Javier Hernandez & Katerina Llanes
Cutting Diamonds in the Swamp

Fueled by the rush of our Winter Art Week frenzies, the steady influx of new creative talent, and the steady rise in community support and interest, there is clear consensus that a forward-moving energy keeps growing within the Miami art scene. This potential creative utopia of rows of exterior walls in the public space, as well as the economic opportunities that exist in this town should be fully taken advantage of. The ongoing debate is how.

The goal of this talk is to better isolate what is working in our favor and what steps local artists and curators can take to cultivate what is developing here. What power do these key people have to advance the quality of work being created here? How does Miami’s apparent distance from art world political hubs affect our local creative content?

In this talk, artists and curators, Javier Hernandez and Katerina Llanes will offer up their visions on how to work towards Miami’s evolution into the next level of art production, development and movement by examining academic and community-based approaches those involved in the arts can utilize to more meaningfully participate in, and enhance, the local art scene.