Winwood Art District
Didn’t make it to the annual Basel Art? That’s okay: even without special events, you can see enough art at once in the Wynwood Art District to get Stendhal syndrome for a long time. There are more than 70 galleries, five museums, seven art complexes, 12 art studios, five fairs, and that’s not to mention Wynwood Walls open in the area. All of Wynwood is now one of the world’s largest open-air street art venues and one of Miami’s most hipster places.
The neighborhood was redesigned as an arts and culture district way back in 2003 and was spearheaded by art dealers and artists, including Mark Kutzey, who was already doing something similar in his hometown of Cape Town.
“Wynwood Walls” were created in 2009 in an effort to unlock the pedestrian potential of the neighborhood. And, it must be said, brought some pretty high-profile graffiti and street art fame to Miami. Artists from all over the world had a hand in their creation: 50 artists from 16 countries worked here. Then the project began to grow with murals outside of the block, covering the buildings in their entirety, and so Outside the Walls came into being.
Wynwood is one of the world’s largest open-air street art spaces and one of Miami’s most hipster places.
To start exploring the galleries, it’s probably a good idea to start with the private collections. Try Rubell Family Collection (founded in New York in 1964, the world’s largest collection of contemporary art objects), Margulies Collection at the Warehouse (in a restored retro warehouse) and World Class Boxing (named after the gym that used to be indoors and where Olympic-level boxers trained). To explore the work of the most prominent local artists, such as Hernan Bass and Glexis Novoa, it’s worth checking out the galleries of Fredrik Schnitzer and David Castillo.
It’s worth noting that Wynwood isn’t just about museums, galleries, and street art. It’s also home to some of Miami’s best bars and clubs, and the residents here are sure you won’t find better coffee in the city.
Every second Saturday of the month, the neighborhood hosts an art walk. Galleries, art studios, alternative venues and showrooms open their doors to the public for art, music and refreshments.
“Art Basel” is a series of art shows of new and contemporary art that is regularly organized in three cities: Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Miami was the venue for the Miami event: it takes place here every December. Miami Beach debuted in 2002, and over the years the local version of the event has grown considerably. Thus, in 2013. “Art Basel” in Miami was attended by 70,000 people.
The block is roughly delineated by North 36th Street (Route US 27), North 20th Street, Interstate I-95 and First Northeast Avenue.
