At first glance, Miami Worldcenter, a sprawling mixed-use complex in the heart of downtown, appears to be the premier shopping destination in South Florida. Worldcenter has been revealing attractions one after the other: an open-air "high street retail" center, a 60-story luxury condominium that changes colors, and an infinity sky pool overlooking the city. However, its most recent addition is completely free. Miami Worldcenter has announced a $5 million public art program that will feature museum-quality works throughout the complex in order to attract art-loving residents and visitors. The program, which establishes Worldcenter's presence in Miami's burgeoning and lucrative arts scene, has already produced its first public artwork: a massive mural by artist Nina Chanel Abney inspired by nearby Overtown.
"The art had to be here," said Benjamin Feldman, executive vice president of Miami Worldcenter Associates, the project's development team. "It was a necessary component of the project." Worldcenter joins the Design District and Aventura Mall in implementing a robust public art program alongside luxury and trend-setting retailers. The program was organized by Jeffrey Deitch, a renowned curator and art dealer, and the team at Primary, a Miami-based curatorial collective specializing in public art. Worldcenter has thus far commissioned five artists for the project, including Viktor El-Saieh, a Miami-raised painter of Haitian and Palestinian ancestry, and Woody De Othello, a Miami-born sculptor known for injecting humor into his work. This year, two to three new artworks will be unveiled, and agreements with additional artists are being finalized. The program's concept took years to develop. Miami Worldcenter — a 27-acre, $4 billion development comprised of hotels, condominiums, offices, and retail space — is one of the country's largest private real estate developments. Developers hope to replicate New York City's Hudson Yards in Miami, a flashy, upscale mixed-use development in Manhattan. The developers maintained contact with Primary, which operated a gallery in the area prior to the development of Worldcenter, Feldman said. Worldcenter wanted to embrace art as part of the development process, not abandon it, he explained. "Art is just one of those things that attract people who might not be able to find a unit, might not make a purchase in a store, might not stay in hotels," Feldman explained. "However, it fosters community."
Additionally, Worldcenter established an art advisory committee comprised of renowned curators and museum directors to assist in the program's development. Franklin Sirmans, director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami; Alex Gartenfeld, artistic director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami; Nicholas Baume, director and chief curator of Public Art Fund; and Cecilia Alemani, director and chief curator of High Line Art in New York, serve on the committee.
Feldman stated that Primary and Deitch were the ideal candidates to curate the program. Deitch envisioned the project as a "outdoor museum" devoted to figuration, or art depicting people. Typically, he explained, public art consists of unobjectionable abstract designs. He desired pieces about people, particularly Miamians, for Worldcenter, such as Abney's mural. "The public wants to see art that is reflective of their lives," Deitch explained. Abney's vibrant mural, which spans the length of a tunnel, is one of her most ambitious pieces, she said. Overtown, a historic Black neighborhood in Miami just a short drive from Worldcenter, served as the inspiration for the work. Abney hopes that the mural will inspire viewers to learn more about neighborhoods like Overtown and spark a conversation about gentrification. "I used this project to reflect on the unfortunate legacies of gentrification that obliterate the vibrant histories of Black and Brown communities," Abney wrote in an email. "The mural's location, a tunnel formed by the building's dark passageway, inspired me to consider the recognition of sacred spaces through narrative." Deitch expressed his excitement for the public to see Abney's work.
"It's incredible," he said. "This is currently one of the most significant public murals in the United States." Primary, which has relocated to Little River, describes the opportunity as a "homecoming," according to co-founder Books Bischof. The collective has a long history in Miami's public art scene. Bischof and his partners invited muralists and graffiti artists from around the world to flood Wynwood with their now-famous murals in 2007, as Art Basel Miami Beach grew in popularity. Bischof, who emphasized the importance of accessible art, said he anticipates visitors returning to Worldcenter in the future to discover new works as they are installed, much like visitors return to Wynwood each year to see new murals.
Jean Dubreil