Art, reunion & family
What an amazing art collection Jorge Pérez has and the fact he has a huge chunk of it on public display at El Espacio 23, his gallery in Allapattah is truly magical.
For the longest time I’d wanted to visit his huge warehouse space where he shares part of his collection and this week it happened.
I went there yesterday morning after attending the annual Arts & Business Council of Miami’s Arts & Hospitality Breakfast at the InterContinental Miami.
Colorfully-clad dance troupe after their performance at Arts Breakfast hosted by the Arts & Business Council of Miami.
First off, the morning at the breakfast was like a reunion with so many wonderful attendees from the arts community. It was a morning filled with big hugs after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus. It was a lovely morning where they paid tribute to Bill Talbert, former head of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, presented an excellent panel of speakers and showcased a talented dance troupe. Check out Arts Biz Miami’s IG Page for a fun reel of yesterday’s breakfast.
José Bedia art on display at El Espacio 23 Gallery in Allapattah. The gallery is a massive 28,000-square-foot two story space.
After that it was off to El Espacio 23 gallery where on display until May is their exhibition “WITNESS: Afro Perspectives from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection.” With more than 100 works on display, I spent nearly two hours walking through the two-story space. I was mesmerized by the comprehensive works including video, mixed media works, paintings, sculptural pieces and the one that really caught my attention, a striking piece by Cuban artist José Bedia, one of my favorite artists.
That’s Hailey in the black mask, ready to take her bow with the rest of the performers after they played several beautiful pieces.
And I wanted to dedicate some space to my wonderful family this week, first to my great niece Hailey (my niece Tiffany’s daughter) who performed at the Superintendent’s Honors Music Festival held at my alma mater, Miami High School. A 7th grader at George Washington Carver Middle School, Hailey is a talented guitarist, so talented in fact, she sat front row during the performance where she was only one of three middle schoolers sharing the stage with high school students. Go Hailey!
Sisters at the beautiful MHS Auditorium! That’s Susy on the left, me in the middle and Ana on the right. Stingarees for life!
While there, my sisters Ana and Susy and I joined together for a photo at the gorgeous auditorium at our alma mater. The three of us are proud Stingarees but we never attended together so what better time to capture the moment!
My nephew Chris Valcarcel in action coaching his Lacrosse Falcons, his daughter Isabelle (Belle) pictured listening intently.
I must also mention my other talented great niece Isabelle Valcarcel whose Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School Lacrosse team is coached by my nephew and her Dad Chris Valcarcel. They recently kicked butt beating the opposing team 7-3.
Ramzi is all smiles next to his instructor.
Also kicking butt is my great nephew Ramzi (my niece Nicole’s son) who did great in his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. He’s all smiles with his instructor.
Elizabeth next to her piece in the ICA Miami Young Artist Intiative’s exhibit “Rearview Mirror.”
And I’ve saved the best for last, my daughter Elizabeth, a senior at the Design and Architecture Senior High who created the lovely piece she’s pictured next to above, as part of ICA Miami’s Young Artists Initiative. It was her second time participating in the program. The student show, this year titled “Rearview Mirror” is the culmination of the program. So proud of her!
Lastly, here’s a link to my article about this month’s O, Miami Poetry Festival in Biscayne Times.
That’s all for now. I was truly thrilled to experience so much culture this week and feel like I and the rest of us of course, are finally beginning to get back to normal.
Until next week, be well. xo
