Meet the Artists During Open House Afternoons Wednesday, Thursday & Friday (Nov. 30, Dec. 1 & Dec. 2 from 3:00-6:00 p.m.)
This blockbuster exhibition promises to take Miami Art Week by storm, featuring a stellar line-up of artists: Carlos Betancourt, Edouard Duval-Carrie, Mira Lehr, Robert Thiele, John Bailly, Jacqueline Gopie, Karen Rifas, David Marsh, Paola Gracey, Asser Saint-Val, Robert McKnight, Kathleen Staples, Gustavo Oviedo, Regina Jestrow, and Pablo Contriciani.
The Center for Visual Communication in Wynwood kicks off Art Basel Season with the world premiere of the new exhibition The Miami Creative Movement (Nov. 19 ‒ March 15) curated by Barry Fellman, alongside the launch of his new photography book Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation featuring Fellman’s photographs.
Group Exhibition During Miami Art Week (Nov. 19 – March 15) Brings to Life the Spirit and Energy of New Book by Letter16 Press: Celebrating Miami’s Creative Movement that Re-Invented this City
Published by Letter16 Press, the landmark book chronicles a pivotal decade in Miami’s art scene with 200+ photographs by Barry Fellman, essays by Alberto Ibargüen (the President and CEO of the Knight Foundation) and Jordan Levin (arts writer), and contributions by Dr. Carol Damian, (art historian).
Letter16 Press is a 501(c)(3) non-profit publishing house founded by designer Francesco Casale and journalist Brett Sokol. The publishing house is dedicated to championing Miami’s most talented photographers from the ‘60s through the ‘90s who sought out a sweet spot between photojournalism and art. Much of their visually arresting imagery from the pre-digital era currently remains trapped on 35mm film, hidden away in boxes, and largely unknown to today’s audiences.
The group art exhibition is a testimony to the spirit of the new book, with paintings by fourteen of Miami’s leading artists who embody the creative movement propelling this city.
Powerful New Works by 15 of Miami’s Leading Artists:
Carlos Betancourt ‒ Edouard Duval-Carrie ‒ Mira Lehr ‒ Robert Thiele ‒ Pablo Contriciani
John Bailly ‒ Jacqueline Gopie ‒ Karen Rifas ‒ Asser Saint-Val ‒ David Marsh
Paola Gracey ‒ Regina Jestrow ‒ Kathleen Staples ‒ Gustavo Oviedo ‒ Robert McKnight
The more than 200 photographs by Barry Fellman in this new book capture a decade of artistic growth in Miami during a time of transformational public funding for the arts and major private donations, the financial likes of which most cities never experience in their entire history.
But an unexpected turn of events during the publishing timeline changed the book’s direction.
While the book was conceived well before the Covid-19 pandemic (as Fellman compiled and catalogued ten years’ worth of photographs chronicling this surge in the arts scene), when it became time to finalize the publication it was the Spring of 2020, and the pandemic lockdown shut down all cultural events and travel to Miami. Looking back at these photographs suddenly also meant looking forward for a glimmer of hope and creative solutions.
The more than 200 photographs by Barry Fellman in this new book capture a decade of artistic growth in Miami during a time of transformational public funding for the arts and major private donations, the financial likes of which most cities never experience in their entire history.
But an unexpected turn of events during the publishing timeline changed the book’s direction.
While the book was conceived well before the Covid-19 pandemic (as Fellman compiled and catalogued ten years’ worth of photographs chronicling this surge in the arts scene), when it became time to finalize the publication it was the Spring of 2020, and the pandemic lockdown shut down all cultural events and travel to Miami. Looking back at these photographs suddenly also meant looking forward for a glimmer of hope and creative solutions.
Miami Art Week Events and Book Launch
“The combination of this spectacular grouping of artists in the Miami Creative Movement exhibition, alongside the launch of the new book Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation, is the coveted ‘insider’ experience that visitors who flock to Art Basel Miami Beach love,” said Alberto Ibargüen.
During Miami Art Week this year, the public is invited to open-house events to meet the artists on-site at the Center for Visual Communication, located in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood arts district (from 3:00-6:00 p.m. each day on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 
Thursday, Dec. 1 and Friday, Dec. 2). Free and open to the public. Space is limited ‒ RSVP required in advance to: eventbrite.com/e/miami-creative-movement-meet-the-artists-open-house-tickets-444590601457
“Through his camera lens and the pages of his book, Fellman takes us on a photo-safari across Miami’s cultural terrain, during one of the most pivotal decades in Miami’s storied history – when a civic belief that culture is vital to our city meant transformational financial investment in the arts,” adds Alberto Ibargüen.
“Now, especially because the publication of this book coincides with the 20th anniversary of Art Basel Miami Beach, it makes sense to launch this book alongside a group exhibition of artists who have impacted Miami’s cultural trajectory,” adds Ibargüen.
“At our most delirious Miami moments, we know what’s true,” adds Jordan Levin. “For decades Barry Fellman has been the omnipresent, tirelessly enthusiastic witness of the art scene; always there, smiling, marveling, shooting, avid to capture the experiences he loves. “His pictures reflect his own delight and the joy he discovers in others. His way of saying we should remember these moments, because they matter. This is who we are, at our best.”
Read more about the Center for Visual Communication and the new book at www.visual.org.
