Photo courtesy of The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum.
Edwive Seme/Staff Writer
ING Art never sleeps and the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum knows that.
Carol Damian, Museum director and chief curator, and her team of curators plan years ahead to be prepared every semester and keep exhibitions “fresh.” This semester is packed with new exhibitions from diverse artists, curators and museums.
“We really try to keep within the International University idea: that we’re exposing our students and the community to different things from all over the world and all periods of art,” said Damian.
The museum embraces the Worlds Ahead motto and International label by presenting artists from different backgrounds – Hispanic, African-American, Caribbean, etc. Instead of sticking to a specific theme, the museum focuses more on educating its guests and exposing them to all types of artworks and topics.
Whether it’s ongoing or upcoming exhibits, the museum always has something to offer the community. The Frost prides itself on the element of surprise.
“We want to keep things looking fresh; we don’t want people to think that they know what’s happening, that they can anticipate it,” said Damian. “It’s sort of a surprise, every time you come in the museum you’ll find something new.”
Wednesday After Hours the museum opens up multiple exhibitions. Students are encouraged to check out some of the ongoing exhibitions.
Humberto Castro’s “Tracing Antilles” will be on display until Feb. 2 and is curated by Ana Estrada. Through these artworks Humberto Castro, Cuban-American artist, gives Panthers a history lesson about the islands of the Caribbean, covering socio-cultural, historical and political elements.
Last Wednesday After Hours, “Architectures of Light” and “LAT 65.31 N LONG 114.13 W” were curated by Francine Birbragher.
“Architectures of Light,” by Argentinian artist Karina Chechik, is a series of paintings of architectural settings – religious and cultural – and nature. It goes deeper than just beauty, it explores questions the artist has tried to answer over the years about humanity and its search for the divine and spiritual. The exhibit will be opened until April 13.
“LAT 65.31 N LONG 114.13 W,” by Colombian artist Miler Lagos, is based on the artist’s investigation on the experiences of early Arctic explorers in the Canadian Arctic. His project brings light to this remote region and its natural resources. It will be open until March 30.
On their next Wednesday event, Feb. 12, they will be opening two new exhibits.
“Capture the Moment,” curated by Cyma Rubin, consists of the 164 photographs of Pulitzer Prize photographers from the first in 1942 to the present.
This exhibit, which has traveled all over the world, is from the “Newseum” in Washington and includes renowned news and featured photographs such as Joe Rosenthal’s World War II photo of the flag raised by US Marines in Iwo Jima from 1945, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from 2006 and many more. There will be panels with some of the photographers being shown.
Once opened, it will remain until April 20. “Aesthetics and Values” will also be opening that night. The annual exhibition of contemporary Miami artists is curated by the students of the Honors College, whom are studying diverse majors other than art.
“That’s an exciting thing to promote especially at FIU, because this is students doing this, and we take that very seriously,” said Damian. Everything from research, planning, fundraising, curating and organizing the exhibits is done by students, providing them with a platform to demonstrate their creativity and expose them to how a museum functions. It will be opened until March 9.
On March 26, they will open another exhibition titled “Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art,” which will run until June 22. This exhibition is from The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Latino art collection and is organized by curator E. Carmen Ramos. It explores how Latino artists have established an identity for themselves and shaped American art and culture.
A couple other exhibits will open later in the semester by artists Monika Weiss, Philippe Dodard, Arturo Rodriguez, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Simon Ma, musician Mirta Gomez, and an exhibit by the students of the FIU Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. All these exhibits will explore different topics and questions.
“I don’t want to just hang pretty stuff on the wall that doesn’t deliver a message,” says Damian. “I want the work to be provocative; I want it to expose students to something they don’t know.”
More information can be found on their website. Calendars are provided at the museum.
edwive.seme@fiusm.com
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