Three Museums And Exhibits To Visit This Month

These three contemporary art museums provide unique roles within Miami’s art ecosystem.

Hernan Bas, Conceptualists solo exhibition installation view at The Bass, Miami Beach PHOTO BY ZAIRE ARANGUREN

Are Miami’s art museums all the same? We delve into the distinct trajectories and purpose of three institutions that aim to provide access to contemporary art.

The Bass is Upbeat

This 58-year-old institution was founded on the eclectic collection of John and Johanna Bass, including artworks from the 15th century to today. Diane Camber served for 27 years as Executive Director, overseeing a significant museum expansion. In 2008, Executive Director Silvia Karmen Cubiñá took the helm, working closely with art collector George Lindemann as Trustee Chair to build the museum as a contemporary art hub. The Bass Museum of Art’s prime location on South Beach’s Collins Park and its proximity to Art Basel Miami Beach, hotels, and tourist destinations make it ideal for experiential and public art. Ugo Rondinone’s monumental “Miami Mountain” sculpture on its front lawn is a beacon to the museum’s vision to present cutting-edge international contemporary art. A solo exhibition by renowned Miami painter Hernan Bas on view through May 5, 2024, brings 19th-century queer literary references into a present-day conceptual play. 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, thebass.org

PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans with Arturo Herrera, “When Alone Again III,” (2001) PHOTO: BY ANGEL VALENTIN, COURTESY OF PÉREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI

PAMM is for Everyone

Founded in 1984 as the Center for the Fine Arts and renamed the Miami Art Museum a decade later, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) was again renamed in 2013. This followed a $35 million financial and significant art contribution by art collectors Jorge and Darlene Pérez in a deal brokered with the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County that ensured the museum’s relocation to its Herzog & de Meuron-designed campus.

Today, PAMM’s Executive Director is Franklin Sirmans, who receives widespread support for his mission to attract diverse audiences through inclusive programming. Although the museum specializes in modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries, there is an emphasis on Latin American, Caribbean, and African-diasporic contemporary artists thanks to the content of its art collection and the goal to better reflect Miami’s communities. The survey exhibition Public Enemy by African American artist Gary Simmons, on view through April 24, 2024, is a testament to this mission. 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, pamm.org

MOCA North Miami with artwork by Chris Friday PHOTO BY DANIEL BOCK. COURTESY OF MOCA NORTH MIAMI

MoCA North Miami reflects the Community

Founded in 1981 as the Center for Contemporary Art, the institution expanded under the leadership of executive director Bonnie Clearwater. It was renamed the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) in 1996. Following her 2013 departure, a dispute between the city and Trustees resulted in the move of funding and 200 of the 700 artworks in the museum’s collection to the new Institute for Contemporary Art Miami built by former MOCA chair Irma Braman and her husband, business mogul Norman Braman. Today, under the watchful eye of executive director Chana Budgazad, MOCA North Miami realigned its mission to reflect its North Miami neighborhood, offering educational public programming and exhibitions by international underrepresented artists that vitally contribute to the art canon. On view through March 17, 2024, a 70-artwork retrospective by late Cuban artist Juan Francisco Elso illuminates the artist’s profound practice. 770 NE 125th St., North Miami, mocanomi.org

Exhibition view of Juan Francisco Elso: Por América at MOCA North Miami PHOTO BY ZACHARY BALBER, COURTESY OF MOCA NORTH MIAMI