With three gallery spaces tailored for public art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas stands as the inaugural venue designed for showcasing contemporary art in the Kendall region.Through its lively programming and rotating exhibitions, the Museum bridges the gap between the community and artists hailing from all corners of the globe. It nurtures emerging artists, encourages established ones to explore new horizons, and demonstrates Kendall's aspirations to establish itself as a key player in the South Florida and wider American contemporary art scene.
The Museum's exhibition program presents solo and group shows by local, national, and international artists, prioritizing originality and striving to showcase works from a diverse array of creators. Its goal is to bring innovative contemporary art that transcends borders to South Florida and beyond, connecting communities and broadening horizons.Exhibitions are organized by Jorge Rodríguez (R10), the Museum's director and Chief Curator, and by guest curators from all visual arts. Each one runs for an average of 45 days, with shorter exhibitions of seven to fifteen days being planned in cases where certain works cannot be displayed for the usual period of time.
The "Pop Up Shows" or ephemeral exhibitions are conceived as part of a specific line of projects aimed at presenting as many local artists as possible to the community and offering them exhibition spaces throughout the regular season.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas and the Fine Arts Ceramic Center presented their exhibition "Unlikely Assemblages" as part of the 57th Annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference, which took place from March 15th to 18th, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The Annex Gallery, located next to the Pendelton Art Center and directed by photographer and cultural promoter Jens G. Rosenkrantz, hosted the exhibition, which will run until April 29th, 2023.
As part of the WOMEN IN ART program, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas in Kendall opened the collective exhibition 'Carmen Sends Me' on Friday, March 10, 2023, as a heartfelt tribute to the Cuban artist Carmen Herrera, who passed away just over a year ago in New York City. Following a call by curator Mónica Batard, a select group of Latina artists decided to pay homage to Herrera's memory, life, and example. These Cuban artists, who reside in South Florida, Havana, and other cities around the world, share their works with the public in Kendall and Miami-Dade County.
I don’t remember when I first met Montoto, but by the time I began to associate with the art world, he was already well-established. It’s been over 25 years now. I later designed several catalogs for him and got to know him personally. At that time, he often worked with art critic Rufo Caballero, who unfortunately passed away at the peak of his career. Rufo told me that Montoto’s entire discourse was based on deep intellectual convictions and that I should not be swayed by appearances, that beyond his almost absolute mastery of technique, there were deep philosophical reflections layered underneath. On another occasion, I also discussed this with David Mateo, the editor of Art Crónica magazine, and also a critic and art curator based in Mexico. He agreed with Rufo that there was a complex theoretical background to Montoto’s seemingly tropical hedonism.
I don’t remember when I first met Montoto, but by the time I began to associate with the art world, he was already well-established. It’s been over 25 years now. I later designed several catalogs for him and got to know him personally. At that time, he often worked with art critic Rufo Caballero, who unfortunately passed away at the peak of his career. Rufo told me that Montoto’s entire discourse was based on deep intellectual convictions and that I should not be swayed by appearances, that beyond his almost absolute mastery of technique, there were deep philosophical reflections layered underneath. On another occasion, I also discussed this with David Mateo, the editor of Art Crónica magazine, and also a critic and art curator based in Mexico. He agreed with Rufo that there was a complex theoretical background to Montoto’s seemingly tropical hedonism.
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.
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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