City of Miami Beach Dedicates Mural for Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park

City of Miami Beach Dedicates Mural for Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park Artist Christina Pettersson to create public artwork honoring Douglas' environmental activism

Proposed artwork for Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park. Artist rendering, not actual image.

The City of Miami Beach is pleased to announce that Christina Pettersson has been selected by the Art in Public Places Committee (AIPP) to create a commemorative artwork for Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park. Pettersson will design and install a mural honoring the activist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, in recognition of her contributions to South Florida. Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a poet, journalist, women's rights advocate and passionate environmentalist who lived in Miami for most of her life. Her relentless advocacy for the natural preservation and restoration of South Florida, including her influential book The Everglades: River of Grass, led to Everglades restoration efforts and inspired movements to protect the area's wildlife.  Dr. Lynette Long, Chair of the Miami Beach Commission for Women, proposed to the city's Art in Public Places Committee that Douglas be honored with a mural at her namesake park in South Beach. The committee accepted artist Christina Pettersson's proposal to create a concrete vinyl mural honoring Douglas, installed on the exterior wall of one of the park's facilities. Artist Christina Pettersson was raised in Miami and has spent a lifetime exploring the Everglades. Her work — which spans large-scale drawings, videos, installations and collaborative performances — delves into Florida's hidden histories and endangered ecosystems, reflecting a reverence for the natural world and wild beauty. Rooted in public engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration, her practice invites audiences to connect more deeply with the landscapes and stories in their own backyards. Her proposed mural depicts Marjory Stoneman Douglas relaxing in the habitat she spent her life protecting. "A voracious reader of local history, as well as an avid naturalist, birder, explorer, my art evolves from the Everglades landscape I've explored since childhood," says Pettersson. "I am thrilled to honor Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, who was such a passionate conservationist and whose life's work enabled me to explore that landscape. Much like Douglas herself, I aim to reconnect audiences with our wild places and wild selves. We love what we find beautiful, and we protect what we love." "Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a pioneer for South Florida's natural environment, and it's only fitting that her namesake park reflects her legacy," said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner. "The planned mural will be a meaningful addition that connects our community to its history while enhancing one of our city's beloved parks."

The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery presents Two New Exhibitions, ‘Adventum Floridana: Witnessing the Layers of a Vanishing Horizon’ & ‘Of Being and Seeing’ Opening March 13th

 

The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery in Pembroke Pines presents two new art exhibitions running from March 13 – June 7, 2025. ‘Adventum Floridana: Witnessing the Layers of a Vanishing Horizon’, a solo exhibition by Andrés Cabrera-Garcia curated by Sophie Bonet, examining the fragile beauty of South Florida’s landscapes in a state of flux, offering viewers an opportunity to engage with the region’s shifting horizons through Cabrera-Garcia’s compelling works. And ‘Of Seeing and Being’, featuring works by Deering Estate Artists-in-Residence Giannina Dwin and Tony Fernandez, who explore themes of presence, absence, and the interplay between the visible and hidden. Curated by Liliam Dominguez, Head Curator and Museum and Collections Manager at Deering Estate.

Art lovers and aficionados are cordially invited to enjoy the Opening Reception for both exhibitions on Thursday, March 13th from 6 – 9pm at The Frank Gallery for an evening of art, conversation, and exploration. Light refreshments will be served; this event is free & open to the public. The Frank Gallery is located at 601 City Center Way in Pembroke Pines, Florida 33025. Guests will experience a compelling exploration of memory, perception, and the vanishing horizons of South Florida. Together, these two exhibitions create a dynamic dialogue celebrating South Florida’s rich cultural and ecological landscapes.

Andrés Cabrera-Garcia

Cabrera-Garcia’s practice captures the tensions between nature and human intervention, translating ephemeral moments of light, texture, and urban transformation into dynamic visual narratives. His expressive brushstrokes evoke the sensory experience of South Florida—dense humidity, fading light, and the ever-present hum of development—immersing viewers in the visceral realities of a landscape in transition. Central to the exhibition is a monumental polyptych, a “Platonic Ridge,” embodying the fragmentation and cohesion of South Florida’s evolving terrain. Complemented by an array of found objects and construction debris, the gallery becomes an archaeological site, immersing visitors in the dual forces of destruction and renewal.

Andrés Cabrera-Garcia

Curator Sophie Bonet approaches Adventum Floridana through the lens of Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, emphasizing the active, embodied nature of perception. “This exhibition is not just about observing Cabrera-Garcia’s work,” Bonet explains. “It is about experiencing these landscapes as extensions of ourselves—an entanglement of memory, materiality, and transformation.” The result is an exhibition that challenges viewers to witness and reflect upon the tenuous beauty of South Florida’s environment and its precarious future. Cabrera-Garcia’s works are not merely representations but invitations to participate in the ongoing dialogue between nature and humanity.

Andrés Cabrera-Garcia

The Deering Estate, in collaboration with The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, is proud to present Of Seeing and Being, an evocative exhibition featuring works by Deering Estate Artists-in-Residence Giannina Dwin and Tony Fernandez. curated by Liliam Dominguez, Head Curator and Museum and Collections Manager at Deering Estate. This exhibition is part of the Deering Estate at The Frank program, a partnership that brings Deering Estate Artists-in-Residence to new audiences by showcasing their work in dynamic, collaborative venues beyond the Estate.

Giannina Dwin (2025), Untitled, Salt Installation, dimensions variable

Of Seeing and Being delves into profound questions of presence, absence, and the interplay between the visible and the hidden. Drawing inspiration from Martin Heidegger’s concepts of Dasein (“Being there”) and Poiesis (the creative act of bringing forth Being), the exhibition offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity, temporality, and the human relationship with the environment. Giannina Dwin’s practice incorporates ephemeral materials such as salt to symbolize the delicate balance between durability and impermanence. Her sculptures, inspired by mangrove roots and seeds, and her depictions of the female form in ceramic works evoke themes of memory, transformation, and resistance.

Tony Fernandez (2024), Large Black Mangrove, pigment ink-print on aluminum printmount, 36″ x 54″

Tony Fernandez’s photographic abstractions present a poetic and cinematic interpretation of the Deering Estate’s natural landscapes. His depictions of mangroves and banyan roots transcend mere documentation, blurring the line between the seen and unseen, and inviting viewers to engage deeply with their surroundings. Complementing the exhibition are two short films created by fellow Deering Estate Artist-in-Residence Jorge Gonzalez Graupera, offering a unique lens into the practices of Dwin and Fernandez.

Giannina Dwin, 'Waves at Free!', Salt Installation, dimensions variable, Photo by Diana Larrea

‘Penumbra Brew Quartet‘, an exhibition featuring Studio 18 Art Complex resident artist Carlos Solorzano, where the canvas becomes a psychological theater—a liminal space where memory, culture, and the subconscious collide. This showcase of four airbrushed acrylic works—abstract yet evocative—stand as the surviving fragments of an intense creative process, remnants of an attempt to distill the ineffable. Here, the artist functions as both alchemist and medium, transforming a turbulent inner landscape into an atmospheric brew of earthy tones and spectral imagery. This exhibition is on view from March 13th through June 7th, 2025.

The community can learn more about the City of Pembroke Pines’ latest Events by subscribing to Pembroke Pines Media on YouTube, to NewsFlash, a twice a month digital newsletter at www.ppines.com/Newsflash, by reading the city’s digital newspaper City Connect and website via www.ppines.com, checking the city’s digital signage, or by visiting the City’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cityofpembrokepines, and @cityofppines for Twitter and Instagram. Residents with Comcast can view Pembroke Pines Media programming on Channel 78.

For more information visit www.thefrankgallery.org
Follow The Frank Gallery on Instagram @thefrankpembrokepines

Coral Springs Museum of Art presents an Art Talk with KX2 | Art + Sustainability: A Conversation

 

KX2 Installation view of Near the Rivers There are Many Large Springs, Coral Springs Museum of Art

Coral Springs Museum of Art presents an Art Talk with KX2 | Art + Sustainability: A Conversation on Thursday, June 27th from 6:30 – 7:30pm. Experience an enlightening conversation on ‘Art and Sustainability’ as part of the museum’s Happy Hour Mix series with KX2, artist duo (sisters) Ruth Avra and Dana Kleinman, at the Coral Springs Museum of Art. This artist talk is in conjunction with KX2’s current exhibition “Near the Rivers There are Many Large Springs”, a group show featuring KX2, Milena Arango, and Donna Ruff. The exhibition is on view from April 11 through July 20, 2024. 

Along with fellow exhibiting artist, Milena Arango, KX2 will be joined by Andrea Lemaitre, the city’s sustainability manager. Together, the group will delve into the intersection of art and sustainability, discussing how we as artists integrate sustainable practices into our creative processes. Don’t miss this engaging dialogue that explores innovative approaches to art-making while considering environmental impacts and sustainable solutions. This Event is FREE & Open to the Public/ RSVP HERE.

Artists in Residence in Everglades: Application for 2021 AIRIE Residency Now Open!

 

APPLICATION FOR 2022 AIRIE RESIDENCY IS NOW OPEN! "What will you explore through your art while residing in the Everglades National Park? How will you interpret its environment in a creative and critical way?  How can we make the outdoors a space of belonging?  Pursue your artistic practice through the lens of our art + ecology residency as AIRIE strives to create greater equity in the environmental movement. Artists and researchers from all artistic disciplines are invited to apply for experiences in Everglades National Park that are tailored to the interests of each artist, creating opportunities for independence as well as interaction, collaboration and public engagement." Apply Now

CallToArtists: Global Meltdown

Global Meltdown

CALL TO ARTISTS

Details
Deadline: April 30, 2020
Sponsor: Limner Gallery
Location: Hudson, NY
Click here for more info.

Description
This call is for a thematic exhibition of artwork related to the the Global Climate Crisis. The exhibition will be held at the Limner Gallery, June 17 - July 11, 2020 and is open to all all interpretations of the Climate Crisis, be it global, local, personal, environmental, financial, psychological, scientific and/or spiritual. Entry is open to all artists working in any media. The entry deadline is April 30, 2020. The entry form is online at: http://www.slowart.com/prospectus/melt.htm

This call is open to all artists, national and international, working in all media. All forms of art are eligible. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older to apply. Wall mounted works must not be taller than 96" no wider than 120".  Sculptural work must fit through a 36" wide entry door.

Contact Limner Gallery with questions or for more information.

SaveArtSpace Announces New Open Call for Art: Environmental Justice & the Natural Environment

Announcing a new open call for art! Environmental Justice & the Natural Environment a group public art and gallery exhibition coming to Portland, May 2020. SaveArtSpace is asking artists to share their passionate concerns about the state of our natural environment and the resulting environmental injustice. "Our natural environment is influx like never before, fires, floods, drought, famine, affecting those most vulnerable first. Right here in Portland, we have seen the devastating affects of the climate crises and the human impact on the natural environment. We must change our way of life and artists have the ability to demonstrate what a cleaner, heathier, and more just future must look like." –SaveArtSpace. Artists of all ages and talents are invited to submit between February 10 and March 25, 2020. This is your opportunity to have your art on ad space in Portland, OR in May 2020.

Learn More

See all available open calls at saveartspace.org/submit.

Local Views at PAMM: Onajide Shabaka

Onajide Shabaka, Downriver Suriname from hinderlands, 2017.Archival ink photographic print, dimensions variable. Image courtesy of the artist 

Experience a local, Miami artist at the Pérez Art Museum Miami on Thursday, August 29th from 6-6:30pm. Enjoy PAMM’s in-gallery tour program. Local Views at PAMM is where select local artists speak about a few works of art currently on view at the museum. This month, Onajide Shabaka will lead the tour. Onajide Shabaka, is an interdisciplinary cultural practitioner, and currently lives and works in Miami, Florida and whose practice is connected through historical and biographical themes related to geography that include African diaspora and Native American cultures.

Onajide Shabaka, Plantage Katwijk, 2017.Watercolor, collage on paper (artist book page), 6 x 12 in. / 15.2 x 30.5 cmImage courtesy of the artist

Local Views at PAMM gives visitors a first-hand interaction with local artists by creating conversations centered around art and the creative process. This casual 30-minute conversation takes place on the fourth Thursday of each month. Free with museum admission. First come, first served.

Internationally Renowned Public Artist & Photographer Lloyd Goradesky

Born and raised on Miami Beach, Lloyd Goradesky is an internationally recognized artist and photographer known for his iconic Gator In The Bay art installation, bringing attention and awareness to the Florida Everglades.

“Goradesky’s work is compared to Christo & Jean-Claude. Using the Power of Art to bring awareness to our natural surroundings, Goradesky’s art extends from multi-media design to complex material creations.” -Discovery Channel

In addition to his highly acclaimed photography work, Goradesky is famous for his Public Art project in 2012-2013 “Gator in the Bay,” a 33,000-pound alligator the size of a football field that floats. The head is a 3-story steel sculpture built on a self-propelled barge using recycled junkyard materials. The upper jaw attached to the boom of a crane, opens and closes. The body is made of 104 individual boards (called Floating Art Tiles) displaying 3,000 photographs of the Everglades (captured by the artist).

The head/upper jaw was featured during Art Basel Miami-2012; entire piece was featured in Art Basel Miami-2013. Received widespread, international print and broadcast media coverage, including: ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, CNN, Fox News, Yahoo News, Discovery Channel, Huffington Post, The Examiner, Sun Sentinel, Miami New Times and Miami Herald. Project Manager and Artist, Goradesky worked with federal, environmental and local city officials including Homeland Security, Marine Control, U.S. Coast Guard and NASA for approval. Budget $1,000,000. Private funding for this public art project.

Goradesky is extremely active within the local South Florida community and sits on numerous boards for non-profits and environmental organizations. Art Board Affiliations include:

Life is Art Board 2017-2018

Weiner Museum of Decorative Arts, Voluntary Adviser & Instructor, 2018

Artists in Residence in Everglades Board 2016-2017

Education for Tomorrow Advisory 2016-2017

WiseTribe Elder 2016-2017

Love The Everglades Movement Board 2012-2017

Miccosukee Advisory Board 2011-2014

The artist and photographer hosts workshops at various museums and galleries throughout South Florida, such as his recent photography workshop at the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts (WMODA) in Hollywood, Florida on April 27, 2018 during Museum Week with upcoming sessions TBD.

The renowned public artist and photographer is known for his cutting-edge projects and site-specific installations throughout South Florida. For inquiries on how to commission a piece or start a project, private or group photography lessons, wedding or event packages, contact Goradesky at (305)915-2691, or email Lloyd@Lloydsite.com more information visit http://innovativepublicartgroup.com/lloyd-goradesky/ or http://www.lloydsite.com

#SAVEARTSPACE: Los Angeles "We Only Have One Place To Live" Open Call For Los Angeles Area Artists

#SAVEARTSPACE: Los Angeles We Only Have One Place To Live Open Call For Art! #SAVEARTSPACE brings public art to Los Angeles, showcasing local artists on advertising spaces throughout the area beginning January 16, 2017. The exhibition is entitled, "We Only Have One Place To Live."  The artists are responding to the most important global concern, which affects all of us—the current and changing state of our natural environment. Recently, scientists and researchers identified that we are now living in the first epoch in Earth's history where our environment is being actively changed by human activity across our planet. "We Only Have One Place to Live" aims will explore the tension, between human society and the environment; between static and change. The exhibition is asking local artists to voice their passionate concerns about how their changing environment is affecting our globalized society, not just through environmental phenomena—such as prolonged droughts, wildfires, rising sea-levels, air quality, water conservation and more—but also the philosophical and existential questions that arise when we are both the problem, and the potential solution, to the crises our world faces. We invite artists of all ages & talents in the Los Angeles area to submit! Artists are invited to apply between September 14th and November 23rd, 2016. There is a $10 fee per image to participate, each donation is a tax deduction and goes to producing public art. Only digital format entries will be eligible, each artist is encouraged to submit up to three images. Submissions will be accepted at saveartspace.org/losangeles.   A qualified panel of Curators will consider each submission's pertinence to the theme of the exhibition, the context of the images and association to the public space. Curators include Justin Aversano and Travis Rix, whom together have curated the previous four public art exhibitions by #SAVEARTSPACE.   All submissions will be featured on #SAVEARTSPACE social media pages with the permission of the artist. The complete list of rules for submissions can be found atsaveartspace.org/submit. #SAVEARTSPACE has previous held four Public Art Exhibitions in New York City and one in Miami, Fl. If you live in the Los Angeles, California area, please consider submitting your art to our Public Art Exhibition! Curators Justin Aversano received his BFA in Photography at School of Visual Arts in New York. He is also owner and operator of professional photography lab Brooklyn Lightroom, based in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Justin is an active artist and curator, working within the greater Bushwick and Brooklyn art scene. He has organized and curated a number of shows along with The Living Gallery, and when not creating, Justin can be found skateboarding around, taking his dog Tia (short for Tortilla) for walks, and socializing with friends. Travis Rix received his BFA in Photography at School of Visual Arts in New York, and was featured in the 2014 Mentors Show at the SVA Gallery. When not out on the streets looking for new locations for art installations, or helping within the community, you can find Travis socializing in the park, painting, or spending time with friends and family. Also, a special guest curator to be announced at a later date. #SAVEARTSPACE is dedicated to producing public art exhibitions. We work with contributors to provide local artists visual platforms in the public space. By creating an urban gallery experience, we aim to affect and inspire a new generation of artists.

Healthy Seas Fashion Project by MEDASSET Exhibition at CRETAquarium Near Heraklion, Crete Through September

MEDASSET’s (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles) exhibition of clothing made with yarn reclaimed from the sea has reached the second stage of its journey, after a month’s stay at Golden Hall shopping centre in Marousi. CRETAquarium, one of Europe’s largest and most contemporary aquaria, near Heraklion, Crete, has opened its doors to the “Healthy Seas Fashion Project” and presents the exhibition until the end of September.

The exhibition was created with the support of the Representation of the EC in Greece, on the occasion of MEDASSET’s first anniversary as coordinator in Greece of the European initiative: “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear”.

The “Healthy Seas” initiative aims to remove fishing nets that have been caught up on wrecks or snagged by rocky outcrops on the ocean floor. The deadly “ghost nets” go on trapping all kinds of marine creatures, such as turtles, dolphins, seals, etc., but once they are removed they can be processed, along with other waste products, and recycled to make ECONYL® – a premium quality yarn that is ideal for use in the manufacture of clothing and other products, such as carpet. The initiative promotes a new model of sustainable development that is based on the concept of a circular economy – maximising the potential of existing resources while reducing their waste. It is being run in 5 European states (Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and the United Kingdom).

Once visitors to the aquarium have admired the 2,000 individual marine creatures from 200 different Mediterranean species, they will have an opportunity to enjoy a unique exhibition that demonstrates what can happen when environmental awareness, fashion, and the principles of the circular economy meet. Behind-the-scenes videos illustrate how the Fashion Project came into being, while breath-taking underwater footage, which show just how damaging “ghost nets” can be to marine fauna, complete the experience.

The garments displayed in the exhibition have all been created by students and recent graduates of the fashion department of AKTO College of Art and Design. They represent the work of finalists in MEDASSET’s competition, “Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear” Fashion Project, which took place in May 2016 in collaboration with the DoitEco Project. Each of the 10 exhibitors, chosen from an initial entry of 23, has used fabric woven in Italy from ECONYL® yarn together with other environmentally-friendly materials (such as organic cotton, plant-based dyes, re-purposed cloth, linen and canvas) to create a pair of garments based on a common concept; one a ‘ready to wear’ piece and the other a more ‘conceptual’ one.

“Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear” Fashion Project is run under the auspices of the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture & Sports, UNEP/MAP – the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean Action Plan under the Barcelona Convention, SEV Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the Greek Council for UNESCO. It is supported by the Representation of the EC in Greece, ASAP Athens, Kosmocar, ΑΝΕΚ Lines και Blue Star Ferries.

The General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Ms Maria Vlazaki, declared: “The highly original concept that underpins this exhibition, and the emphasis it places on taking environmentally sound action and the value of using recycled materials in the manufacture of useful new products, point the way toward strategies for raising awareness in society of how interconnected culture and the environment truly are.”

The exhibition stage was designed and built by Greek Architect Evi Polychroniadou.