The Patricia Field ArtFashion show Thursday night at White Dot Gallery was a wild and wonderful assertion of creativity and individuality - of what you (could) wear, defining yourself the way you want, and fabulosity as affirmation and fun. There were unconventional models and marvelously inventive colorful clothes.
Wigstock co-founder and drag pioneer Lady Bunny held forth on the turntables and warming up the runway. Founding South Beach scenesters Brian Antoni, Debbie Ohanian, Louis Canales, Sandra Schulman, and Jody Mcdonald turned out. The gallery was packed. At a moment when repression looms and attacks on women, African-Americans, and LGBTQ folks have surged,
this celebration seemed bold and life-affirming: we are who we are, and we love it. Best told in photos, which follow. - Jordan Levin
Patricia Field
Marc Viardot, Jenny Lynn George and Ofer Mizrahi (photo Manny Hernandez)
CoveringsETC + Laufen Private Luncheon at Miami Ironside to celebrate bespoke design and sustainable innovations as well as raise funds for New World Symphony and Projecto TAMAR via an auction of Laufen washbasins by Brazilian artist.
Artists included Antonio Ferreira Jr. and Mario Celso Bernardes, Arthur Casas, Christian Cravo, Derlon Almeida, Jader Almeida, Joao Armentanno, Marko Brajovic, Patricia Anastassiadis, Ricardo Bello Dias, and Ronaldo Fraga.
Photos by MANNY HERNANDEZ / Manny of Miami
The 6th Annual Art Africa Miami Fair has proven itself a mainstay in Miami Art Week with an expanded showcase of contemporary artists from across the African Diaspora and as one of the leading drivers of Overtown's resurgence as an art and cultural hub. This year's exhibition titled, Afrotopia: African Diaspora and the Politics of Representation, opened with a VIP Champagne Brunch preview at the newly renovated and historic Clyde Killens pool hall in Overtown.
Presented in collaboration with the Southeast Overtown/Parkwest CRA (SEOPW CRA) and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau's 'Art of Black' initiative, the well attended preview hosted the likes of City of Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon; Clarence Woods, Executive Director of the SEOPW CRA; Alexis Synder, District Chief of Staff with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson's office; John Beckford, Chief of Staff for Commissioner Dale Holness; Retha Boone, Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board; Tina Brown, Executive Director of the Overtown Youth City; Teri Williams, President of One United Bank, Eric Knowles, President of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce; and actress Stacy-Ann Rose, from HBO's Ballers, among others.
Afrotopia articulates the evolution of the African Diaspora from the beginning of time, the present, and leading into the future. It's a metaphor of how the Black Diaspora continues to change based on the circumstances from the Middle Passage, Reconstruction, Civil Rights, and now, but also explores a utopian situation extracting current realities to create idyllic spaces towards our sustainability. The collection of artists featured in Afrotopia reflects the shift in constructively moving forward into a future of our thinking. The politically and socially charged collection of works i triggers necessary dialogue, challenges current perceptions, preserves Black culture, and promotes economic liberation.
The exhibition features works by artists: Nakazzi Hutchinson, Turgo Bastien, Maximo Caminero, Miles Regis, Carl Craig, Ivan Gross, Doba Afolabi, Freddy Osorio, Rafael Lopez Ramos, Anthony Burks, Tessa Mars, Jean Sebastien, Dan Arlan, Philippe Dodard, Solomon Adufah, Philippe Curtis, Najee Dorsey, Noel Theard, Guy Syllian, Christina Nicola, and Robert McKnight, among others.
Fabiola Fleuranvil
IG: @MiamiFabulous
