New Photography Book Launch: Features Insider’s Track for Miami Art Week in Wynwood During Art Basel Miami Beach
The Center for Visual Communication in Wynwood kicks off Art Basel Season with the world premiere of the new exhibition The Miami Creative Movement (Nov. 19‒March 15) curated by Barry Fellman, alongside the launch of his new photography book Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation featuring Fellman’s photographs.
Neighborhood denizen taking in street artist ESKAE 545’s explosion of color, by Barry Fellman (2018), at 21st Street in Wynwood. From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
Published by Letter16 Press, the landmark book chronicles a pivotal decade in Miami’s art scene with 200+ photographs by Barry Fellman, essays by Alberto Ibargüen (the President and CEO of the Knight Foundation) and Jordan Levin (arts writer), and contributions by Dr. Carol Damian, (art historian).
Letter16 Press is a 501(c)(3) non-profit publishing house founded by designer Francesco Casale and journalist Brett Sokol. The publishing house is dedicated to championing Miami’s most talented photographers from the ‘60s through the ‘90s who sought out a sweet spot between photojournalism and art. Much of their visually arresting imagery from the pre-digital era currently remains trapped on 35mm film, hidden away in boxes, and largely unknown to today’s audiences.
Miss Toto in performance, by Barry Fellman (2018), at the University of Miami Wynwood Gallery (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
The group art exhibition is a testimony to the spirit of the new book, with paintings by sixteen of Miami’s leading artists who embody the creative movement propelling this city.
This blockbuster exhibition promises to take Miami Art Week by storm, featuring a stellar line-up of artists: Carlos Betancourt, Edouard Duval-Carrie, Mira Lehr, Robert Thiele, John Bailly, Jacqueline Gopie, Karen Rifas, David Marsh, Paola Gracey, Asser Saint-Val, Robert McKnight, Gustavo Oviedo, Regina Jestrow, Pablo Contriciani, Walter Darby Bannard, and Lynne Gelfman.
“The combination of this spectacular grouping of artists in the Miami Creative Movement exhibition, alongside the launch of the new book Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation, is the coveted ‘insider’ experience that visitors who flock to Art Basel Miami Beach love,” said Alberto Ibargüen.
Art Basel Rush, by Barry Fellman (2019), at the Main Hall of the Miami Beach Convention Center, Art Basel Miami Beach (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
Art Basel Regulars, the ubiquitous Eva and Adele, by Barry Fellman (2017), at Art Basel Miami Beach (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
“Now, especially because the publication of this book coincides with the 20th anniversary of Art Basel Miami Beach, to launch this book alongside a group exhibition of artists who have impacted Miami’s cultural trajectory makes sense,” adds Alberto Ibargüen.
The more than 200 photographs by Barry Fellman in this new book capture a decade of artistic growth in Miami during a time of transformational public funding for the arts and major private donations, the financial likes of which most cities never experience in their entire history.
But an unexpected turn of events during the publishing timeline changed the book’s direction.
While the book was conceived well before the Covid-19 pandemic (as Fellman compiled and catalogued ten years’ worth of photographs chronicling this surge in the arts scene), when it became time to finalize the publication it was the Spring of 2020, and the pandemic lockdown shut down all cultural events and travel to Miami. Looking back at these photographs suddenly also meant looking forward for a glimmer of hope and creative solutions.
Muralist Nicole Salgar puts on the final touches, by Barry Fellman (2019), at 27th Street and 5th Avenue in Wynwood (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
Jungle Wall, by Barry Fellman (2014), wall mural by artist collab 2×4, at the Miami Design District (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
Bhakti Baxter at Work, by Barry Fellman (2013), at the Center for Visual Communication façade, in Wynwood (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
All of a sudden, the photographer Barry Fellman and the thought-leaders he gathered together for this book were left wondering how the city might reinvent itself with the help of artists.
“Miami’s urban rhythms, like its economic cycles, have always been boom and bust. The photographs in this book celebrate how our artistic scene grew during the past decade, and now these images can inspire us as we reinvent it going forward,” writes Jordan Levin in her essay.
These unforeseen flashes of insight, due to the book’s precarious timing, transcend the usual coffee table mindset in ways the authors could not have imagined.
But nevertheless, they seized the moment and added new and important questions before going to press ― “There’s a seed of possibility . . . to use this profound disruption as an inspiration to change the city for the better . . . this could be the moment to give a more central role to the artists who have done so much to make Miami so vital,” wrote Levin.
“Who better to reimagine the city than prescient, instinct-driven creatives? Now is not the time for cultural amnesia.” Then the book went to press, and these questions might appear to remain frozen in time. Or are they?
Nicole Soden’s “Sacred Geometry” performance, by Barry Fellman (2012), at the Miami Performance Festival, Miami Design District (archival inkjet print). From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
Miami Art Week Events and Book Launch
“The combination of this spectacular grouping of artists in the Miami Creative Movement exhibition, alongside the launch of the new book Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation, is the coveted ‘insider’ experience that visitors who flock to Art Basel Miami Beach love,” said Alberto Ibargüen.
During Miami Art Week this year, the public is invited to open-house events to meet the artists on-site at the Center for Visual Communication, located in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood arts district (from 3:00-6:00 p.m. each day on Wednesday, Nov. 30, Thursday, Dec. 1 and Friday, Dec. 2). Free and open to the public. Space is limited ‒ RSVP required in advance to: eventbrite.com/e/miami-creative-movement-meet-the-artists-open-house-tickets-444590601457
Tide by Side, by Barry Fellman (2016). Carnival inspired procession launched the Faena Art District during Art Basel week, Miami Beach. From the new book “Miami Creative: A Decade of Transformation” published by Letter16 Press.
“Through his camera lens and the pages of his book, Fellman takes us on a photo-safari across Miami’s cultural terrain, during one of the most pivotal decades in Miami’s storied history – when a civic belief that culture is vital to our city meant transformational financial investment in the arts,” adds Alberto Ibargüen.
“Now, especially because the publication of this book coincides with the 20th anniversary of Art Basel Miami Beach, it makes sense to launch this book alongside a group exhibition of artists who have impacted Miami’s cultural trajectory,” adds Ibargüen.
Opening Day at Unicorn Factory, by Barry Fellman (2019), Wynwood.
“At our most delirious Miami moments, we know what’s true,” adds Jordan Levin. “For decades Barry Fellman has been the omnipresent, tirelessly enthusiastic witness of the art scene; always there, smiling, marveling, shooting, avid to capture the experiences he loves. “His pictures reflect his own delight and the joy he discovers in others. His way of saying we should remember these moments, because they matter. This is who we are, at our best.”
Read more about the Center for Visual Communication and the new book at www.visual.org.
Click on each link below to read more about each artist in this stellar lineup:
Carlos Betancourt Edouard Duval-Carrie Mira Lehr Robert Thiele
John Bailly Jacqueline Gopie Karen Rifas David Marsh Paola Gracey
Regina Jestrow Gustavo Oviedo Robert McKnight Asser Saint-Val