I find that asking why community engagement and storytelling is important is like asking why do I breathe – I do it so I don't die. Miami is a multiverse of silos. Geography, economics or country of origin are just a few of the ways people are marginalized or intentionally isolate themselves in this subtropical metropolis. In regards to this conversation, the silos of discipline, field and industry are most relevant.

Every year, CreativeMornings/Miami membership has grown by at least 1,000 creatives – individuals who are truly engaged. Our speakers have spanned the so-called gradient of creativity from science to design and technology to art. We've hosted leaders of philanthropy and high ranking CEOs of for profit enterprises. We've partnered with venues as new as the Cambridge Innovation Center, as hallowed as the New World Center and as hip as O Cinema or LAB Miami. All of our speakers, audiences and venues have been interesting, all have been creative and as a whole represent the multidimensional beauty of Miami.

“The best conversations will happen when silos redefine themselves as institutions where multi-passionate individuals are willing to converse with people unlike themselves.”

However, there is a problem. When we look at the individual audiences that attend our monthly talks, we see that they still tend to align with narrow allegiances of discipline, industry or field. Sometimes audiences are defined by geography, which we forgive due to our collective issues with public transportation – an issue we counter by moving CreativeMornings around the metropolis. However, the silos of allegiance are the problem, and therefore are the reason why engagement, storytelling and conversation are important.

• 70% of the attendees were first timers
• 15% had never been to PAMM
• A majority had never heard of StoryCorps, the Moth, etc. 

A majority of attendees had never heard of a national conversation platform, another percentage had never been to Miami's premiere art platform (i.e. PAMM) and another group had never attended the world's largest morning community monthly event for creatives. That's the relevance and beauty of what happened on the morning of February 10, thanks to the thoughtful organizing of Anita, Grace, Maria and PAMM staff and leadership. February 10 was a day people who were left out of popular conversations, were bought together and listened to.

Conversations are important as long as they promote collision and collaboration. Whether it's science-art collisions in the Knight Plaza, literary speakers at an art museum at 9am or visual artists at the New World Center, the best conversations will happen when silos redefine themselves as institutions where multi-passionate individuals are willing to converse with people unlike themselves. Conversations are two-directional at the very least. Institutions and audience, let's do what we must to make our conversations as complex as we are and move our collective conversations forward. 

​About Malik S. Bemjamin

Malik S. Benjamin is a member of the inaugural Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School Class I 2015, former Knight Foundation Scholar, Miami Foundation Fellow, FIU graduate thesis professor and managing director of the IoCI, where he conducts applied research focused on the “evolution of cities controlled by tangible, intangible and defunct networks”.  He holds a BArch from Cornell University and a double MArch – Computing & Design and Urban Design – from the University of Miami.  

He is the founder of CreativeMornings/Miami and co-founder of Awesome Foundation/Miami, and serves on the AP Executive Committee of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, board of the Opa Locka Community Development Corporation, Miami Dade County Art in Public Place Selection Committee and Miami Dade County Architecture & Engineering Services Selection Committee. Through IoCI he pursues two missions - to create platforms that bring together design thinkers, social entrepreneurs and social justice lawyers/organizers for the sake of spawning creative solutions for the disadvantaged; the other is to develop private-public partnerships between communities, infrastructure operators and commercial developers with the purpose of positively impacting the quality of life and consumer well-being of surrounding neighborhoods.

At Florida International University, he is the inaugural Changemaker faculty fellow.  In this role he serves as the coordinator of the FIU Changemaker initiative including working with the Changemaker leaders in the areas of curricular and co-curricular activities, research, innovation and entrepreneurship and philanthropy and community engagement.  He promotes social innovation and entrepreneurship strategy to faculty and student researchers, guides and maintains Changemaker activities to align with the FIUBeyondPossible2020 Strategic Plan and leads the planning and management of internal/external communications campaigns which promote activities and student, faculty and staff achievements. Lastly he oversees budgets and pursues opportunities for revenue enhancement from a variety of sources.

His expertise is in curating teams, brokering creative partnerships and breaking down barriers to institutional change through innovation.

Photos by WorldRedEye.com

View Facebook album

View Flickr album

Monumentalizing everyday individuals, as well as youth and femininity, Awilda presents the artist’s large-scale portrait of a young girl from his native Barcelona. The piece was initially shown in Rio de Janeiro by the sea, where it took on additional references, particularly Plensa’s interest in the Yoruba female deity of the sea, Lemanjá. The piece then traveled to Chicago’s Millennium Park, where it was part of the larger 1004 portraits exhibition and played a significant role in the park’s reinvention. As a promised gift to PAMM, Awilda’s new, permanent home in Miami returns her to a seaside location, as her serene face, and closed eyes, contemplate the Port of Miami.

“Public installations play a key role in establishing a city’s unique identity and I strongly believe Awilda will be embraced as a beloved landmark; a sort of lighthouse for Miami,” said Pérez.  

View Facebook album

View Flickr album

Photos by World Red Eye

The night began with tango lessons on the terrace, followed by a dance performance onstage by Mariano Bejarano and Susana Ocampo of Miami Tango Club. DJ Luigi and Louie Arson spun tunes all night while guests tried out their new dance moves, participated in art-making on the terrace and checked out the Miami Open trophy that had made a stop at PAMM for the night. Inside, Fordistas premiered a film on Julio Le Parc and his work. Guests visited the galleries to catch their last glimpses of the Le Parc show, an exhibition that was an instant hit as soon as it opened last November. Form into Action was the first solo museum exhibition and only comprehensive survey of the artist’s work in North America, featuring more than 100 works produced by Le Parc between 1958 and 2013. The exhibition explored how the artist seeks to ‘demystify art’, breaking down barriers between artwork, viewer and museum.

Photos by Amanda Bradley

View Facebook album

View Flickr album

PAMM's 2017 Inside|Out Celebration began with art-making led by PAMM teaching artist Jahaira Galvez and was inspired by Morris Louis'Delta Eta, currently installed in the community's Recreation Center. Pariticpants were encouraged to make their own work of art using watercolors, markers, tape, water and brushes. Community members enjoyed live music by Oly, food, giveaways, local mural painting and The Urban Oasis Farmers' Market vendors, along with two tours of the works currently on view in the community. 

Inside|Out is a program generously funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation that brings high-quality reproductions of works from PAMM’s permanent collection to communities throughout Miami-Dade county.

We encourage residents and community members to share their Inside|Out experiences on social media with #PAMMInsideOut and follow PAMM for updates on Facebook (/perezartmuseummiami), Twitter (@pamm) and Instagram (@pamm).  

Photos by Amanda Bradley 

The highly anticipated evening, conceptualized by Lee Brian Schrager, featured three exclusive experiences – Chef’s Table seated dinner, Supper Club lounge and Remix after party – with delicious culinary collaborations by STARR Catering Group and Chef Michael Schwartz.

At the Chef’s Table, Pérez Art Museum Miami Director Franklin Sirmans celebrated Lorna Simpson, an acclaimed conceptual photographer and painter, and one of the leading female artists working today. Her work has been vitally important to the evolution of PAMM for the last twenty years. In 1997, felt works by the artist were exhibited at the museum, and in 2006, a survey exhibition of Simpson's work traveled to the institution. Her seminal work Still (1997) was included in AMERICANA, PAMM’s inaugural exhibition series in its new building.

Simultaneously in the museum’s second-floor special exhibition galleries, Supper Club partygoers enjoyed a chic and provocative setting with live musical sets by DJPhaxas and interactive art stations, including a virtual reality painting activation, portrait artists and a photo booth inspired by PAMM’s most recent special exhibition, Julio Le Parc: Form into Action.

The evening culminated with the Remix after party, a vibrant dance club set to the soundtrack of Project Soul and Phaxas, with a dessert extravaganza, featuring specialties by local favorites Azucar Ice Cream Company, Fireman Derek's Bake Shop, Madruga Bakery, MdoughW and Michael’s Genuine® Food & Drink.

Among the prominent guests in attendance were: Usher and Grace Miguel Raymond, musician and music executive; Justise Winslow, Miami HEAT player; Justine Skye, singer and model; Barbara Becker, designer and model; Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova, retired Czech and American tennis player and former model; Sam Champion, former GMA and Weather Channel weather anchor; Carlos A. Giménez, Mayor of Miami-Dade County; Raúl “El Gordo” De Molina, co-host of El Gordo y la Flaca; Noah Horowitz, Art Basel director Americas; Ana Navarro, Republican strategist and commentator; Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem; Princess Firyal of Jordan; Kastyn Reid, model; Sir David Adjaye, world-renowned architect; Rula Jebreal, journalist, author and foreign policy analyst; Juliana Ramirez, wife of professional baseball player Manny Ramirez; Larry Warsh, art collector; Posdnuos of hip-hop trio De La Soul; Tom Healy, American writer and poet; Jayson Jackson, CEO of Okayplayer; Rudabeh Shahbazi, CBS 4 anchor and the evening’s emcee; Lisa Petrillo, CBS4 entertainment and lifestyle reporter; Alexandra Villoch, president and publisher Miami Herald Media Company; Heather Hannon, prominent fashion stylist & consultant; artists Chuck Close, Glenn Ligon, Rashid Johnson, and Sheree Hovsepian; and Miami artists Carlos Betancourt, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Adler Guerrier, Mark Handforth, Michele Oka Doner, Rubem Robierb, and Agustina Woodgate.

View Facebook

View Flickr album

Enhance Your Experience at PAMM

Scavenger Hunts for Prizes
Participate in a game-inspired scavenger hunt through the galleries for prizes! Pick up a handout at Visitors Services to join in on the fun.

PAMM Family Packs
Enjoy art and learn together! PAMM Family Packs include activity sheets, pencil kits for your inner artist, scavenger hunts to explore the galleries, puzzles and more to ensure a fun-filled day at the museum. Two different packs are available for children 5 and under, and 6 and over.

We Want YOU to Ask a Curator!
Be part of the #PAMMKids conversation by submitting your curator questions to us on social media! Share a video of your munchkin asking a question to Twitter/Instagram (@pamm #PAMMKids) for a chance to have one of our curators answer it on video. 

Ed Clark was born in 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1935, Clark moved to the Southside of Chicago where he was raised. At the dawn of World War II, seventeen year-old Clark left high school to join the Air Force. After spending two years stationed in Guam he returned to Chicago with his sights on attending art school. Clark enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago and then continued his studies abroad at L’Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris, France. By 1953, Clark was exhibiting his work in galleries throughout Paris. During his development as an artist, Clark began experimenting with larger paintings reaching as high as twelve feet and as wide as fifteen feet; however, he was unable to find paintbrushes big enough to accommodate this new scale. Using his ingenuity he discovered a new use for the push broom, which he calls “the big sweep”. This big sweep allowed him to express his creativity on a larger scale and ultimately became his signature style. In 1957, after living in Paris for five years Clark moved to New York City to join the burgeoning contemporary art scene. During his first year there he created and exhibited America’s first documented “shaped canvas”, influencing modern art throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s. That piece is now on permanent display at Art Institute of Chicago. Clark traveled the world immersing himself into the different cultures of Morocco, Brazil, Greece, Yucatan, Martinique, Nigeria, and China creating works that represented the feeling, mood, and pallet of the exotic places in which they were created. Now at the age of ninety, Ed Clark continues to paint in his New York City studio in Chelsea while spending his summers in Paris. His works can be found in museums around the globe including; Detroit Institute of Arts; The Art Institute of Chicago; The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC; the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Perez Art Museum in Miami; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; Centro de Arte Moderno in Guadalajara, Mexico; Museum Solidarity in Titagrad, Yugoslavia; and the Museum of Modern Art in Salvador, Brazil.

​Apfelbaum details her most recent years of work influenced by her time spent at the American Academy in Rome. Apfelbaum explains her recent works woven in Oaxaca, Mexico while also putting her expansive floor work, Mojo Jojo, into context. Mojo Jojo, 2001, is currently on view at PAMM in the Routes of Influence exhibition. Polly Apfelbaum received her BFA from Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA. She has lived and worked in NYC since 1978. She has been showing her work consistently in the United States and internationally since her first one person show in NYC in 1986. Recent shows solo and group include Otis College of Art, Brown University and Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. Recent shows include the Camden Art Center, London, Everson Museum, Syracuse, Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, Be-Part, Belgium, Frith Street Gallery, London, and the Suburban, Wisconsin. She was a Rome Prize recipient in 2012-13. A major traveling mid-career survey of her work, initiated by the ICA Philadelphia, debuted in 2003 and was accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue of her work. Her work is part of many important public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, Carnegie Museum, Philadelphia Museum and The Dallas Museum, to name a few. She has also received numerous grants including a Guggenheim, a Joan Mitchell and an Anonymous Was a Woman Award.

This video was shot by Columbia University student Delphine Fawundu and edited by Deep Sleep Studio.

PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans accepted the award from Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho and gave an inspiring speech in front of a full house of outstanding school volunteers and exemplary Dade partners.  

“Education is at the core of what we do and to be able to be up here with Superintendent Carvalho, with Dr. Padron, recognizing Miami Music Project and others, it is truly an incredible feeling,” said Sirmans.

“PAMM is a warm welcoming place and we try to make that part of every single thing that we do. We call ourselves a 21st century museum because we believe that 21st century museums are here to authenticate, and here to be a part of this conversation.”
 

Sirmans added, “Education as being a means of looking at the world, we talk about art objects as being catalysts for different views, and we have the great honor of working with Miami’s own artists. I think it’s also important to note that it’s not necessarily about becoming an artist when a child is touched by art, but it is truly about seeing the world differently, about hearing things differently, about being open to conversation and dialogue in ways that are creative and hopefully substantial.”

Other honorees included Miami Dade College President Eduardo J.Padrón, Ph.D. and the Miami Music Project.

​

One such program is PAMM’s Teen Arts Council– known as PTAC. That’s where guests at PAMM Art of the Party met Ezekiel Jahbari Binns, who was recently recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation for his exceptional talent in a video produced by PAMM’s new Digital Journalist Madelyn Perez. 

The night kicked off with a live set by Phaxas, as guests danced and enjoyed pride-themed cocktails on the waterfront terrace. Afterwards, queens Noel Leon and Tiffany Fantasia captivated the crowd with their renditions of “I’m Every Woman” and “I Will Survive, respectively. Throughout the night, the PAMM building was lit up in rainbow colors as part of Pride Lights the Night, a tribute to PULSE.

After the celebration on the terrace, guests took their seats on the PAMM beach in anticipation of the free "Moonlight" screening. The film was introduced by PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans and Co-Producer Andrew Hevia, and was followed by a Q&A with cast members Tanisha Cidel, Patrick Decile and Sharif Earp, moderated by Hevia. Hevia began the Q&A by sharing how important it was for Director Barry Jenkins to have the first voice in the film be a “Miami voice,” which ultimately became Shariff Earp. The cast then spoke on their characters, the significance of basing the story in Miami, and the importance of art in the community.

Photos by Amanda Bradley

View Facebook album

View Flickr album

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) presents Toba Khedoori, a major museum survey of Khedoori’s oeuvre over the past 22 years and the largest presentation of the artist’s work to date. On view starting April 21, 2017, the exhibition includes close to 30 works and presents the artist’s more recent oil-on-canvas paintings alongside her earlier large-scale works on paper, demonstrating the impressive arc of her artistic production over the past two decades.

Toba Khedoori is known for drawings rendered in intimate detail, often depicting architectural elements or objects detached from their surroundings—and often at a very large scale.  In contrast to the exhibition’s first presentation at LACMA, Toba Khedoori at PAMM traces the most recent works to the earliest works in her oeuvre. Such reverse chronology highlights the long development of her work, from an intimate scale to a much larger scale than she began with.

“Toba’s work continually reminds us of the power in the hands of an artist to create with simple means – graphite or paint and a surface to be inscribed upon,” said PAMM Director and exhibition curator Franklin Sirmans. "The exhibition hopefully slows down time, pace and the museum going experience, and encourages a passion for thoughtful and sustained looking.”

Khedoori's precise draftsmanship and large-scale works on paper, for which she has become known, renders objects and spaces familiar yet decontextualized. In recent years, she has transitioned from paper to canvas, producing smaller scale works that hover between representation and abstraction. Like her earlier compositions, these works are enigmatic and acutely detailed. In an art world awash with rapidly moving images and saturated colors, Khedoori remains committed to the silent, slow and exacting process of working by hand.

“Toba is an artist of the world and her work is not defined by geography,” explains Sirmans. “At PAMM, Toba’s work will be situated amidst an achievement in architecture, which has often been the subject of her work.”

Two new paintings, which have never before been shown at a museum, will be on view as part of PAMM's presentation of the exhibition. The paintings, Untitled (hand I) andUntitled (hand II), 2014, represent the artist’s introduction of the figure into her work, a characteristic that has been absent in her output until this point. Other highlights include Untitled (doors) (1996) and Untitled (hallway) (1997), whose wax-treated surfaces contain detritus from the artist’s studio floor; Untitled (black fireplace) (2006) and Untitled (white fireplace) (2005), which feature an almost photorealist depiction of wood burning in a fireplace; and Untitled (tile) (2015), a geometric study of a mosaic tile floor reflecting light from an unseen source.

About Toba Khedoori
Toba Khedoori was born in Sydney, Australia in 1964. She received her BA from the San Francisco Art Institute (1988) and her MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles (1994).

Her work has been the subject of solo museum exhibitions worldwide, including the Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis (2003); Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin (2002); Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2001); Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basel (2001); Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. (1997); and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1997).

Khedoori was the recipient of a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (1994) and a MacArthur Foundation Grant (2002). Curators have included her in numerous international group exhibitions such as the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009); 2nd Seville Biennal (2006); Liverpool Biennial (2006); 26th São Paulo Biennial (2004); and the Whitney Biennial (1995).

Prominent museums that hold her work in their permanent collections include the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Schaulager, Basel; Albertina, Vienna; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Art Institute of Chicago; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Broad, Los Angeles; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. She lives and works in Los Angeles.

Organization and Support
Toba Khedoori is organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibition is presented at PAMM by COMPAC, The Surfaces Company. Lead individual support received from Patricia and William Kleh with additional individual support from Anne Blackwell and Cornelius Bond. Support from Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners and from Mandarin Oriental, Miami are also gratefully acknowledged.

Related Programs and Events

Museum Circle Preview of Toba Khedoori
Wednesday, April 19, 7-9pm 
Pérez Art Museum Miami Museum Circle members are invited for an exclusive preview of the new special exhibition, Toba Khedoori. Join us for live entertainment, cocktails and bites as we celebrate the exhibition. Exclusively for Museum Circle members (Friend, Patron, Core Creative, Benefactor & above). Become a member to get your invitation: pamm.org/support

Public Exhibition Preview of Toba Khedoori
Thursday, April 20, 7-9pm 
Celebrate the opening of Toba Khedoori during PAMM Third Thursdays: Poplife Social. Inside the museum, explore the artist’s major museum survey. On the terrace, enjoy live music, art-making and drink specials. Admission: $16 for adults, PAMM members free.

​Bridging art, architecture, cognitive science and philosophy, Oppenheimer’s work generates striking perceptual effects through modifications to architectural settings, heightening our awareness of the ways we understand and experience the spaces we inhabit. 

Hiller and Morales discuss Hiller’s newly commissioned video work, Lost and Found, which revolves around the theme of extinct, endangered, and revitalized languages.