YoungArts Presents Two Exhibitions of Emerging Artists During Miami Art Week
During this year’s Miami Art Week, the National YoungArts Foundation will present two exhibitions of work by emerging artists, furthering their commitment to supporting the organization’s alumni as they establish themselves in the art world. At the YoungArts Gallery, IMAGINATION LAND: Fantastical Narrative, curated by multidisciplinary artist and YoungArts master teacher Derrick Adams, will feature new and recent interdisciplinary works addressing consumerism, gender roles, the environment and ceremonial ritual. At PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, Helen Toomer, co-founder and artistic director of STONELEAF RETREAT and former director of PULSE, will curate a booth titled Searching exhibiting works by 15 YoungArts alumni.
“YoungArts is committed to providing a platform for tomorrow’s artists,” said Carolina García Jayaram, YoungArts President & CEO. “By presenting two skillfully curated exhibitions during Miami Art Week, one by Derrick Adams, a YoungArts master teacher and fellow champion of emerging artists, and the other by Helen Toomer, former director of PULSE, we aim to propel emerging artists forward, and towards a successful career in the arts.”
The IMAGINATION LAND: Fantastical Narrative exhibition will be taking place at the YoungArts Gallery and is curated by multidisciplinary artist and YoungArts master teacher Derrick Adams. This exhibition features works by 11 YoungArts alumni from the past five years. On view now through December 15, 2017, the exhibition includes video, sculpture, painting and performative works that explore how the mechanics of art production can reflect how we see ourselves as products of our surroundings.
“After mentoring winners during YoungArts’ signature programs in Miami and New York, it is a privilege to support YoungArts alumni across disciplines and present their work to an international audience. As a working artist, I know firsthand the challenges of making the leap from student to professional,” said Derrick Adams. “In curating the exhibition, what unfolded naturally was creating a meaningful dialogue between the works from these standout artists. They are each channeling the interests and concerns of their generation, in an effort to advance the conversation between generations in contemporary art.”
Highlights on view include And we were changed (2016), a video performance by Elle Cox (2017 Winner in Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) addressing the implications of slavery tactics on modern perceptions of African Americans; 21st Century Pearls (2012), Baby’s First Prescription (2012), and Served on a Silver Platter (2012) by Glenn Davis (2013 Winner in Visual Arts) looking at the pharmaceutical industry in the United States and the relaxed nature with which our society takes potentially harmful medication; and $wagfuture 2812 (2017), a mixed media installation by SWAG Future Collaborative by David Correa x Alberto Checa (2017 Winners in Visual Arts) uses the projection of videos to create a satire of the intensely influential and media-influenced city of Miami.
Additional artists on view include Su Wan Kim (2015 Winner in Cinematic Arts and Visual Arts), Mateo Nava (2013 Winner in Visual Arts & U.S Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Mika Rosenberg (2014 Winner in Visual Arts), Sebastian Ruiz (2014 Winner in Visual Arts), Celia Shaheen (2015 Winner in Visual Arts), Cornelius Tulloch (2016 Winner in Design Arts and Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), and Wade Winslow (2016 Winner in Visual Arts). Free and open to the public, the YoungArts Gallery has hosted exhibitions by YoungArts master teachers, winners and alumni—including Olafur Eliasson, Daniel Arsham and Hernan Bas—since 2013. For hours, please visit: youngarts.org/exhibitions.
Experience a second exhibition at PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, Booth S112 at Indian Beach Park, where former PULSE Director and now co-founder and artistic director of STONELEAF RETREAT Helen Toomer will curate Searching, an exhibition of works by 15 YoungArts alumni. The YoungArts booth is one of over 70 galleries from five continents. The thirteenth edition of PULSE in Miami Beach will be held from December 7–10, 2017.
Artists include Alyssa Ackerman (2015 Winner in Visual Arts), Walker Bankson (2017 Winner in Photography), Nikolas Bentel (2012 Winner in Visual Arts), Tracey Bullington (2009 Winner in Visual Arts), Arthur Cooke (2014 Winner in Photography), Cheryl Ellzysmith (2007 Winner in Visual Arts), Ilana Goldmeier (2010 Winner in Photography), Alex Mediate (2016 Winner in Photography), Isabella Mellado (2014 Winner in Visual Arts), Sarah Miller (2013 Winner in Photography), Sue Montoya (2009 Winner in Visual Arts), Andrea Reyes (2017 Winner in Photography), Brenda Rodriguez (2016 Winner in Visual Arts), Cornelius Tulloch (2016 Winner in Design Arts and Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), and Wade Winslow (2016 Winner in Visual Arts)