In the world of “Game of Thrones,” they dreaded winter. In Miami, we dread spring.
The parking garages are $20. The Uber prices are spiking. The tourists are coming.
Now might not be the time to rollerblade down Ocean Drive or party at Club Space. But it’s always a good time to check out Miami’s arts institutions, even if you have to sit through traffic to get there. Sorry ‘bout that.
LOCAL ARTIST COMBINES NICARAGUAN ROOTS WITH MIAMI FLAIR
Take a quick scroll through Joel Gaitan’s Instagram page, and you’ll find art worth getting excited about. Busty terracota sculptures with golden braids, golden teeth and golden Louis Vuitton logos.
Gaitan, a Miami-based artist of Nicaraguan descent, explores self-identity, sexuality, and ancestral lineage with traditional hand building clay techniques. He’s showing new work at “En El Corazón Del Infierno, En Las Alturas Del Cielo,” a solo exhibition at KDR in Allapattah. The gallery is hosting an opening reception March 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.
When: March 1-30
Where: KDR Gallery, 790 NW 22nd St., Miami
Info: https://www.kdr305.com/joel-gaitan-2024
NONPROFIT DEBUTS NEW HUMANITIES FESTIVAL IN LITTLE HAITI
Art, history and literature lovers rejoice.
Florida Humanities, the statewide nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is hosting the first Florida Humanities Festival: South Florida at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, featuring community conversations, art tours, a film screening, live music and dance. Speakers include WLRN Senior Economics Editor Tom Hudson, Miami-Dade County artist-in-residence Xavier Cortada, Miccosukee artist and environmental advocate Rev. Houston R. Cypress, journalist and historian Nadege Green and award-winning photojournalist Carl-Philippe Juste.
The inaugural festival coincides with the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary. Limited tickets are available for a welcome reception on Friday, March 8 at the Historic Hampton House in Overtown.
When: March 9, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami
Info: Tickets and schedule available online. https://floridahumanities.org/fhfestival/
BROADWAY’S HIP-HOP BLOCKBUSTER “HAMILTON” COMES TO TOWN
This musical needs no introduction. You already know.
“Hamilton” is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical chronicling the life, successes and spicy scandals of founding father Alexander Hamilton. The work has won at the Tony Awards, Grammys, Olivier Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical soundtrack also went triple platinum in my college dorm room. It was 2016, after all.
When: March 13-24
Where: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Info: Tickets range from $39-$229* and may be purchased online or at the box office by calling (305) 949-6722. https://www.arshtcenter.org
SPAIN’S TOP FLAMENCO MUSICIANS AND DANCERS TAKE OVER ARSHT CENTER
¡Olé! The 15th annual Flamenco Festival Miami returns to the Arsht Center this month.
The festival is headlined by Ballet Nacional de España and Stars of Flamenco. Some of Spain’s greatest Flamenco artists are slated to perform, including Latin Grammy-award winning guitarist Antonio Rey and dancer Karime Amaya, the great-niece of the legendary Carmen Amaya.
When: March 1-14
Where: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Info: Tickets and full schedule available online. https://www.arshtcenter.org
BAL HARBOUR SHOPS BLOOM FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Florals for spring? Of course.
Bal Harbour Shops, the luxury open-air shopping mall, is hosting “Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE,” a public art series made of real flowers inspired by female artists, including Yayoi Kusama, Elsa Schiaparelli and Georgia O’Keeffe. Every March, the mall celebrates Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with floral installations.
The floral artwork is also on display throughout Bal Harbour Village, in The St. Regis Bal Harbour, and The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour.
When: March 1-10
Where: Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave, Bal Harbour
Info: Free and open to the public to view. https://www.balharbourshops.com/fdv/
This story was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
