Recognizing Dudley Alexis - Catalyst Award Winner 2026

Dudley Alexis, Catalyst Award Winner 2026 About the artist Dudley Alexis, an independent filmmaker and visual artist. Dudley Alexis is both a cultural anthropologist and historian who sees his world through unique multicultural eyes. His mission as a Creative is to mine the wealth of hidden details that provide meaning to the lives of those often written off by the mainstream, finding in their stories, real treasure. His gift is in gaining the trust of others who then poignantly share their personal stories, often filled with tragedy and triumph. Alexis vividly portrays their drive to thrive and to live with dignity and equality in a world that would too often attempt to keep them marginalized. About DVCAI Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, Inc. is a virtual artist space dedicated to promoting, nurturing, and cultivating the vision and diverse creativity of emerging artists from the Caribbean and Latin American Diaspora through experimentation, exhibitions, artists-in-residence programs, international cultural exchanges, and dialogue in contemporary art. www.dvcai.org. DVCAI partners with organizations to enhance residency experiences in the Caribbean region, nationally, and internationally. For more information, please visit www.dvcai.org and follow our activities at https://www.instagram.com/dvcai

The Supernatural Work of Video/Sound Installation Artist & Photographer Cheryl Maeder

 

Internationally collected Video/Sound Installation Artist & Photographer Cheryl Maeder, is best known for her conceptual style of photography, video/sound art and filmmaking. The artist’s work is captivating, optimistic and meaningful.

Super Natural III Rose One from Cheryl Maeder’s ‘Beach & Sea’ Photography Series

“We are all on this planet to create and we each have our own self-expression of who we are. It’s the job of the artist to bring out what is inside, what they are feeling, what they are conceptualizing, and bring it out in their work and I do that in my fine art photographs and video installation art. My work keeps moving and growing and it keeps changing but there are some things which are constant about it. My work is about connection. Connection to the self, each other, to all lifeforms on this planet and also a connection to the entire universe,” explains Maeder.

Dancing Tree, video art, a short film by Cheryl Maeder

Cheryl Maeder’s fine art photographs permanent collection The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, exhibited at the Musée du Louvre, SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Norton Museum of Art to name a few; as well as Delta Air Lines, Permanent Collection, Exhibition of Video Installations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Miami, Los Angeles & LaGuardia/New York Airports.

Cheryl Maeder’s The Portal exhibition at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Cheryl Maeder‘s The Portal exhibition features 13 zen-inspired short films at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport’s Delta Sky Club lounge, delighting travelers near the Main Atrium of Terminal 2, near D2 & D3. Her work is exhibited at major art fairs, such as Art Miami, SCOPE Art Show, Art London & Art Shanghai, among others. Her work is also auctioned at Sotheby’s. She was recently selected by PBS for Project Filmmaker, South Florida, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

World Upside Down 7 from Cheryl Maeder’s ‘Beach & Sea’ Photography Series

She is featured in Luxe Magazine as a Stylemaker, Elledecor.com and Modern Luxury Magazine among others. To view more of Cheryl Maeder’s work, visit: www.maederphotography.com

Internationally Collected Video/Sound Installation Artist & Photographer Cheryl Maeder

The 39th Miami Film Festival Announces Opening & Closing Night Films for 2022 festival

 SPAIN'S THE GOOD BOSS TO OPEN 2022 MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL,

 PANAMA'S PLAZA CATHEDRAL TO CLOSE, AS IBERO-AMERICAN

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE OSCAR-SHORTLISTERS BOOKEND 39^th EDITION

 

 

Extending its rich history of showcasing cinematic works from the Ibero-american diaspora, Miami Dade College's (MDC) Miami Film Festival will open this year's edition with Spain's Oscar shortlist contender, the critically acclaimed comedy The Good Boss (El Buen Patrón) starring Javier Bardem, and close with Panama's first-ever Oscar-shortlist contestant, Plaza Cathedral (Plaza Catedral). The 2022 Festival is set to continue with an in-person format running from March 4-13, 2022.

 

For his longstanding support of Spanish cinema, Miami Film Festival Executive Director Jaie Laplante was awarded Spain's cultural honor, the Knight's Cross of the Order of Isabel La Católica, in 2018. "We are thrilled to bookend this year's Festival with two Oscar shortlist contenders from the Ibero-American world," stated Laplante. "Many of Spain's greatest filmmakers, including Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Saura, Victor Erice, Fernando Trueba, Bigas Luna and Alex de la Iglesia, have opened previous editions of the Festival, and to that list we now add Fernando León de Aranoa with his most wonderful film to date. We are also delighted to welcome Abner Benaim back to the Festival to celebrate his most recent historic achievement in Panamanian cinema, with one of the year's most beautiful and moving films."

 

Nominated for a record 20 Goya Awards in its home country, The Good Boss is written and directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, a five-time Goya winner whose films Mondays in the Sun, Amador and A Perfect Day have all been official selections of previous editions of Miami Film Festival. León de Aranoa also serves as a producer on the film along with The Mediapro Studio. Cohen Media Group has domestic rights to The Good Boss. 

 

The Good Boss spotlights Blanco (Javier Bardem), the seemingly benevolent owner of a family business that produces industrial scales in a provincial Spanish town. The company awaits an imminent visit from a committee that will judge whether they merit a local Business Excellence award. Working against the clock, Blanco pulls out all the stops to ensure everything is perfect, setting off an explosive series of events with shocking repercussions.

 

Plaza Cathedral is director Abner Benaim's sophomore narrative feature and stars Ilse Salas (The Good Girls, Güeros, Cantinflas) and Manolo Cardona (Narcos). Benaim's credits include the documentaries Invasión, Best Director winner at Miami Film Festival 2015 and Ruben Blades Is Not My Name, 24 Beats Audience Award winner at SXSW 2018. Plaza Cathedral is a moving story about a grieving luxury realtor who forges an unlikely bond with a tough street kid (Fernando Xavier De Casta). The compassionate drama shines a light on Panamanian social justice. In addition to closing the 2022 Miami Film Festival, Plaza Cathedral will compete for the Festival's $10,000 HBO Ibero-American Feature Film Award.

 

The complete 2022 Miami Film Festival line-up will be announced in early February.

OPENING NIGHT FILM

THE GOOD BOSS (El Buen Patron)

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

PLAZA CATHEDRAL (Plaza Catedral)

CODAworx presents CODAhorizons, ‘Art + Emotion: Wonder, Joy, and Inspiration’

 Enjoy an Art Talk on Thursday, April 27th from 6:30-8pm when CODAworx presents CODAhorizons, ‘Art + Emotion: Wonder, Joy, and Inspiration’. CODAworx brings together four creative thought-leaders at the intersection of art + emotion. They will help guests explore emotion as the currency of art. How and why does art impact our emotions, and thus help us to connect with one another? Ultimately, can art foster empathy and compassion? This lecture will be taking place on Zoom, REGISTER HERE. 

The panel features South Florida artist Cheryl Maeder. Her video installations have been exhibited in public art platforms on Climate Change & the Environment in US, South America & Europe. Her work is in permanent museum, corporate & private collections, exhibited internationally- Musée du Louvre/Paris & Museum of Contemporary Art/Rome. Cheryl was selected by PBS for Project Filmmaker, where her film was televised nationally, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. See link for details.

Art Loft presents ‘Miami Artists’ Film Screening

On Monday, March 9th from 6:30 – 8pm South Florida PBS and the Koubek Center invite you to the complimentary screening of Art Loft – Miami Artists. Come experience the local art scene as Art Loft shines the light on artists, exhibitions, performances, and arts organizations right here in South Florida. Meet and greet with some of the local artist featured in this season of Art Loft and get a chance to ask them questions. This Event is Free & Open to the Public, RSVP here.

Reception – 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Screening of Art Loft- 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Q & A with Artist: 7:30 PM

Parking: Valet for $8 or paid street parking nearby.

Oolite Arts and O Cinema present Art Films: Queen of Hearts

On Sunday, February 23rd at 11:30am enjoy a brunch and a film screening + Q&A of Queen of Hearts at 12:30pm at O Cinema South Beach. Co-presented by O Cinema and Oolite Arts, Art Films presents the best of films by and about artists paired with food & mimosas, followed by a post-film discussion. This edition will feature a screening of Queen of Hearts, an inspiring documentary about the life and work of visual artist Audrey Flack. Known as a trailblazer, Flack’s career evolved from abstract expressionism in the 1950’s to photorealism in the 1970’s. Now 88 years-old, she takes her work in a brand-new direction with her first solo show in years. Don’t miss a special post-film Q&A with the artist, co-director/producer Deborah Shaffer and Oolite’s CEO Dennis Scholl. Get Tickets here.

General Admission: $25
Oolite alumni, residents, members: $5 (email jrivas@oolitearts.org for promo code)

Experience the Work of Internationally Collected Visual Artist & Filmmaker Cheryl Maeder in Miami New Media Festival

Internationally collected visual artist and filmmaker Cheryl Maeder‘s new video installation ‘Simulacra‘, is a reflection, an imitation, of who we have become in this social media age. Art aficionados and collectors can enjoy this piece through the Miami New Media Festival, on view at Laundromat Art Space located at 5900 NE 2nd Avenue in Miami, FL 33137.

The Miami New Media Festival is a multimedia platform held in Miami by Arts Connection Foundation, since 2006. The 2019 edition runs from October through December with continuous events and exhibitions at various locations throughout South Florida and worldwide. It promotes art through the exploration of new technologies and interactive narratives, such as video art, animation, digital art, and interactive mapping.

Simulacra, video installation

The festival also presents exhibitions in cities in Latin America and Spain. Since its creation, this festival has presented more than 210 artists from 15 countries, 400+ videos, installations, 3D digital art pieces, and performances. Cheryl Maeder's new video installation 'Simulacra', is a reflection, an imitation, of who we have become in this social media age. "As observer and narrator of the film, I become another one of the subjects in this social commentary on our filtered reality. Special thanks to Artist Mary Tidy-Coyle for our wonderful collaboration and editing, as well as Brandon Martinez of Datzi Media, who will be creating an Interactive 3D APP for this installation," said Cheryl Maeder.

Internationally Collected Visual Artist & Filmmaker Cheryl Maeder's New Video Installation 'Simulacra'

Internationally collected visual artist and filmmaker Cheryl Maeder's new video installation 'Simulacra', is a reflection, an imitation, of who we have become in this social media age. "As observer & narrator of the film, I become another one of the subjects in this social commentary on our filtered reality. Special thanks to Artist Mary Tidy-Coyle for our wonderful collaboration & editing, and Brandon Martinez, Datzi Media, who will be creating an Interactive 3D APP for this installation." -Cheryl Maeder.

Vimeo: 'Simulcra'

"Since 2008, I have been exhibiting as an artist during Art Basel Week at art fairs such as Art Miami.  I have noticed that social media has transformed our daily lives. In the first years of exhibiting, when viewers would come to the exhibit, they would ask to take photos with their phones. As the years progressed, fewer people would engage directly with the art. They instead use their phones as their lens to the world. Having observed this evolution, I thought it would be interesting to use my own iphone to film the viewers, so that I become an active participant, and we all become the 'Art'." 

For more information about this artist, sales or inquiries, contact: maeder@maederphotography.com
https://maederphotography.com/

Artist & Filmmaker Cheryl Maeder's New Installation at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

Internationally collected Visual Artist and Filmmaker Cheryl Maeder is a pioneer of Art, Film and Technology. Experience Maeder's new installation of 'Far & Away I' at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute in West Palm Beach.

Cheryl Maeder's photographs are in the permanent museum collection of The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum in Miami, exhibited internationally - The Musée du Louvre in Paris, SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Union in New York, Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach and Cornell Art Museum in Delray Beach. Her work is exhibited at major art fairs, such as Art Miami, SCOPE Art Show, Art London and Art Shanghai, among others. Her work is also auctioned at Sotheby's, NY. She had a solo exhibition at Miami International Airport in 2015, and was recently selected by PBS for Project Filmmaker, South Florida, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. 

The artist/filmmaker has held numerous exhibitions and shows, and currently has framed video installations 'Frequency' & 'The Voyage' on view in the lobby of the GALLERYone Hotel, Hilton DoubleTree Suites in Fort Lauderdale. Video Installations take the viewer on a sensory interactive experience.

For more information about this artist, sales or inquiries, contact: maeder@maederphotography.com / https://maederphotography.com/

Internationally Collected Visual Artist and Filmmaker Cheryl Maeder is a Pioneer of Art, Film and Technology

Cheryl Maeder was born and raised in Elmwood Park, New Jersey on June 18, 1949. In her early 20's she moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where she studied photography at Zurich University of the Arts. After 8 years in Switzerland, she returned to the United States and opened her studio in San Francisco where she photographed international advertising & fashion campaigns for clients such as Sony, AT&T, Visa, Calvin Klein, Marriott Hotels among others. She transitioned from photographing fashion models to photographing real women. She wanted to celebrate the beauty of women in all shapes and sizes. Her photography work became the inspiration for the global Dove Campaign on 'Real Women, Real Beauty', which was shown in the United States and throughout the world, transforming the way women are perceived in the media. That campaign was a real defining moment and ended up as not only advertisements, but also video, workshops, sleepover events and the publication of a book and a play. Oprah featured it on her TV Show.

Cheryl Maeder's 'Meditation', Les Copines Series.

“The artist has made a career out of creating work that is the opposite of what others are doing – shooting out of focus and fuzzy when the trend is hyper definition, aiming her lens at plus size women when the trend is super skinny; and projecting video when the theme is murals. But she makes it all work and makes her work stand out by doing so,” said arts writer Sandra Schulman about Cheryl Maeder and her work.

Cheryl Maeder, 'Submerge I'.

In 2005, she relocated her studio to the Miami area and deeply immersed herself into filmmaking and fine art. Her investigations into video and installations expanded her world. Through the exploration of new technologies, opportunities for creative collaborations have occurred for large-scale installations, as well as local, national and international exhibitions.

Submerge Series, Public Art Video Installation, City of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Cheryl Maeder is an internationally collected visual artist & filmmaker at the forefront of art and technology, creating never-been-seen before interactive installations, such as her famous limited edition photograph with video of Les Copines, Awakening.

Les Copines, 'Awakening', Photograph & Video Installation, 1/5.

One of Cheryl's most iconic fine art photography series is Submerge, a famous collection of works that were selected for a Public Art Video Installation by the City of West Palm Beach for Canvas Outdoor Museum Exhibition. The Submerge Series explores the relationship human beings have with the environment. The human body contains 70% of water fluids and the oceans waters cover more than 70% of the Earth itself. Water represents our connectedness to the Earth and to each other. Submerge is the courage and willingness to take the leap into the depths of the Waters of the Soul.

'Submerge Judith II', Limited Edition Archival Photographic Watercolor Print

Cheryl Maeder's photographs are in the permanent museum collection of The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU in Miami, exhibited internationally - The Musée du Louvre in Paris, SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Union in New York and Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach. Her work is exhibited at major art fairs, such as Art Miami, SCOPE Art Show, Art London and Art Shanghai, among others.

PBS for Project Filmmaker, South Florida

Her work is also auctioned at Sotheby's, New York. The artist had a solo exhibition at Miami International Airport in 2015, and was recently selected by PBS for Project Filmmaker, South Florida, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Enchanted, interactive art installation at Cornell Art Museum

Current exhibitions include 'Enchanted', an interactive, multi-media art installation by artists Cheryl Maeder & Diane Arrieta at Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square in Delray Beach, Florida. This magical exhibition opened March 29th and runs through September 9th, 2018.

Enchanted multi-media art installation at Cornell Art Museum in Delray Beach, Florida

Enchanted is a Conceptual Interactive Forest Installation by Cheryl Maeder and Diane Arrieta, who combine their works to present a modern fairy tale experience that collides with the realities of our modern world [e.g. extinction and rising waters]. Focusing on the beauty and lessons we as humans can learn from our natural landscapes and inhabitants. By constructing a faux natural environment, based on land and sea, the artists are conveying the need to “slow down and smell the flowers” before it [nature] disappears.

For more information about this artist, sales or inquiries, contact: maeder@maederphotography.com

www.maederphotography.com

Miamians Invited to Submit Sights & Sounds From the City, Helping to Create an Audio/Visual Symphony of Miami

Composer Ted Hearne and Filmmaker Jonathan David Kane to Lead Creative Team for the Audio/Visual Symphony of Miami.

MIT Media Lab and Composer / Inventor / Educator Tod Machover To Work With Miami Community on 'Project 305', a large-scale community effort funded by the Knight Foundation.

What does Miami sound like? Look like? What sounds and sights represent home? This January, Miami residents will be invited to share their impressions of and emotions for Miami by submitting audio and video clips to the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy (NWS), as part of Project 305. 

Those submissions will be used to compose an orchestral work and partner video reflective of the city as seen through the eyes of its people.  In capturing the visuals and sounds of Miami, residents will be asked to draw from their own personal experiences of living in the city, submitting creations of their own.

The collaborative project – a partnership between the New World Symphony, MIT Media Lab and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation - will invite all of Miami’s communities and cultures to work alongside composer Ted Hearne, filmmaker Jonathan David Kane, and MIT composer, inventor and educator Tod Machover through community events, workshops and gatherings for 100 days, from January 31 to May 12, 2017.  Hearne and Kane will work with NWS Artistic Director and co-founder Michael Tilson Thomas, who will be responsible for the overall artistic direction of the work.

The resulting audio & video work will be premiered on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017 at the New World Center, with subsequent presentations in communities and neighborhoods throughout Miami.  The premiere performance at the New World Center will be a WALLCAST™ concert. 

Submissions can be made from January 31 - May 12.  Contributions for the final work can be made by:

• Submitting sound and video clips using the iPhone or Android app Project 305, designed by MIT Media Lab, or on the project website www.Project305.org.

• Hyperscore workshops – The Media Lab’s Hyperscore composition software will be used in schools and other educational settings, and at the New World Center, to encourage the public to create compositions that might be part of the final symphony.

• Web-based online applications: Media Lab apps such as Constellation, Cauldron, Repertoire Remix and others allow users to explore and influence different aspects / sections of the symphony during the creation process by shaping music created by the composer or other collaborators / members of the public.  

The project website will include tutorials and a toolkit for those who would like to explore specific themes and / or organize outings and workshops to capture and produce sound and video submissions for the project. “This project allows residents to participate in a creative experience using the tools they carry with them every day — their phones and mobile devices,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation. “Living in Miami is always a sensory experience. We’re excited to discover which sounds and sites participants are moved to record.”

The New World Symphony will host an introductory “ambassadors” event at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, December 12, at the New World Center in Miami Beach for those who would like to learn more about the project and meet with project organizers (500 17th Street).  For information or to RSVP to the event, which will include breakfast and beverages, contact Stephanie Torok at 305-428-6722, or via email at Stephanie.Torok@nws.edu.

Additional project details, along with a call for submissions, will be announced in 
late January, 2017. More information about the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, is available at www.NWS.edu.