Have a ‘brat summer’ in Miami this August with Caribbean art and film screenings
“Brat” isn’t just a critically-acclaimed album or an internet meme. It’s a lifestyle.
For the uninitiated, non-Tiktok users, brat summer is the latest trend taking over your kids’ social media feeds and, oddly enough, Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
Truthfully, brat has little to do with politics and everything to do with going out, having fun and looking a little messy while doing it. Sweaty downtown DJ sessions? Brat. Frizzy hair? Brat. Late night tacos? Brat. Lime green anything? Brat.
Supporting local artists? That’s so brat.
This is Arts Notes, the Herald’s monthly arts and culture column. And I’m Amanda Rosa, the reporter blasting British pop star Charli XCX’s latest party girl, chartreuse green masterpiece in my car while covering the ins and outs of arts in Miami. (Send me suggestions for September by emailing [email protected].)
There’s plenty to do and see before the arts season is in full swing this fall and winter. We got creative workshops, concerts, speed dating, free art exhibitions and film screenings to get you through August.
Gainesville-grown mega night market comes to the 305
How Bazar, a Gainesville-based clothing store co-op, is bringing its Bazar à La Carte night market, to Miami with an evening of food, music, art, clothes and more.
The Bazar is taking over Riverset Studios, a studio and event space housed in a repurposed airplane hangar, with two floors of art and rotating events. You’ll find more than 50 vendors, an art exhibition featuring local artists and DJ sets all night long. Creative workshops include poetry, crochet and speed dating for all you artsy singles out there. The photo studio space will be open for a pilates class, a Raw Figs figure drawing session and photoshoots. You can even learn how to ferment dill pickles.
When: Aug. 3, 6 - 10 p.m.
Where: Riverset Studios, 301 NW Ninth Ave., Miami
Info: $5 entry. https://thehowbazar.com
Learn how to dye clothes with plants
It’s not every day an award-winning artist teaches you their skills.
Diana Eusebio is a Miami-based multidisciplinary artist of Peruvian and Dominican descent known for her unique artworks using natural fabrics dyed from plants, like avocado seeds and achiote. She hosts a workshop to teach students the basics of creating vibrant natural dye from Spanish moss. Her artwork and workshops preserve and promote pre-Columbian traditions from Black and indigenous communities from South Florida and Latin America.
Eusebio will provide the supplies, but feel free to bring your own natural fabrics, like cotton, linen or wool.
When: Aug. 3, 1 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Workshop held in the artist’s studio on the second floor of Oolite Arts, 924 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach.
Info: $85 to register. 10 person capacity. https://dianaeusebio.com
Kids rock out at this summer camp showcase
Who said girls can’t rock?
Miami Girls Rock Camp, a local youth program that encourages girls and non-binary kids ages 8 to 17 through music, is holding what it calls “the most feel-good show of the year” with its finale concert
The showcase is the culmination of MGRC’s flagship week-long summer day camp program in which campers form a band and write an original song together. This weekend, 10 new bands will debut their songs at this family-friendly event. Stick around after the show for a dance party with DJ Angel Boi.
When: Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Magic 13 Brewing Company, 340 NE 61st St., Miami
Info: $20 tickets. https://www.eventbrite.com
Award-winning Little Haiti film screens in Miami
If you’ve read this column before you know I will not shut up about this movie.
“Mountains” is the award-winning film by local filmmakers Monica Sorelle and Robert Colom. It made a splash at major film festivals nationally and internationally, and its coming back to its hometown for screenings at select theaters.
The heart-warming, thought-provoking story follows Xavier, a demolition worker, who is forced to face the affects of gentrification as he realizes his demolition sites are inching closer and closer to his Little Haiti community. Critics have compared the work to the likes of 2019’s “The Last Black Man In San Francisco,” 1960’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” and Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning “Moonlight.”
When: Local screenings begin Aug. 16
Where: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables
Info: Buy tickets online at gablescinema.com
Explore Suriname at this artist’s Allapattah show
Speaking of art I won’t quit yapping about.
Cornelius Tulloch, a 26-year-old Jamaican-American artist, has been making waves internationally with his art career. After a prestigious art residency in Paris, he came back home to deliver “Angisa: a language of living,” a solo art show inspired by his time in Suriname. The show immerses you in the rich colors, nature and culture of Suriname with lush portraits, serene landscapes and vibrant tapestries.
Read more: His art takes him around the world, but this rising star always finds his way back to Miami
“This work feels like what I’ve wanted it to feel like for ages,” Tulloch said. “It doesn’t feel like an assignment or a job. It feels like I’m exploring and being as creative as I can be.”
When: On view until Aug. 16. Re-opens for the first week of September.
Where: Andrew Reed Gallery, 800 NW 22 St., Miami
Info: Free entry. www.andrewreedgallery.com
Cuban-American twin artists ask ‘Que Pasa, USA?’
This Miami art show is a tribute to the Cuban-American experience.
Sarah and Samantha Ferrer, Miami-based, first-generation Cuban-American twin artists, recently opened their solo show “Que Pasa, USA?” at Mahara+Co, a contemporary gallery dedicated to Latin American art. The Ferrer sisters, who co-founded 2WIN! STUDIOS, use ceramics and paintings to explore nostalgia, childhood memories, faith and heritage.
In the show, a ceramic artwork resembling the island of Cuba is reimagined as a bouquet of white roses. Next to it, in bold red letters, is a phrase my abuela says all the time, “Si dios quiere.”
When: On view until Aug. 25
Where: Mahara+Co, 224 NW 71st St., Miami
Info: Free entry. https://mahara-co.com
This story was produced with financial support from individuals and Berkowitz Contemporary Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.