A leader in culture, fashion and education, Miami, with its hot and humid summers and warm winters, has a lot to offer the art-conscious tourist.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

• The Frost Art Museum is located on the campus of the Florida International University, and was founded in 1977. With an impressive collection of Latin American and 20th century American art, the museum has been recognized as a major cultural institution in the state. The permanent collection includes a large showing of printmaking of the 60s and 70s, pre-Columbian artifacts dating to 200 AD, and ancient bronze sculptures from Asia and Africa. The gallery spaces boasts a unique use of natural light, including large "petals" that diffuse UV rays.

• Established in 1984, the Pérez Art Museum Miami holds a collection of 20th century and contemporary art, as well as art from Africa, Western Europe and the Atlantic Rim. The museum recently reopened next to the Miami Science Museum, in a building designed to resemble "Stiltsville", a group of raises homes in Biscayne Bay near downtown Miami. Since reopening, more than 300,000 guests annually visit the location.

• The Lowe Art Museum, located in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables, offers the viewing public a collection of Greco-Roman, Renaissance, and Baroque art, to name only a few. With works by El Greco, Goya, Monet, Lichtenstein, and Gaugin, there is always plenty to see. Established in 1950, the museum began as a cluster of three classrooms, and now holds more than 17,000 objects in the permanent collection. 1956 saw a donation of a Native American art collection that is considered one of the best in the country.

• In addition to a constant array of contemporary art exhibits, the Bass Museum of Art offers educational programs, lectures, and the "Art History Lab", which showcases selected pieces from the permanent collection. Founded in 1963, the museum began with a generous donation of 500 Renaissance and Baroque artworks. Today, in addition to modern photographs and prints, the permanent collection houses textiles, tapestries, and contemporary architecture and design focused on the design history of Miami Beach.

• Begun as the Center for Contemporary Art in 1981, with a single exhibition space, the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami is now a 23,000 square foot structure that houses a collection of approximately 600 pieces, including the work of Dennis Oppenheim, Alex Katz, Garry Simmons, and John Bock. In addition to exhibits of the permanent collection and travelling exhibitions, the museum offers Contemporary Art Boot Camp lectures, artist forums and art classes for adults.

• Bakehouse Art Complex
• Miami Art Museum
• Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
• Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
• Young at Art Children's Museum
• Rubell Family Collection
• Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
• The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
• Emerson Dorsch Gallery
• Old Dillard Museum
• Old Fort Lauderdale Museum of History
• Wings Over Miami Air Museum
• The Wolfsonian

Miami, Florida

White sand beaches of Miami.

ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS

• A campus of The Art Institution, the Miami International University of Art & Design opened in 1965 and is located in Downtown Miami. Focusing on the marketability of students upon graduation, the school offers a multifaceted learning experience and encourages entrance into competitions and attendance at seminars and workshops. Creative students can study fashion design, web design, film and digital production, photography, and more.

• The New World School School of the Arts is a unique blend of secondary and post-secondary programs. College students have the opportunity to study theatre, dance, photography, and visual art, and receive an Associate or Bachelor of Arts degree. Created in 1987 following an experiment in Dual-Enrolment Education, the school includes a public high school for students gifted in the arts, as well as a college that is an extension of the University of Florida. Notable alumni include the Tony-award winning actress Katie Finneran, illustrator Bernard Chang and stage actress Andrea Burns.

• At Florida International University, creative students can study art history, dramatic arts, journalism, landscape architecture, studio, and visual arts. Many of the undergraduate courses offer a Masters degree, as well. With more than 200 programs available, and a student body of 50,000 the university, founded in 1943, serves as a major graduate research facility and has one of the most difficult grading systems in the country.

• Offering BFA and MFA programs in graphic design, art history, printmaking, painting and drawing, and more, the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Miami has a number of galleries on campus that provide education and inspiration to aspiring artists. With many instructors who remain active in their artistic field, the students receive the full complement of theoretical and technical training.

• Miami Ad School
• Doral Conservatory
• Art Atelier Miami
• Blu Moon Studio of Art
• Miami Art League Inc
• Painting With A Twist

NATIVE ARTISTS

There are plenty of artistic people originally from, or currently living in Miami, Florida!

• Jen Stark is an award-winning, contemporary paper artist whose work is shown in galleries nationwide.

• Visual artist and music journalist Sebastian Spreng has worked as a stage designer, painter and illustrator.

• Actors Sidney Poitier, Eva Mendes, William H. Macy and Catherine Keener.

• Christina Hattler is a fashion designer with two successful fashion labels.

• Co-founder of the major internet browser Firefox, Blake Ross.

ART AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• Each December, the Art Basel takes place on Miami Beach. Beginning in 2002, this huge art festival brings in more than 70,000 collectors, artists and critics from around the world. The show is split into different sectors including Galleries (over 200 from around the world), Nova (showings of new artists' work), Public (a viewing of outdoor sculpture and performance), and Film (a variety of documentaries and films by or about artists). The event is named after the city in Sweden where the first Art Basel was held in 1970. While the original event is the celebration of the summer for the international art scene, Art Basel in Miami Beach is the celebration of the winter.

• Begun in the 1963, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival is one of the top art events in South Florida each year. With more than 300 artists from around the world showcasing their work in outdoor exhibits, endless food trucks and stands run by local chefs, and a waterfront stage playing live, international music, the three day festival brings in a mass of art lovers, and raises money for art awards presented to students enrolled in fine art programs.

• A four day exhibition of the funkiest in clothing design, Funkshion Fashion Week is actually a thrice-yearly annual event that showcases the work of new designers. In addition to fashion shows seen at every fashion week the world over, Funkshion adds their own blend of DJs and live music, exhibiting their art in a fun and creative way. Many of the events are open to the public, free of charge, and the Emerging Designer Series allows those new to the design scene a chance to show their work at no cost to them.

• Founded in 1978, Art Deco Weekend is a celebration of the Art Deco architecture around Miami that was built in the 20s, 30s and 40s (around 800 buildings). Initially begun to raise recognition for endangered buildings, since the festival has taken off, these historic staples are no longer at risk for demolition. Featuring fashion shows, live music, walking tours and film screenings, the Art Deco Weekend brings in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The event is held in January.

Other Events and Sights to See

• Meet the orca whale at Miami Seaquarium
• Stroll through natural beauty at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
• Visit Miracle Mile and check out unique shops, galleries, restaurants and more.
• See Cape Florida Light, a lighthouse on the shore near Key Biscayne.
• Take in all the wonder of the County Fair and Exposition, each Spring.
• Join more than 50,000 electronic music fans at the ULTRA Music Festival.
• Check out the Great Grove Bed Race as a spectator, or take a spin on a homemade bed yourself.

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