{"id":9476,"date":"2015-10-02T11:07:30","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T18:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?p=9476"},"modified":"2015-10-02T11:37:07","modified_gmt":"2015-10-02T18:37:07","slug":"perez-art-museum-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/perez-art-museum-miami\/","title":{"rendered":"P\u00c9REZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/a>

Art cannot be modern. Art is primordially eternal.
\n– Egon Schiele (1890 \u2013 1918)
\nAustrian painter and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Gustav Klimt<\/p>\n

Miami is a city of the future. Leaving its bad old days of the Cocaine Cowboys, nation\u2019s highest murder rate, and crumbling neighborhoods, Miami is earning a place on the international A-list. Multi-million dollar properties abound; the famous and wealthy must see and be seen here; and a full array of cultural venues and arts practitioners make\u00a0the Magic City the place to be.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s modern day hipness is no accident. Even as construction cranes for highrises became a staple on the skyline, plans for cultural venues and world class events were being hatched early in the Go-Go Eighties. Symphony, dance, film and book festivals were launched and set the stage for more offerings in the future, such as the Adrienne Arsht Center, Art Basel Festival, and the P\u00e9rez Art\u00a0Museum Miami, among others.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Evolution of PAMM<\/b>
\nOpened December 2013, today\u2019s P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) began as the Center for the Fine Arts (CFA) in 1983.\u00a0The organization\u2019s museum building shared the Miami Cultural Plaza on Flagler Street with today\u2019s HistoryMiami and the Miami-Dade Public Library. The CFA was born at a time of the traveling blockbuster exhibits. The museum was one which was non-collecting and initially without a permanent collection. Often non-collecting art museums were founded as a way to exhibit modernist works and provide exposure to promote acceptance and understanding of modernism. A museum without a collection is less costly to run because it doesn\u2019t acquire, maintain, conserve, exhibit, and store works of art.\u00a0 The CFA museum was a site for traveling and special exhibitions, programming, and lectures. In 1994, CFA changed its model, becoming a more traditional art museum with an acquisition policy.<\/p>\nPhoto: Michael E. Flynn\nPhoto: Michael E. Flynn\nPhoto courtesy of PAMM\n

In 1996, the CFA was reborn as the Miami Art Museum (MAM), remaining at the Miami Cultural Plaza. MAM worked to create a new venue that would accommodate 20th and 21st century art.<\/p>\n

Terence Riley, museum director (2006 \u2013 2013) and the museum trustees shepherded the project to the design phase. They identified three major initiatives for change: first, to be a museum that collected, preserved and presented art; second, to provide education; and third, to become a part of the fabric of the community as a social catalyst. MAM, along with the Miami Museum of Science (re-named the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science) focused on acreage in the Bicentennial Park to transform it into the Museum Park. The city dedicated the land and funds. Through the Building Better Communities program, Miami-Dade County provided the capital funds for both museums. The renowned Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron were selected to design a state-of-the-art, sustainable building to express the museum\u2019s role as an educational and civic forum for the county\u2019s residents and visitors.<\/p>\n

Thomas Collins became museum director in May 2013 and saw the building\u2019s completion. Collins was also charged with increasing the museum\u2019s art collection. In 2013, the museum moved to the 200,000 square foot facility overlooking Biscayne Bay. The museum was renamed the Jorge M. P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami in recognition of Mr. P\u00e9rez\u2019s generous leadership gift.\u00a0Total construction cost was $131 million.<\/p>\nPhoto: Michael E. Flynn\n

Architecture Designed for Miami<\/b>
\n\u201cThe building’s environmental circumstances, the hot climate, the heavy storms, have informed the architectural concept in the very first place. The use of concrete and the large canopy are part of a strategy to keep the heat out. Nevertheless, the building appears as a rather fragile structure, and perhaps that is also the beauty of it.\u201d\u00a0Christine Binswanger,\u00a0Senior Partner, Herzog & de Meuron.<\/p>\n

The architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron was chosen to design a building that would reflect the diversity, vibrancy, and dynamism of Miami and Miami-Dade County. They were strong contenders for the project because of their reputation and according to Terence Riley because, \u201cThey had no signature look.\u201d This freed the architects to design a unique structure appropriate to the location and reflective of the South\u00a0Florida lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Herzog & de Meuron formed their architectural partnership in Basel, Switzerland, in 1978. The award-winning firm has designed galleries, museums, stadiums, office buildings, and private homes around the world. Among their museum projects in the United States are the Walker Art Center Expansion in Minneapolis (2005); de Young Museum in San Francisco (2005); and the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY (2012). The highest profile museum project is their conversion of the Bankside power plant to the Tate Modern in London, (2000). They were tapped for the expansion of the Tate gallery and completed the first phase, The Tanks, in 2012.<\/p>\nIn a gallery is a wooden platform called \u201cMy Monument\u201d where visitors are encouraged to send an Instagram photo #mymonument. Atop is Agustin Elizalde from Mexico on his first visit to Miami.\n

The architects’ design for PAMM takes advantage of Biscayne Bay\u2019s view and breezes and the Florida sunshine. The building\u2019s wooden slatted canopy is reminiscent of the historic homes of Stiltsville located in the bay. The inside-outside design and window placement bring in plenty of natural light; the large canopy that extends beyond the museum walls creates shade and natural gathering areas for visitors.\u00a0 Built on a platform with wide entry stairs, the building creates a flowing open space and a conversation with the natural environment. Native tropical plants are suspended from the canopy, softening the hard angles of the building and evoking the region\u2019s lush vegetation.<\/p>\n

Inside the structure, there is 120,000 square feet of interior space. The permanent collection galleries are placed on the first and second levels. Special exhibitions are also located on the second level. There is a mixture of large, flowing exhibition spaces and smaller galleries. Natural and artificial light are balanced throughout the spaces. The lighting, designed by Arup, uses an automated dimming system that adjusts the artificial light according to the amount of daylight coming through the windows. Third floor space is dedicated to educational programming and offices. Entry halls, the auditorium, shop and the Verde waterfront restaurant located on the first floor enhance the visitor experience. Art is displayed throughout the entire building, including the garden and the parking garage.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo balance the intimate and concentrated experience of contemporary art with exposure to the sea and the park was one of the things we wanted achieve,\u201d said\u00a0 Christine Binswanger.<\/p>\nKonstantin Grcic, Netscape, an interactive installation of steel hanging swings on the Garden Terrace.\n

Collections Philosophy<\/b>
\nThe museum\u2019s mission is: P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami exists to improve the quality of life for individual residents of and visitors to Miami-Dade County, as well as social life in the communities they represent, by facilitating catalytic engagements with the most progressive visual arts of our time.<\/p>\n

It accomplishes this mission via educational programming, community engagement and through its collections and commissioned projects. Further, the museum collection recognizes Miami\u2019s diverse population and its position as a cross-cultural hub. The collection is focused on artists and projects that reflect traditions from the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. There is a special interest in the works of local artists and designers.\u00a0 The collections are focused on international art from the 20th and 21st centuries.<\/p>\nP\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami Director Franklin Sirmans\n

Under New Direction<\/b>
\nRecently, PAMM announced the arrival of a new museum director, Franklin Sirmans to succeed outgoing director Thomas Collins who went to head the Barnes Collection\u00a0in March.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sirmans was most recently the department head and curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He brings his skills as a fundraiser, honed while working in four major United States markets: Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, and Houston. He has an impressive background as a curator of contemporary art and was the former US editor of Flash Art and Editor-in-Chief of ArtAsiaPacific.<\/i><\/p>\n

In a recent article from The New York Times Sirmans said, \u201cIt\u2019s really fascinating how Miami has become not only an international center for commerce, but an international center for ideas,\u201d he said. \u201cIn terms of talking about the art of our time, from the 20th and 21st centuries, PAMM is going to be the focal point for that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A particular emphasis of Mr. Sirmans\u2019 administration will be as fundraiser for operations and the museum\u2019s endowment.\u00a0 He views the role of curator to be one that has changed to include fundraising, something that has been a part of his professional experience and success. \u201cThe idea of being a curator in the 21st century who solely puts together shows, and doesn\u2019t have a part in fund-raising, is not a part of what we do anymore,\u201d\u00a0said Sirmans.<\/p>\n

Additionally, he is focused on the museum\u2019s considerable education program, which he says is an integral part of the fabric for museums in the 21st century.<\/p>\nPAMM\u2019s restaurant Verde offers fine cuisine for visitors. Executive Chef Kaytun Brakefield\u2019s Moroccan Spiced Chicken Tagine with Saffron Couscous & reserved Lemon is pictured here.\n

Sirmans\u2019 appointment follows an international search led by PAMM trustee Dennis Scholl. Scholl said: \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be more excited to have Franklin at PAMM\u2019s helm. He brings with him experience at numerous large institutions and has a proven track record for galvanizing communities. All of that makes him the ideal person to lead the key museum in a city now renowned as an arts destination and home to a vibrant mix\u00a0of cultures and traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benefactor<\/b>
\nJorge P\u00e9rez is an art collector who lives in Miami. The owner of the highly-successful development company, the Related Group, Mr. P\u00e9rez is involved in supporting the growth of Miami. He has a great passion for art, culture, architecture and urban planning. He is an art collector and passionate supporter of the visual arts. According to PAMM\u2019s website, he has been a museum trustee since 1996, and when the museum announced plans for this new facility, he immediately saw the project as another important step in Miami’s civic development, and was among the first to pledge his financial support. He contributed more than $40 million in cash and art. Given both the scale of his commitment, and longevity of his leadership, the museum was named the Jorge M. P\u00e9rez Art Museum of Miami Dade County, in his honor.<\/p>\n

Contact<\/b>
\nPAMM is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming, featuring a 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab and classroom spaces. For more information, please visit\u00a0www.pamm.org, find PAMM on Facebook (facebook.com\/perezartmuseummiami), or follow on Twitter (@pamm) and instagram (@pammpics). The museum is located at 1103 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida, 33132. The museum is open every day except Monday and certain holidays. Visitors may contact via phone at 786-345-5662.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Art cannot be modern. Art is primordially eternal. – Egon Schiele (1890 \u2013 1918) Austrian painter and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Gustav Klimt Miami is a city of the future. Leaving its bad old days of the Cocaine Cowboys, nation\u2019s highest murder rate, and crumbling neighborhoods, Miami is earning a place on the international A-list. Multi-million dollar<\/p>\n

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