Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at Miami Dade College (MDC), in collaboration with MDC’s Miami Book Fair, launches I Remember Miami, a compelling new participatory work by the artist Dora García. In this strange and unsettling moment when social and civic life has been completely altered, I Remember Miami invites the public to join in a virtual collective space of memory and connection to celebrate the experience of living in our city. Produced by the people of Miami themselves, this work records intimate memories of a vital place temporarily paused.
“Think about a single place in Miami, where you have been in the past…” This simple direction begins the multidisciplinary Spanish artist García’s instructions for I Remember Miami, a new work that welcomes everyone to take part in a collective recording of our vibrant city, currently on pause. While we remain at home, I Remember Miami asks us to recall small, specific details of spaces in the city that have made lasting impressions and to record ourselves walking through those spaces in our minds. Participants may also take photographs of their present surroundings or choose another image that represents the place remembered. This gathering of past remembrances, present sights, and evocative images will constitute a time capsule for the future, documenting this unique time in Miami’s history. I Remember Miami represents a hopeful gesture of solidarity and togetherness at a time of individual isolation.
Audio recordings in any language and photographs may be submitted as digital files. Submissions will be accepted for inclusion in a growing online archive until June 30. Selections will be posted on MOAD and the Miami Book Fair’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. When complete, the archive will be accessible on these websites: MOAD, Miami Book Fair, Dora Garcia.
“I’m grateful to Dora García for imagining such an impactful work of art that can bring people all across Miami together, even when we have to stay alone in our homes,” says Rina Carvajal, MOAD’s Executive Director and Chief Curator. “I Remember Miami can give its participants reasons to be hopeful by really thinking about the special places in our city that have personal meaning, and to do it in concert with hundreds of others—friends, neighbors, and strangers. Through her art, García creates the conditions to keep us connected and collectively involved in visualizing Miami’s past, present, and future. I Remember Miami is a beautifully fitting culmination to MOAD’s series A City of the People, which encourages everyone in Miami to become active participants in the life of the place that we love.”
Born in 1965 in Valladolid, Spain, García studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. She uses a range of media, including performance, video, text, and installation, to investigate the conditions that shape the encounter between the artist, the artwork, and the viewer. She has exhibited around the world and was included in Münster Sculpture Projects in 2007; Documenta in 2012; There is always a cup of sea to sail in at the São Paulo Biennial in 2010; and represented Spain in the 2011 Venice Bienale. In 2020, the first U.S. survey of her work was presented by the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Commissioned by MOAD, Dora García: I Remember Miami is curated by Rina Carvajal as part of the series A City of the People. It is made possible by the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of its Immersive Technologies in the Arts initiative; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
Located in MDC’s National Historic Landmark Freedom Tower, the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) offers groundbreaking exhibitions and programs that aim to foster a reimagined Miami. As the flagship museum of Miami Dade College, MOAD strives to be a catalyst for action and a place that empowers people to remake their city. MOAD follows the College’s lead in operating across Miami with its Museum Without Boundaries initiative, which takes place in city neighborhoods and invites everyone to be a part of the conversation.
WHAT: Dora García: I Remember Miami
WHEN: Friday, May 1, through Tuesday, June 30, 2020
WHERE: Locations across Miami
The Museum is currently closed until further notice. As part of Miami Dade College, MOAD and MDC Special Collections will continue to closely monitor COVID-19. MDC is coordinating efforts with the appropriate state and local authorities. We recommend that you visit MDC’s information and resource page and check back frequently.
For more information regarding our closure and to stay tuned regarding the resumption of regular operating hours, please visit moadmdc.org and closely monitor our Facebook and Instagram channels.
For updates and a full schedule of events, please visit http://www.mdcmoad.org/.
Press Contacts: Caitlin Driscoll, MOAD’s Marketing Consultant: 305-237-7719, cdriscol@mdc.edu; JWI PR—Jessica Wade Pfeffer: 305-804-8424, jessica@jwipr.com.