For the past 5 years, the Miami art scene has seen a reformation with the creation of the Wynwood Arts District, Miami Design District and highly recognized institutions like the Perez Art Museum.
After seeing this trend, Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) candidate and FIU Art + Art History staff member, Christopher Rodriguez-Barake and his friend, Marcelo LLobel, teamed up to do their own take on the art revolution.
Llobel, owner of Concrete Space Art Gallery in Doral, FL and Fernando Jimenez, owner of KER Tiles, joined forces with Barake and launched Doral’s Art Industry Movement (AIM). The movement is a collaborative effort between three industrial spaces to showcase art from local Miami artists and FIU art students. The idea stemmed from the influx of creative and art related industries in the Doral sector, ranging from architecture firms, distributors, and manufacturers.
“Doral is already a thriving city with places to live, places to go and local and international industries. However, Marcelo and I saw a missing piece that we wanted to fill,” said Barake.
“We aren’t building a new art district like Wynwood, or completing changing the way the City of Doral is; instead, we are just adding to the existing industries that are already there and amplifying the culture.”
AIM’s first initiative was held on Saturday, July 1, 2017 and included Barake’s curatorial
exhibition, entitled Memory/Time + Place. He saw this unique opportunity to incorporate both his curatorial practice and current role as FIU Art’s Admissions and Recruitment Officer to tie into the exhibit. As a student in MFA program, he acted as AIM’s art curator and as a FIU employee, he included student artists in his project.
Memory/Time + Place is Barake’s first contribution to AIM’s exciting initiative that is fostering innovation, ideas and community building. After a successful opening event with several hundred guests in attendance, Barake and Llobel plan to continue the movement.
In addition to continuing their efforts, they plan to pursue future collaborations with work labs in City of Doral and propose an interdisciplinary public art competition and exhibition to benefit FIU’s BFA and MFA art programs.
This upcoming weekend, AIM is hosting a panel discussion featuring Memory/Time + Place’s artists. The talk will be held at KER Gallery on Saturday, August 26 beginning at 4PM.
Ker Gallery | 3281 NW 78 AVE, Doral, FL 33122 | 4PM, reception to follow.
About the Artist: Christopher Rodriguez Barake is a sculptor pursuing his MFA in Curatorial Practice. He currently works for FIU’s Art + Art History Department and plans to graduate in Spring 2018.
To learn more about FIU’s Art programs, please click here.
