinner Party as a pornographic collection of ceramic “vaginal areas.” A highlight of the film, Rep. Ron Dellums, who once curated an exhibit of Vietnam war crimes outside his Congressional office, retorts with “Pornography are military weapons that look like phallic symbols capable of doing nothing but destroying human life.”

Even in its current treatment, the patron saint of the film is undoubtedly Ana Medieta, a Cuban exile performance artist (and the subject of Miami choreographer Ana Mendez recent The Body Is Present piece).

Ana Mendieta

​Mendieta was allegedly shoved out a window by her sculpture husband. His art world peers — Robert Rauschenberg, etc. — rallied him and raised funds for his defense. Mendieta’s husband was ultimately acquitted of her murder and went on to exhibit in the Guggenheim.

To some extent, the film wraps around the narrative of the filmmaker. Leeson closes the film by stating that one of her pieces, so undervalued back in to ’70s, was recently bought for 9,000 times its original price — ultimately funding this film.

!W.A.R. is a must-see in that it reveals the decades of struggle on which today’s women artists enjoy their success. As artist Harmony Hammond comments in the film, their fight was “excitement, it was empowering, and it was a lot of fucking work.”

Adopted and Shared from: http://littlehaiticulturalcenter.com/conversations-with-artists-series-part-of-art-beat-miami/

We’ve been thinking about ideas and events – new companies that are combining all of the artistries to create spaces for diverse groups of food, people, music.  

We haven’t gone to check this scene out, but we think its worth investigating. 

Salud! 

Eats & Beats

Eats & Beats is the answer to those looking for an amazing food and wine event without the red velvet stanchion presence that one now expects at food events. The goal was to create an event that will not only satisfy the palate but also stimulate all of the senses. Comprised of a unique team of local hospitality and event consultants, the team behind this new Miami addition all bring unique elements to the equation ultimately, making the experience unique and of value to attendees coming out with “foodie” expectations. None other than Miami’s own DJ Irie put together the musical elements which included local DJ’s and bands adding a perfect ambiance to this fabulous affair.

En Concierto 1/30/15

On January 8th, Emerge Miami provided us all with some thankful updates on Florida’s access or lack of access to justice within the our court systems. Take a look and share your thoughts.

Florida’s Access to Justice Crisis

This Article is a repost from ArtPulse. http://artpulsemagazine.com/art-vs-real-estate-gentrification-and-urban-artistic-scenes

Do you agree with Miami being a place where there is hope in disrupting the cycle of gentrification? Let us know your thoughts.

Art vs. Real Estate. Gentrification and Urban Artistic Scenes

By James Lough

To avoid hearing about gentrification in U.S. cities over the last five years, you would have to live in a bomb shelter. In February, film director Spike Lee’s swear-word-studded rant against gentrification in Brooklyn went viral. Lee is only one in a series of well-known artists who have weighed in on the topic. Former Talking Head David Byrne recently wrote of Manhattan, “There is no room for fresh creative types. Middle-class people can barely afford to live anymore, so forget about emerging artists, musicians, actors, dancers, writers, journalists and small business people.” Patti Smith advised young artists: “Don’t move to New York.”

While gentrification displaces the poor and working classes, it is also a threat to young artists, more so than Joseph McCarthy, Jesse Helms or Tipper Gore ever were. It upsets a nearly 200-year-old tradition of artists and writers moving into cheap garrets in places like Paris’ Montmartre district, boarding houses in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, or apartments in San Francisco’s Mission and North Beach neighborhoods. Big, vibrant, tolerant cities offered cheap rent, freedom from staid bourgeois values, and the stimulating company of other artists.

Such urban bohemian enclaves have launched legions of revolutionary art movements: Impressionism and the armies of “isms” in early-20^th-century Paris; Abstract Expressionism and the Beat movement in 1940s New York and San Francisco; and in the ‘60s through the ‘80s, Warhol’s Factory workers, punk rockers and the spirited Neo-Expressionist visual arts scene—just to name a few.

But it’s all over. For emerging artists without trust funds, these major cities with vibrant artistic pedigrees may as well post “No Trespassing” signs. We’ll explore gentrification’s effects on artists in five U.S. cities once known for being artist-friendly: Miami on the East Coast, and on the West, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland. We’ll look first at the cities where it’s nearly impossible for young artists of modest means to afford to rent apartments or studio space, and therefore are excluded from benefitting from the cultural stimulation, cross-pollination with other creative people and mentorship of mature artists—all factors essential for making an artistic scene. Then we’ll explore some cities where there’s still hope.

Manhattan’s gentrification hit full steam during the real-estate bubble in 2008. According to a CBS News study, a one-bedroom apartment runs, on average, $2,950 (1). The story of Manhattan artists flocking to Brooklyn for affordable living and workspaces is now passé. According to The New York Times, Williamsburg and Bushwick—two of Brooklyn’s hippest neighborhoods—are now too expensive for all except the well-heeled. An average bedroom in a Bushwick apartment runs $1,900 a month. As for trendy Williamsburg, its bartenders and baristas can’t afford it anymore. They commute from Queens, now Williamsburg’s bedroom community. Even some real-estate developers, too cash-strapped to buy Brooklyn property, are looking at Queens (2).

Spike Mafford, Framing Progress, 1988, 35”x36” (Portland).

SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco’s story is similar to Manhattan’s but with a high-tech flair. Employees of Google and Twitter are buying up the Mission District, a long-time home to a large Hispanic community and countercultural artists. Highly paid tech workers from Silicon Valley, 70 miles south, discovered San Francisco’s vibrant Mission was more attractive than San Jose. The black-windowed, private “Google buses” that ferry them between Silicon Valley and the Mission actually outnumber city buses in the Mission. The tech workers’ influx has spiked housing prices, crowding out artists and working-class families and replacing them with chic boutiques and hip, pricey restaurants.

San Francisco’s average one-bedroom apartment rents for $2,950 (3). The average rent per room in the Mission, according to SFGate, is $2,125 a month. In Haight-Ashbury, once the epicenter of the Summer of Love, the median home price is $1.14 million (4).

In a city known historically for its progressive outlook—think North Beach Beat poets and the ‘60s counterculture—conflict over gentrification and Google buses has been vicious. Demonstrations have erupted over the eviction of working-class families and increased police presence near posh new businesses. Protestors have blockaded Google buses, which use the city’s bus stops at taxpayer expense. According toSalon, it’s been hard to organize protests by the labor movement because so few laborers actually live in San Francisco anymore. After eviction, they move to the East Bay and must commute back into the city and their jobs (5).

Writer and cultural archivist D.S. Black moved to San Francisco in the early ‘80s, lucking into a rent-controlled two-bedroom apartment in the Mission. He paid around $625 a month. “I modestly named my place Mission Control,” he says. In the mid-‘90s, his landlady, chafing under rent control, tried to intimidate him into moving out, once claiming his many shelves of books were a fire hazard.

Around this time Silicon Valley tech workers were driving up Mission real-estate prices. “Anyone who follows the news of the street,” says Black, “knows that San Francisco is now beholden to the hyperthis and the cyberthat. The life I had in the Mission of genteel but low-rent bohemia is now a true ‘Mission Impossible.’” Black finally succumbed to the coercion and economic pressures. His 2010 rent, even under rent control, had reached $1,400, so he moved across the bay to Berkeley. He now pays $1,500 for an apartment around one-third the size of his Capp Street place, plus $500 to store the books his new place couldn’t hold.

SEATTLE

Along with New York and San Francisco, Seattle’s gentrification seems to be a fait accompli. The city that launched a tidal wave of rock music by the likes of The Ventures, Jimi Hendrix, Heart and the massive grunge scene with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, is too expensive for young musicians. According to the CBS study, an average one-bedroom apartment in Seattle runs $1,525 a month. Only 17 percent of its houses are priced lower than the median average (6).

According to gallery owner and artist Spike Mafford, Seattle’s gentrification, like San Francisco’s, came with the tech boom. And it’s not likely to slow down. Microsoft and Amazon continue to grow and plan to eventually add around 145,000 jobs. “The influx of the tech community and the dollars that go along with it,” he says, “will continue to transform the city for the next 10 years.” His gallery, Spike Mafford Photography, is now located in Magnuson Park, a converted U.S. Naval base—its fifth location. Every time his landlord raised his rent in his previous gallery spaces, he moved on, from Pioneer Square, to Ballard, to Belltown and then to Capitol Hill. At each new location, he did all the renovation required to utilize the space.

Gentrification affects more than artists, though, and Seattle’s gentrification has hit African Americans the hardest. According to the U.S. Census, in 1990, the black population of Seattle’s Central District was three times higher than the white population, but in only 10 years, whites outnumbered blacks, who were pushed to surrounding cities like Kent and Renton. Even so, in 2006, Seattle’s only African American mayor, Norm Rice, conceded that the gentrification was rooted in economics, not race (7).

Long-time Seattle resident Eli Hastings, an author and therapist, witnessed the process first-hand. Hastings, a white male, grew up and attended school in the Central District, then Seattle’s predominantly African American community. “At the time, things were really hairy. You had Crips and Bloods and crack cocaine. The neighborhood was not safe for anyone.”

Around 2000, gentrification encroached. Central District real-estate prices rose, drawing wealthier residents. Hastings is ambivalent about the changes, concerned that African Americans who don’t own property are powerless against big real-estate developers and affluent whites. Nevertheless, he concedes, some of the changes were positive. “When I was in high school, there was this deserted, dirty, dangerous vacant lot we cut through to get to a really down-at-the-heels supermarket,” he says. “The lot now is a Starbucks. And now there’s a nice supermarket there. So it’s tough to say that it’s entirely negative.”

Hastings’ ambivalence reflects a larger debate about negative and positive effects of gentrification. Pro-gentrification advocates cite improved living quality, cleaner streets and lower crime rates that “improved” neighborhoods provide their residents. But which residents? The neighborhood’s less-affluent residents can’t enjoy a neighborhood’s new amenities if they can’t afford the neighborhood. At the most basic level, the gentrification debate hinges on whether you see housing as a commodity, subject like all commodities to larger economic peaks and valleys, or whether you see affordable housing as a fundamental human right.

Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, south of the Central District, has undergone a more typically “artist-inspired” gentrification. Georgetown was a more industrial neighborhood featuring factories and warehouses, since converted into lofts. “You’ve got your bars and lounges,” says Hastings. “You’ve got your import-beer shop. Xanadu Comics moved in. It’s very hipster now.” And yet it remains more affordable than most of Seattle, with the average home selling for $203,000.

WHAT’S BEEN LOST: WHY ARTISTS NEED BIG CITIES

Manhattan, San Francisco and Seattle are largely lost to young artists without means. As gentrification pushes young artists out of these fertile cultural ecosystems, it deprives them of the qualities only big cities can provide: creative collisions, encouragement and support of like minds, and mentorship. Studies show that people are more creative when densely clustered together in urban areas. Routinely encountering people of different ethnicities, social classes and worldviews exposes them to new ways of perceiving. The bigger the city, the more connections, the more creative they become. As a city grows, its occupants grow more productive (8), as measured by the number of trademarks and patent citations originating in the cities (9). An individual’s productivity is directly proportional to his or her city’s population.

So size matters, but it’s not everything. A city’s character also matters. The right city encourages free exchange of ideas, which relies on a city’s intellectual atmosphere, its open-mindedness and tolerance of difference. Often, institutions within the cities help provide this tolerance, institutions that appreciate, nurture and showcase artists and their work. Examples of such institutions are galleries, cafes with literary readings, performance venues like little theaters, concert venues like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City, and even living spaces like New York’s Chelsea Hotel.

WHERE THERE’S HOPE: MIAMI, LOS ANGELES, PORTLAND

If New York, San Francisco and Seattle are out of bounds for most fledgling artists, there is hope in other cities. Two of them, Miami and Portland, are less populated, and the third, Los Angeles, is huge, covering a sprawling array of neighborhoods, some of which remain affordable.

Wynwood Walls. Miami’s Wynwood Art District. © Martha Cooper.

MIAMI

Since the launch of Art Basel Miami Beach in 2002, the city has experienced a renaissance of sorts. In response to Art Basel, dozens of smaller, satellite art fairs have mushroomed. And the 2013 reopening of Perez Art Museum Miami (formerly the Miami Art Museum) served as a capstone, the $131 million project securing Miami’s status as an arts city.

Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, also known as “Little San Juan” or “The Barrio,” has in the last 15 years developed a lively arts and culture scene. The Wynwood Art District houses dozens of galleries and studios. In 2012, Forbes magazine put Wynwood in the U.S.’s 20 top “Best Hipster Neighborhoods.” While the average one-bedroom apartment in metropolitan Miami rents for $2,648 a month (10), in Wynwood the rents start as low as $1,100 (11).

Brook Dorsch, who has run Miami art galleries since 1991, bought a building in Wynwood in 2000 to house Dorsch Gallery. Around the same time, Martin Margulies opened the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse. Wynwood was still an industrial area with a few houses dotted between warehouses and old clothes factories. But artists followed Dorsch and Margulies, creating a scene of “probably 30 galleries in the area,” says Dorsch. “It began very organically.”

It wasn’t until 2004 that New York real-estate developer Tony Goldman noticed Wynwood’s artistic potential. He bought some two dozen properties for around $35 million, according to The New York Times (12). Goldman converted an old warehouse into the Goldman Warehouse, an exhibit space run by MOCA. He co-created ArtSeen, the New World School of the Arts public studio and performance space. With Jeffrey Deitch, he created Wynwood Walls, an outdoor mural display. He opened a restaurant, Joey’s, in order to increase street life (13).

Those skeptical of gentrification feel Wynwood’s growth has come at too high a cost. WLRN Radio’s Nathaniel Sandler sums up this view: “The neighborhood is changing in a way that people don’t really want it to, and almost becoming a cartoon version of itself.” Higher prices are forcing artists to move out, to be replaced by corporate banks and a Ducati dealership. Sandler, however, does not see this as a problem. Artists, he says, didn’t make Wynwood as much as the working-class Puerto Ricans, who arrived long before the artists. New businesses boost the economy, making it better for everyone. It’s all part of what Sandler says is “the greater narrative of the city’s constant and diverse growth (14).”

Dorsch concedes that the rapid construction of high-end apartments and condominiums drove many artists to move into poor and blue-collar neighborhoods like Little Haiti, home to predominantly black and Latino residents. Crime rates are high there, so it has been slower to gentrify. Little Haiti’s median home price is $266,617 (15). Nevertheless, since Little Haiti borders Wynwood, and real estate is affordable, it seems a prime candidate for young artists who are resilient to challenging living conditions.

LOS ANGELES

Ironically, L.A.’s traffic-clogged sprawl turns out to have its perks. Gentrification in Los Angeles’ expansive metro area has been mellower than in San Francisco or Manhattan, where there’s no room to grow but up. Los Angeles’ average one-bedroom apartment rents for $1,740, just over half that of San Francisco’s (16). Forbes magazine named Silver Lake, in central L.A., the nation’s “Best Hipster Neighborhood.” Its artistic community—not precisely the same as its hipster community but overlapping it—has had moderate success gaining a modest foothold.

But an unlikely L.A. suburb has enjoyed a renaissance since 2005. Culver City, formerly an unhip, burned-out industrial warehouse zone, now sports wine bars, chic restaurants and over 20 well-attended art galleries.

“Culver City is full of shops and hipsters,” says James Daichendt, a professor and dean of performing and visual arts at Azusa Pacific University, who covers the L.A. art scene. “It has become quite a place to go out to eat, or even live now, which was unheard of before.”

Harley/Coagula Archives, Cody Critechelow Installation at Peres Projects, Los Angeles

Central sections of Culver City are nearly as expensive as West Hollywood or Venice, the median price of a three-bedroom home averaging around $750,000. The median rent runs between $1,100 and $1,400 per bedroom, only slightly more affordable than Brooklyn (17). But Daichendt says it depends on where you are. “It is still is affordable if you’re not in a good part of Culver City. There are still some industrial parts where there’s a lot of poverty, off the beaten track.”

Daichendt remains optimistic about L.A.’s creative scene. “What’s so different about L.A., compared to New York, is that it’s so spread out. There is no center to it. So the art community has developed in that way as well.” Culver City’s galleries show diverse work matching its diverse locale. “It’s incredibly exciting in terms of range. You have lowbrow, Juxtapoz-looking places like Thinkspace and Cory Helford. And then you have Blum & Poe, which has blue-chip artists like Murakami.” Daichendt acknowledges that Culver City may eventually price out young artists but counters that artists will simply find other, cheaper neighborhoods in the city where neighborhoods are legion.

PORTLAND

Portland’s liberal city planners have wrung their hands over gentrification’s negative effects on the poor. An average one-bedroom apartment can run between $776 and $996 per month, depending on the part of town (18). But prices are rising.

According to Anna Griffin at Oregonlive.com, the planners use computer modeling to locate formerly low-income neighborhoods (St. Johns, Eliot and King) in the hip, mid-sized city that are attracting high-income gentrifiers. Their goal is not to stop gentrification but to limit its negative results, “to preserve economic and cultural diversity” in neighborhoods so “everyone enjoys the same quality of life regardless of zip code (19).”

This may sound like a pipe dream out of Portlandia, but specific policies—already tested in other cities—can prevent gentrification from running roughshod over poor and emerging artists. Tax subsidies can encourage poor homeowners to stay put. Cities can offer developers financial spurs to pepper new, expensive condo complexes with more affordable housing units. They can also hire working-class locals to build them.

But for Mike Phillips, musician turned tech entrepreneur, it’s too little too late. Having lived in Portland since 2004, he has recently relocated to less inspiring Vancouver, Wash., a Portland suburb just across the Columbia River. “I don’t consider myself an artist anymore. I got sick of having financial stress all the time.” Much of the stress was rooted in paying rent. “In 2008, I got a one-bedroom apartment, and the rent was $450. When I moved out in 2012, four years later, my landlord had jacked the rent to $700 a month. That probably doesn’t seem like that much money to people with normal jobs,” he says, but for an artist with a limited income, it was enough to propel him out of both Portland and the arts.

While Vancouver isn’t as stimulating as Portland, or as overrun by “well-to-do hipsters who can sit around in cafes all day,” as Phillips puts it, it is far cheaper. “In Vancouver, I could have a much nicer house for a fraction of the cost in Portland.” And Vancouver may itself be resurging. “For years, it’s been kind of this dumpy place where you walked around and you’d feel like you’re going to get stabbed,” he says. “But now they have nicer cafes and bars and restaurants.”

While living in Portland proved difficult for Phillips to sustain on his income, it’s still borderline affordable compared to the other cities featured here. Young musicians I spoke to there did, however, wonder how long it would last before they themselves would be forced to confront Phillips’ choice: stay in Portland and stay poor, move somewhere cheaper and continue to make art, or find a new career.

SOLUTIONS

There is a prevailing attitude that claims gentrification is inevitable. Even Seattle artist and gallery owner Spike Mafford, after switching location five times to escape high rent, accepts the truism. “Gentrification is a natural part of expansion and growth,” he says. “You really can’t fight it.” But fighting gentrification, while not easy, is possible. A number of cities have done it. Rent-control laws, for example, protect poor and working-class people as well as emerging artists. Some lucky tenants in Manhattan still live in apartments with rents harkening back to the 1980s. But powerful real-estate interests find rent control anathema. Landlords do everything in their power to evict protected tenants, often making life miserable enough for them to leave on their own. Some cities have experimented with mixed-class communities, where zoning laws allow some gentrification alongside low-income housing, though these have proved less successful.

According to The New York Times, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Boston are freezing property taxes, so when house prices rise with gentrification, higher taxes don’t make it difficult for working-class people to live in their own homes. But this approach only helps property owners—those who rent have no such protection (20).

The old-fashioned system in which wealthy patrons sponsored emerging artists has survived in interesting permutations. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Bard family at the Chelsea Hotel, Hilly Crystal at CBGBs, and Mickey Ruskin at Max’s Kansas City provided the infrastructure where vibrant art, music and literary scenes were born. Let’s hope there will continue to be people in positions of power to take interest in artists and support their careers. And let’s hope young artists are resourceful enough to find their own ways.

NOTES

1. 1. “Top 10 priciest U.S. cities to rent an apartment,” CBSnews.com, July 15, 2013.
2. 2. “Costly Rents Push Brooklynites to Queens,” by Michelle Higgins. The New York Times, August 18, 2013.
3. 3. “Top 10 Priciest…” CBSnews.com, July 15, 2013.
4. 4. “S.F. rents up more than 3 times higher than national average,” by Anna Marie Erwert, January 30, 2014.
5. 5. “San Francisco’s rightward turn: Why it may no longer be America’s iconic liberal city,” by George McIntire, Salon.com, February 16, 2014.
6. 6. Gentrification and Financial Health by Daniel Hartley, (Federal Reserve 11-6-2013).
7. 7. Henry W. McGee, Jr. “Gentrification, Integration or Displacement?: The Seattle Story,” BlackPast.org.
8. 8. Luis Bettencourt et al., “Growth, Innovation, Scaling and the Pace of Life in Cities.” PNAS, vol. 104, No. 17, 2007.
9. 9. Adam Jaffe, M. Trajtenberg, and Rebecca Henderson, “Geographic Localization of Knowledge Spillovers as Evidenced by Patent Citations,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 108 (1993).
10. 10. <http://www.realtor.com/local/Miami_FL/rent-prices>
11. 11. <http://www.apartmentguide.com/neighborhoods/Florida/Miami/Wynwood-Art-District/>
12. 12. Terry Pristin,“A SoHo Visionary Makes an Artsy Bet in Miami,” The New York Times, March 30, 2010.
13. 13. Terry Pristin, Ibid.
14. 14. “Wynwood is Dead: Long Live Wynwood” <http://wlrn.org/post/wynwood-dead-long-live-wynwood>
15. 15. <http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Little-Haiti-Miami-FL.html>
16. 16. “Top 10 Priciest…” CBSnews.com, July 15, 2013.
17. 17. <http://www.city-data.com>
18. 18. <http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=United+States&city=Portland%2C+OR>

19.http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/06/portland_study_targets_neighbo.html

20. 20. Timothy Williams, “Cities Mobilize to Help Those Threatened by Gentrification,” The New York Times, March 3 2014.

James Lough teaches nonfiction writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in the writing department, which he formerly directed.His book This Ain’t No Holiday Inn: Down and Out at the Chelsea Hotel 1980-1995 was published by Schaffner Press in 2013. He is also the author of Spheres of Awareness (University Press of America, 2009) and Sites of Insight (University Press of Colorado, 2003), as well as over 70 articles, essays and short stories.

This article originated on Miami New Times:

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2015/01/dilla-day_weekend_miami_schedule_2015.php

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dilla forever.

It’s been nearly nine years since legendary Detroit hip-hop producer J Dilla (born James Dewitt Yancey) died, just three days after his 32nd birthday, from a rare blood disorder.

But there’s no doubt that Jay Dee’s legacy lives. And every year, on the anniversary of his birth, his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, and the rest of the J-loving world, from the Motor City to NYC to London town, have celebrated Dilla Day.

Now, though, this honorary hip-hop holiday has expanded to an entire weekend. And it’s officially moved to Miami. Two weeks ago, Ma Dukes and crew announced the 23-act lineup. This week, they reveal the party plan.

Just check the cut for J Dilla Weekend 2015’s Miami schedule so far.

J Dilla Weekend 2015’s Miami Schedule

Madlib. Thursday, February 5. Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $37.63 via squadup.com. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-576-7750 or visit bardotmiami.com.

Talib Kweli and Black Milk. Friday, February 6. The Stage, 170 NE 38th St., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $26.87 via squadup.com. Ages 18 and up. Call 305-576-9577 or visit thestagemiami.com.

Joey Bada$$ and Mobb Deep at Soulection BBQ. With Starro, Camp Lo, Esta, Chuck Strangers, Nuri, Telescope Thieves, Sire, No Exit, Manuvers, Kent Jones, ILLA, Punch, Sean Bang, and YNot. Saturday, February 7. LMNT, 59 NW 36th St., Miami. The show starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 10. Tickets cost $16.13 via squadup.com. Ages 18 and up. Call 305-572-9550 or visit lmntartsmiami.com.

Slum Village and Pete Rock. Saturday, February 7. The Stage, 170 NE 38th St., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $26.87 via squadup.com. Ages 18 and up. Call 305-576-9577 or visit thestagemiami.com.

Dead Prez and Make EM NV Beat Battle. Sunday, February 8. The Stage, 170 NE 38th St., Miami. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $21.50 via squadup.com. Ages 18 and up. Call 305-576-9577 or visit thestagemiami.com.

J Dilla Day Weekend 2015. Hosted by Ma Dukes. Presented by III Points, Nature Sounds, Addicted Affairs, and DNA. Thursday to Sunday, February 5 to 8. Various locations, Miami. Weekend passes cost $80.62 and single-show tickets cost $16.13 to $37.63 viasquadup.com. Visit JDillaWeekend.com.

Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.

Friday, 1.23.15

The French Horn Collective at LILT Lounge 1/23/15

The French Horn Collective at LILT Lounge
Friday, 01/23/2015 – 10:00 pm – 01:00 am
LILT Lounge
270 Biscayne Way Blvd.,
Miami, Florida 33131
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

The French Horn Collective is a diverse band, ranging from three to eight talented musicians, producing a smooth mixture of progressive Gypsy, Parisian, Swing and World Music tunes. LILT Lounge brings the first high-design lounge to downtown Miami with nightly live music curated by Kristian Caro and creative cocktails by Dean Feddaoui. Lounge opens at 6 p.m. with social bites by acclaimed executive chef Wolfgang Birk including charcuterie & cheese, oysters & caviar, lobster cocktail and tuna tartare gazpacho.

Saturday, 1.24.15

Miami Dade College Free Affordable Care Act Information Workshops

Miami Dade College Free Affordable Care Act Information Workshops
Saturday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
North Campus
11380 NW 27 Ave.
Computer Courtyard, Building 2 (first floor)

Saturday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Kendall Campus
11011 SW 104 St.
Computer Courtyard, Building 2 (first floor)

Sunday, 1.25.15

The Lincoln Assassination and the End of the Civil War 1/25/15

The Lincoln Assassination and the End of the Civil War
Sunday, 01/25/2015 – 01/25/2015 01:00 pm – 04:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium
101 West Flagler Street,
Miami, Florida 33130
Webpage Link
Cost: Free

Join HistoryMiami and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation for an all-star 150th anniversary symposium on Abraham Lincoln’s death and the return of peace to the divided American Union. Enjoy historical insights from nationally recognized scholars on the meaning—and limits—of sectional reconciliation in 1865, plus a special guest appearance by actor Stephen Lang.**
The symposium will feature a keynote address by historian William C. Davis (author of the new book Crucible of Command) on Grant and Lee and the end of the Civil War.

**Special guest performance by award-winning actor Stephen Lang (Gods and Generals, Avatar) portraying Gettysburg Medal of Honor winner James Jackson Purman.
Reception will follow at HistoryMiami.

The Lincoln Symposium is sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and the History Channel, with the support of William and Jean Soman.

 

Monday, 1.26.15

Part of the Flock – Industry Night

Industry Night

Date: Monday, January, 26 2015
Time: 10:00 PM

1/2 off for all of our friends in the industry
While the Haitian Hillbilly spins tunes all night
21+ || No cover

Tuesday, 1.27.15

Fashion & Art Mixer 1/27/15

Fashion & Art Mixer
Sunday, 01/27/2015 – 07:00 pm –

Touche Rooftop Lounge
15 NE 11th St.,
Miami, Florida 33132
Eventbrite Link
Cost: $20 Advance Tickets | $25 at Door

Care for Crohn’s Foundation and A Dream Group Presents: Cocktails, Conversation and Art For A Cause!

 Wednesday, 1.28.15

 Creating A Scholar Silent Art Auction 1/28/15

Creating A Scholar Silent Art Auction
Wednesday, 01/28/2015 – 06:30 pm – 09:00 pm
Miami Center for Architecture & Design
100 NE 1st Ave,
Miami, Florida 33132
Eventbrite Link
Cost: $15

The Women in Architecture (WiA) Committee of the Miami Chapter American Institute of Architects, proudly presents CREATING A SCHOLAR Silent Art Auction Show. Taking place on January 28th, 2015 at the Miami Center for Architecture & Design (MCAD), the event will raise funds to benefit a female creative industries student at New World School of the Arts and Design & Architecture Senior High. The evening will include drinks, music, lite fare and art curated by the WiA Art Auction Committee. Art pieces on display and available for purchase, have been donated by women in the creative industries—i.e. architects, artists, graphic designers, industrial designers—in supportof MCAD’s ‘Creating a Scholar’ program. MCAD is a 501c3 charitable organization and serves as a hub in our community for all things design.

$15 General Admission
$10 AIA Members

 

Thursday, 1.29.15

2015 Florida Venture Capital Conference 1/29/15

2015 Florida Venture Capital Conference
Thursday, 01/29/2015 – 01/30/2015 08:00 am – 02:00 pm
The Diplomat Resort & Spa
3555 S Ocean Drive,,
Hollywood, Florida 33019
Webpage Link
Cost: Before Friday, January 9, 2014: $599 per person; After Friday, January 9, 2014: $649 per person

The Florida Venture Forum, a statewide support organization for venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, is inviting company executives with mid-to-later-stage, Florida-based companies to apply to present their company pitches before investors and venture capitalists at the 2015 Florida Venture Capital Conference. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, Dec. 30. In addition, the conference will feature workshops, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and access to industry thought-leaders with many of Florida’s top companies. More details are available in the conference schedule.

This article was taken from the blog – Political Cortadito

Miami Beach Mayor Levine takes over finance committee

Miami Beach Mayor Levine takes over finance committee

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has restructured the city’s finance committee, booting Commissioner Deede Weithorn, the longtime chair, and appointing himself and two cronies just as they get ready to tackle next year’s budget.

The move — ten months before Weithorn is termed out — has everyone wondering just what he’s up to.

Ladra will tell you in two words: No good.

Weithorn, a professional auditor and renowned financial expert whose main role on the commission is to watch the city’s wallet, has served on the finance committee — either as vice chair or chair — for all of both terms she’s been in office. She was even the chair of the citizens budget advisory board before she was elected. Her expertise is money matters unmatched on the commission — and arguably beyond, as other cities, agencies and labor organizations often turn to her for advice.

The new Levine-appointed chair is Commissioner Jonah “Potty Mouth” Wolfson, III, who reportedly hasn’t been to any budget workshops even once and many suspect is just there to let Levine help more of his buddies and control any city spending on the convention center project. Funny enough, Wolfson — who has missed about 75% of the meetings for the land use committee, where he is a member — has been the poster boy for the campaign against the convention center. He has a reputation for only going to meetings when he wants to approve something or kill something.

This move comes a little more than a year after Levine — a control freak on a power trip who later forced the planning director to resign — changed the committee rules so that he would be a fourth voting member on all of them. So why appoint himself to it? What’s the point?

The move also comes 10 months before elections in which both Weithorn and Wolfson are termed-out. Why not wait it out?

The move also comes not just six months or so before the budget workshops, but in the midst of waivers for lucrative flooding mitigation contracts and the city’s centennial celebration — budgeted to cost between $250,000 and $500,000 for a tennis court on the beach, a concert at Lummus Park and a mass equal-opportunity wedding officiated by the mayor himself. Ladra sort of expects that figure to go up, especially since the festivities are being produced by another Levine buddy,Bruce Orosz.

What else is happening in the next 10 months that could be important (read: expensive)? Could this foreshadow more waivers of the competitive bidding process?

Las malas lenguas say this is all about the money. Because, think about it: Is this switch in the best interest of the city? Or is it, rather, in the best interest of Levine’s buddies. The city has already given the mayor’s pals the tennis contract and the lobbying contract and the centennial job.

The general consensus is that Weithorn was taken out for a reason, and it’s not to give her time to campaign for state representative in District 113 (more on that later). One option is to weaken her husband’s potential run for one of the open seats (more on that later). But more likely it is because Commissioner Weithorn won’t just rubber stamp everything that comes before her and might ask the wrong (read: right) questions. In fact, sources say she’s already been sniffing around about the mayor’s bloated expenses with new staffers and so many trips.

In other words, Weithorn — unlike Wolfson and Commissioner Joy Malakoff,  a banker with some financial experience who was also appointed to the committee Thusday — is not in Levine’s pocket.

Caught moments before she was to teach an auditing class Friday morning, Weithorn would only say that she found the switch interesting, but that since all committee items still go before the commission, she was not going to just fade away.

“I think he [the mayor] missed an opportunity for me to train someone to lead the committee into the future,” she told Ladra. I forgot to ask Weithorn if she feels betrayed, since she was told she’d keep that committee chair if she fired her aide after the election (and she did) because he worked against Levine.

Former Mayor Matti Bower said the move is something to raise concerns. “It is strange,” Bower said.

She, too, once thought about removing Weithorn from the chairmanship to give someone else a chance, but then changed her mind. “Being a CPA and involved in economics, I think Deede had a good handle on that committee. She asked good questions,” Bower said.

Hopefully, we can still count on her asking the good questions at the commission meetings.

– See more at: http://www.politicalcortadito.com/2015/01/16/miami-beach-mayor-levine-takes-over-finance-committee/#sthash.8wBpt28D.dpuf

Today we want to highlight that a group within the city that is making an impact on the preservation of the art of architecture of our city. Art and the history or the design of our city is something to celebrate. This past weekend marked Art Deco Weekend and we want to give recognition to one of the organizations that made this event possible.

New Times names Palo! Miami’s Best Latin Band of 2014! 

Best Latin Band Miami 2014 – Palo

http://gopalo.com

Monday, January 19

Ben Howard at the Fillmore 

This British singer-songwriter is touring behind his new album, I Forget Where We Were. His complex, guitar- and emotion-drenched songs aren’t exactly signature Miami Beach material, but his live show is definitely worth a look. In the past, Howard has opened for alternative and pop luminaries like Coldplay and Mumford & Sons — he’s the headliner now, and he’s a must-watch.

 $29.50 and up

Tuesday, January 20

The B.I.G. Summit Technology Conference 1/20/15

The B.I.G. Summit – Technology Conference

Wednesday, January 21

The Power of Relationships in Business
Miami Beach Networking Event

7:45-9:30am

Keller Williams Conference Room
Suite 202 – 1680 Meridian Ave.
Miami Beach, FL

Open to the Public
Free Admission

Thursday, January 22

Rooftop Sessions 1/22/15

Recalling 2014: A Year of Resiliency & Continued Hope

2014 was a roller coaster year that exposed the sharp divide between the politics that win elections and the policies that our communities need to thrive. November alone not only saw too many gains for right wing extremists in Florida and across the nation, but also witnessed a belated reprieve to immigrants, and deplorable criminal justice verdicts in Ferguson and New York.

Yet this wave of disappointment and injustice was also met by a budding social movement that is increasingly being led by a new generation of young leaders who are willing to take to the streets to make sure that their voices are heard and the democratic rights of all are protected.

It is their dedication in seeing the urgency of the moment that is fueling our steps forward. In the horror of Mike Brown’s and Eric Gardner’s killings, it was the rallying cry of #BlackLivesMatter and the youth leading in the street that gives us hope and direction.  In the swamp and drowning that was the Congressional fight over comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation, it was the demands from militant youth and undocumented for Obama to stop deportations through Executive Action that prevailed – action that could provide relief to more than 600,000 people in Florida alone

The lessons learned in 2014, both at the ballot box and on the streets, must find their way back to our political system and our elected officials. Taking our cue from our youth, the time has come for different, political movement. One that is bold, energetic and fearless.One that values Black  and Brown lives, unites those at the margins, and offers a way to the anxious white working class to join in solidarity and in humanity. One that allows our elders to still play a vital role as they graciously pass the reigns of the organizations and institutions to the previously uninvolved.

The seeds have been planted and the investment that we are making in communities and leaders is beginning to show. As we begin 2015, we are heartened by brilliant responses in Ferguson and New York City, hopeful of the possibilities in winning local elections, and grateful to be a part of the New Freedom Movement that is emerging.

STATEMENT ON FERGUSON

Florida New Majority stands in solidarity with the people of Ferguson and with all young people of color who have been told again that their lives don’t matter. We, in particular, stand with the African American community. In Ferguson and throughout the country, poor and working class Black people are considered and treated as less than human. We recognize the historic and pivotal role of the Black freedom movement, and we call on all communities, Asian, Latino, Caribbean, Arab and White to support the dignity of the African American experience and their human right of respect.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the parents of Michael Brown, Eric Gardner and the thousands of African-American, Latino and other young people who are criminalized and brutalized by the police in this country every day. We condemn the militarization of the police against the civilian population in Ferguson and cities all over the United States as an offense against the most basic principles of fairness and democracy.

The failure of the Ferguson grand jury to indict Mike Brown’s killer illustrates the clear need for a complete overhaul of police departments throughout this nation. To do this requires a paradigm shift away from the mental and systemic nature of mass incarceration. Underneath this epidemic is the fear based drive to lock up and socially control Black youth and other people of color who are deemed threatening, dangerous, and undeserving. A drive that only further alienates members of the public from each other and increases racial anxiety and fear based violence.

This is a righteous and moral fight to be fought with all tools at our disposal, including in the streets and at the ballot box.

As we head into a new year, we call on all good people to keep up the fight, now and in the long run. Visit the Ferguson National Response Network to keep up with the latest actions and events around the nation, and support our work to battle police brutality, the school to prison pipeline, and the criminalization of youth right all across Florida.

ENGAGING VOTERS & IMPACTING THE 2014 ELECTIONS

In the past year, FNM spearheaded a number of civic engagement campaigns to lift up the critical nature and presence of the Rising New Electorate – African-Americans, Latinos, women, youth and LGBT communities – in reshaping the political landscape.

Staff continued to work in all year long to protect and expand the fundamental right to vote in Florida.The organization’s Right to Vote campaign, a cornerstone of our Expanding Democracy work, coordinated with legal advocates and policy experts to build legislative momentum towards policies that would neutralize attempts to suppress voting rights particularly in relationship to African-American, immigrant, youth, and Latino communities.

During the fall primaries and midterm elections, FNM trained and sent out brigades of voter protection volunteers to the polls to monitor operations. The organization also launched two voting campaigns designed to increase participation in the 2014 gubernatorial election. #BlackVotesMatter / #OurVotesMatter raised awareness about the issues at stake for black families in the election, increased power and influence of the black vote in state politics, and ensured that black interests and values were honored. #VotaPorMiGente had similar goals, utilizing multiple strategies ranging from, field and phone canvassing, leadership development, tele-town halls and other tactics to elevate the importance and impact of the Latino vote in state politics.

As a result, BlackVotesMatter built a field canvass of over 30 canvassers that knocked on approximately 60,000 doors and reached 17,000 voters in predominantly African-American precincts in Duval County. Working closely with SEIU’s  “Boricua Vota” campaign, #VotaPorMiGente helped bring a taste of Puerto Rican-style politics to Osceola with caravans and musical “flash mobs,” encouraging the public to vote early and send in their absentee votes. A month long phone bank produced nearly 5,000 calls and a statewide teletownhall in Spanish reached nearly 200,000 households and attracted more than 25,000 participants.

The campaigns motivated voters to care about the election, create energy for increased turnout, and built infrastructure and leaders for long term civic engagement.  Immediate results were seen in Central Florida, where interns and organizers were instrumental in helping FNM’s endorsed candidates, Viviana Janer and Cheryl Grieb unseat incumbent Republicans on the Board of Osceola County Commissioners, effectively turning the body from red to blue. The “dynamic duo,” as they called themselves, became only the second and third women ever elected to the Board, with Janer earning the distinction of being the first Latina elected to county-wide office. In Miami’s County Commission District 8, Daniella Levine-Cava also unseated an incumbent, bringing a needed progressive voice to that board.

MOBILIZATION & COMMUNITY EDUCATION

December was also a time of innovative launches. In Miami, local artists, muralists, and live performers participating in our “Culture is a Weapon” event transformed FNM’s Miami offices into a vibrant arts space to celebrate the year and raise funds for the important work tof delivering on the promise of a fair and equal democracy.

Staff also brought FNM’s “Freedom Flicks” effort (a series of socially-conscious movies and discussion for high-school and college-age youth) to Kissimmee with a showing of the movie “Mandela”.

Moving forward, the Orlando/Kissimmee office plans to host these movie nights once a month, each with a different theme and in partnership with organizations and community leaders to engage our youth in dialogue around social justice issues.  Next up in January is immigration reform, in collaboration with Mi Familia Vota and the Florida Farm Workers’ Association.

STAFF INSPIRATION:  WHY OUR WORK MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER

“From Trayvon to Mike Brown”

Young men who were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and apparently in the wrong skin. I understood the injustice of those murders. But now it feels different. It feels personal. It has rattled my spirit… Maybe because Mike, like Trayvon, was no different than my 20 male cousins, 3 nephews, 2 Godsons, and countless friends. Maybe because I watched the media alter the image of a child to justify his murder. Maybe because I saw a nation of people more willing to believe he was a ‘thug’ than accept the possibility that he was profiled and shot for merely walking down the street.  Maybe it’s personal because I am black woman and anything that comes from my womb will be, to some degree, another Trayvon Martin, another Mike Brown. I felt as if I knew his laugh and his smile; his desires and dreams; his fears and his future. Maybe in a way I did.

“An Historic Moment “

We are witnessing a collective awakening to the reality of this nation. This is the moment we confront our history and our present so that we can move forward as a nation.

This moment is painful, but it’s needed.  It’s when real change can begin.  It’s when we realize poverty, injustice and marginalization are not inevitable facts of life, but the result of conscious decisions made at every level of government.  And it’s the moment we realize that we have the power to make change happen by becoming engaged in our neighborhoods and cities, and at the ballot box.

“We Need Lasting Change”

It is obvious that something is wrong and something needs to be done to bring more “equality” to the halls of Justice.  Protesting has been an outlet thus far for some Jacksonville citizens and it is supportedas long as it fits within the rights protected by the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution.  We need to take this raw emotion and nourish it thereby cultivating it in a manner that will bring lasting change.   We need to educate so that the citizens of Jacksonville will have an understanding of what is going on policy wise as well as a clear understanding of the potential ramifications as a result of inaction. We need to continue organizing trainings because if we are on one accord we can cause change in our communities.  One of the best ways to do that is by utilizing the ballot box.  Taking proactive action to elect officials that have open minds, hearts and listening ears to the daily plight of the people that they serve.

Yesterday Ray Downs posted an article in the Palm Beach New Times. We thought that it was worth the mention.

Everybody knows Florida likes to lock people up. It’s the state with the third-highest prison population in the country that has the world’s highest prison population. But some recent data analysis by the Washington Post points out an interesting fact: Nearly every county in the Sunshine State has more than 1,000 people locked up.

The data used combines state and federal prisons as well as local jails. The counties with the most prisoners are right here in South Florida. Miami-Dade unsurprisingly leads the way with 12,127 prisoners, which is by far the highest in the state. Broward, meanwhile, has 6,390 people locked up, and Palm Beach has 6,055. Combined, the two counties actually have more prisoners than Miami-Dade, with a total of 12,435.

The county with the lowest number of prisoners? That distinction goes to Highland County, which has about 388 people locked up.

Here’s what the map looks like, with purple designating more than 1,000 prisoners. Dark pink notes counties with at least 250 and up to 999:

The Post data also points out another interesting fact: Around the country, the United States has more jails than degree-granting colleges. At least Florida isn’t that bad, though. There are 207 degree-granting institutions around the state but only 157 state, local, and federal places to be locked up.

However, there are more people living behind bars than on college campuses.

See also: Florida Leads Country in Prisoners Serving Max Sentences, Being Released Without Supervision

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, there are 100,942 prisoners in state prisons at last count and about 55,371 in county jails. The Federal Bureau of Prisons says it has 39,420 in people in federal facilities around Florida. In all, there are about 195,733 people locked up at any given time in our state — a number big enough to be the 25th most populated county.

The only other state that appears to come close to Florida’s prison population by county is California, which has the highest state prison population in the country. But at least California has a county with fewer than 388 people locked up (at actually has 11 counties in that category).

In fact, it looks like Florida is the only state in the country that doesn’t have at least one county with fewer than 250 prisoners.

But all this shouldn’t be surprising considering the sharp and steady rise of Florida’s prisoner population. Believe it or not, back in 1980, there were only 20,000 people in Florida’s state prisons. Today, there are fives times that number — and every county is pitching in:

Sentencing Project

See also: Richard DeLisi Continues 90-Year Sentence for Cannabis After Judge Denies Release

Follow Ray Downs on Twitter:

E-mail him at Ray.Downs@browardpalmbeach.com.

Exciting Announcements were made for Sebastian Solano this past week. The article below was published in New Times Miami on 1/1/15!

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2015/01/life-in-color_sebastian-solano_forbes_30-under-30_miami_2015.php

Enjoy the read!

“We’re a brand that’s growing from the bottom up,” the Life in Color crew told Crossfadeback in 2013, just days before the first-ever LIC Festival was set to splatter neon paint across the Magic City.

“We want to just stay hungry, stay humble, and if all goes well, we’ll have something very special that we are going to be able to take across the world.”

Almost two years later, this prophetic vision for the LIC brand is becoming a reality. And now co-founder Sebastian Solano has even been named one of Forbes‘ 30 Under 30 in Music for 2015.

Forbes may be recognizing Solano as la crème de la crème in the music biz this year, but Life in Color’s success has been in the works for nearly a decade.The only Miamian to make the cut, Solano is joined by up-and-coming pop stars FKA Twigs, Charlie XCX, and Chance the Rapper, as well as Revolt TV’s Kai Wright and Nas’ manager, Anthony Saleh, among others.

Formerly known as Dayglow, “the world’s largest paint party” began in 2007 when a couple of college dudes from Florida State University noticed a growing, yet unorganized trend of paint parties hosted by frat houses and sororities. That in mind, Solano and his buddies threw their first major 1,000-person neon bash at downtown Miami’s Mecca.

A hit, the guys soon found themselves putting on Dayglow events in cities across the state. In 2010, the paint fest crossed the border to Mexico for it’s first international rager in Cancun during Spring Break. With a now solid rep, Solano and his party crew put on a total of 65 U.S. shows in the spring, and another 65 shows in the fall of the following year.

Then in 2012, Life In Color was purchased by Robert F.X. Sillerman, who connected LIC with dance music powerhouse ID&T, the entity behind the Sensation Tour, a move that’s allowed the fest to expand exponentially.

From throwing EDM paint parties for college students to filling up stadiums across the globe, Life In Color has attracted the likes of Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, and other mega DJs, bringing Cirque-du-Soleil-style acrobatics, and, well, tons of neon to thousands.

In fact, LIC has left 600,000 people in over 55 countries oozing in paint.

Sure, Solano and his crew are moving on up in the biz, but the LIC guys are only getting the neon party started. For now, they’re just reppin’ the 305 and “staying hungry, staying humble.”

Friday, 1.9.15

Eat Drink Support Art Dimensions Variable Turns 5 1/9/15