Marco to Miami unfolds as both an exhibition and a cultural statement—one that underscores the significance of interregional collaboration and the vitality of Florida’s artistic ecosystems. Through an expansive array of media and styles, the show captures the creative energy of Florida’s Gulf Coast while weaving it into Miami’s rich and ever-evolving cultural fabric. The participating artists offer a compelling portrait of Southwest Florida’s artistic diversity and depth. Their work invites new dialogues around regional identity, shared histories, and the broader landscape of contemporary expression.
Cuba is an archipelago nestled in the Antilles of the Caribbean Sea. Its modest size, however, belies the political and historical weight it has carried in the region and across much of the Global South. Its unique political trajectory has left a profound imprint on the historical and ideological evolution of the Americas for nearly a century. Following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the nation veered from its previous course and aligned itself ideologically and structurally with the Eastern Bloc, under the leadership of the now-defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. At that time, the world was starkly divided into two distinct economic and social systems—two antagonistic blocs that regarded each other with disdain and engaged in relentless ideological confrontation.
MoCA-Americas Brings Landmark Exhibition to Marco Island in Cultural Exchange Across Coasts. On May 5, 2025, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCA-Americas) opens a new chapter in its ongoing mission to foster cultural exchange across the hemisphere by launching a landmark collaborative exhibition at the Marco Island Center for the Arts. Running through July 1, this exhibition marks a rare and important opportunity for audiences on Florida’s southwest coast to experience highlights from MoCAA’s growing permanent collection. Featuring an intergenerational group of Latin American and Caribbean artists, the show is part of a long-term institutional exchange between both organizations, one that aims to strengthen the visibility of underrepresented artistic narratives...
The Cuban art collection of Mr. Méndez has been assembled over the course of two decades, beginning in Havana itself. The works were acquired directly from the artists—an approach that, from the outset, served as both a gesture of patronage and a means of sustaining their creative paths. In that same spirit, Leonardo Rodríguez has also prioritized direct acquisition as a form of support and commitment to the artists. The convergence of both collections, soon to be revealed in a series of joint exhibitions, will offer art enthusiasts a far broader—and simultaneously more nuanced—perspective on the Cuban cultural phenomenon within the field of visual arts. The exhibition brings together both emerging talents—such as Daniela Águila and Brenda Cabrera, to name just two—and established figures of the stature of Alfredo Sosabravo and José Manuel Fors. In total, fifteen works are on display, spanning media such as watercolor, oil and acrylic on canvas, silkscreen, bronze sculpture, and a site-specific installation piece.
Hosting an exhibition by the renowned Spanish sculptor Carlos Albert marks a significant milestone for the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCAA) and the vibrant community it serves. The inclusion of his work in our curatorial program reaffirms the museum’s commitment to excellence in contemporary art and to fostering international artistic voices whose trajectories and visions enrich the cultural dialogue within our local context. Carlos Albert has established himself as a pivotal figure in contemporary Spanish sculpture. His practice—deeply rooted in the tradition of wrought iron—melds technical mastery with a poetic visual language of striking expressive power. In his work, matter is transfigured into gesture, balance, and latent energy, revealing a sensibility that transcends borders and resonates with diverse audiences. For MoCAA, presenting this body of work to the South Florida public is both an act of cultural exchange and an invitation to engage with an aesthetic of profound formal and conceptual rigor. Although the artist could not be with us in person on this occasion, due to prior engagements in Costa Rica, his presence is powerfully felt in every piece on view. This exhibition is thus not only an opportunity to encounter—or rediscover—the force of his sculptural language, but also a celebration of artistic connection across geographies, and of the enduring power of art to inspire and transform, regardless of distance.
What does it mean today to speak of lineage, of ancestry, of descent? Is it a burden, a continuity, a scar, a myth? This exhibition offers no definitive answers, but instead opens a fertile space for visual inquiry. In a time when identities are rapidly reshaped and familial narratives fracture or fade, the works brought together in Descendencias suggest a return to the intimate—not as nostalgia, but as a gesture of critical re-engagement with what still defines us, often beyond our will.
What unfolded was a dual journey: that of Lianet Martínez, working from within Cuba, and of Liza Camila, based in the United States. A third journey emerged—that of the viewer, who was invited to traverse the visual and emotional terrain the two artists laid before us. Both began with the female body as a site of memory, politics, and transformation, placing it at the heart of their creative inquiry.
What began in Brazil as a bold and visionary endeavor to shed light on Cuban diasporic art now finds a new and vibrant chapter in Miami. This exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCA-Americas) is not a reprise, but rather a natural and necessary evolution—a living continuation of a broader and still-unfolding curatorial project that is only beginning to reveal its full depth and potential.
From March 7 to April 11, 2025, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCA-Americas) was honored to present 'Threading the Americas from North to South', a landmark juried exhibition organized in collaboration with the Fiber Artists Miami Association (FAMA). The exhibition was open to the public for nearly the entire month of March through mid-April.
While they hail from different countries, these artists—except for one based in Bilbao—have made Miami their home, contributing to the city's dynamic creative landscape. This exhibition not only showcases their individual artistic voices but also underscores the role of abstraction as a universal language that transcends borders and traditions. Together, their works form a rich visual dialogue that reflects both shared sensibilities and diverse cultural perspectives.
This exhibition foregrounds his unique perspective, offering an incisive glimpse into the cultural narratives of an artist singularly forged by his socio-political milieu—a narrative seldom explored in South Florida. Beyond its undeniable artistic merit, this exhibition offers an extraordinary opportunity to immerse oneself in the tangible expression of those artists who endured—and ultimately transcended—the imposition of Socialist Realism, a doctrine advanced in the last century with remarkable severity by states aligned with the Soviet bloc.
Under the thoughtful curatorship of Marisa Caichiolo, the event highlighted the transformative power of art to connect humanity and envision a more harmonious and interconnected world. Art was presented as a catalyst for global change, resonating across boundaries and cultures, and inspiring collaborative efforts toward a brighter future. This vision echoed the ongoing work of both MoCA-Americas and the Fine Arts Ceramic Center.
The Kendall Art Cultural Center (KACC), dedicated the past six years to the preservation and promotion of contemporary art and artists, and to the exchange of art and ideas throughout Miami and South Florida, as well as abroad. Through an energetic calendar of exhibitions, programs, and its collections, KACC provides an international platform for the work of established and emerging artists, advancing public appreciation and understanding of contemporary art.
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The Rodríguez collection is a blueprint of Cuban art and its diaspora. Within the context of the new MoCA-Americas the collection becomes an invaluable visual source for Diaspora identity. It represents a different approach to art history to try to better understand where we come from to better know where we are heading.
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