MOCA North Miami Celebrates Pride Month & Caribbean Heritage Month with Robust Public Programming
In the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA)’s continued efforts to include diverse voices and perspectives, the museum is offering a robust series of education and public programming to celebrate Pride Month and Caribbean Heritage Month throughout June. MOCA is pleased to also announce a series of public activations, “Under the Electric Tree,” at Griffing Park. Programming will include site-specific performances, live music, hands-on art activities, and more, in conjunction with the recently restored public artwork "Electric Tree" by international renowned artist, Mark Handforth.
MOCA’s groundbreaking exhibition “My Name is Maryan” is on view through October 2, 2022. Curated by Alison M. Gingeras, the exhibition is a monographic presentation of four decades of paintings, sculptures, drawings and film by the iconoclastic, ground-breaking Polish-born artist Maryan. Drawing upon new scholarship and a trove of never-before-exhibited works, “My Name is Maryan” is the first retrospective to holistically examine all periods of Maryan’s life and work. Throughout the museum, Maryan’s extraordinary biography and prolific oeuvre represent a deeply moving monument to the perseverance of the human spirit and power of art to work through traumatic loss. Credited as being among the first artist-eyewitnesses to directly depict their experiences of the Shoah, Maryan's unique approach to figurative art strove to solidarity across cultures and generations. A catalog for “My Name is Maryan” is forthcoming this summer. After closing in October, the exhibition will then travel to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
MOCA’s June programming includes:
MOCA miniMakers: Pride Month | Saturday, June 4, 2 – 4 p.m.
Details: MOCA miniMakers is celebrating Pride Month by highlighting visual LBGTQ artists during this event. After the presentation participants will create their own rainbow book. MOCA miniMakers is MOCA’s free and inclusive series of art workshops for children ages 6 and up. Children will have access to a variety of art techniques, as well as an inclusive curriculum incorporating step-by-step guides, STEAM activation and creative free play. Taught by experienced artists and sponsored by the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency, MOCA miniMakers aims to foster an accessible spirit of learning through the arts.
Cost: Free
RSVP: For more information, please visit: https://111401.blackbaudhosting.com/111401/packagetickets?tab=3&txobjid=4e23cefb-d39d-4fde-bdfc-c9f03ea09371%C2%A0
Sunday Stories: Pride Month – “Rainbow: A First Book of Pride” by Michael Genhart | Sunday, June 5, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Details: Join MOCA on the first Sunday of every month for MOCA Sunday Stories’ story time, followed by a DIY early childhood art project. In honor of pride month, MOCA will be reading “Rainbow: A First Book of Pride” written by Michael Genhart and illustrated by Anne Passchier. Beautiful colors all together make a rainbow. This book explains the meaning of the rainbow pride flag colors. After the reading, participants can create their own rainbow flag to take home.
Sponsored by the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency, this early childhood art series engages toddlers and fosters reading, motor skill development and socialization. MOCA Sunday Stories is a great way for children to bond with their parents or guardians as they create together.
Cost: Free
RSVP: For more information, please visit: https://111401.blackbaudhosting.com/111401/packagetickets?tab=3&txobjid=932f563f-2481-4692-a197-52be03f4cfa3
My Name is Maryan – Docent-Led Exhibition Tour | Sunday, June 5 and 19, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Details: Register for a tour led by MOCA docent Dr. Helen Sachs Chaset. Dr. Chaset is an educator with more than 45 years of experience in administration, professional development, and program development. She is also a board member of Miami-Dade Holocaust Survivors, the Jewish Community Services of South Florida and the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education. Dr. Chaset is the daughter of two Holocaust Survivors and was born in a displaced persons camp in Hannover, Germany.
Cost: All tours are free with admission.
RSVP: For more information, please visit: https://mocanomi.org/2022/02/tours-at-moca/
Under the Electric Tree: The Mento Philharmonic Orchestra at Griffing Park in Celebration of Caribbean Heritage Month | Saturday, June 11, 7 p.m.
Details: In celebration of Caribbean Heritage Month, MOCA North Miami is proud to feature The Mento Philharmonic Orchestra. Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced Ska and Reggae music. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box (which is a large mbira in the shape of a box that can be sat on while played.) The rhumba box carries the bass part of the music.
Tallawah Mento Band is a Florida-based Jamaican Mento Band founded with four of the original members of the Jamaica Folk Revue. Tallawah adds its particular flavor to the music of several genres, including the music of Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad and many loved hits from the 50’s and 60’s. With the addition of internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Keith Stoddart, formerly of the Jamaican Jazz Band “The Sonny Bradshaw Seven,” the band has extended its repertoire to include old jazz, classical, popular, and soca/calypso. The group has entertained all over the US, and recently in Jamaica, and has won numerous accolades. They have also been featured on NBC 6, Radio Waves, Mystic Radio, and Radio WOKB 1600, in Orlando. This program is made possible with major support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Cost: Free
RSVP: For more information, please visit: https://111401.blackbaudhosting.com/111401/Mento-Philharmonic-Orchestra
Where: Griffing Park, 12220 Griffing Boulevard, North Miami, FL 33161
My Name is Maryan – Public Exhibition Tour with Curator of Education Amanda Covach | Thursday, June 16, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Details: Register for a tour conducted by MOCA’s Curator of Education, Amanda Covach, an interdisciplinary Mexican-American artist. Trained as a studio artist at Florida International University, Covach brings a deep knowledge of the contemporary art field and a professional history in museum management to the educational program.
Cost: All tours are free with admission.
RSVP: For more information, please visit: https://mocanomi.org/2022/02/tours-at-moca/
Jazz at MOCA Featuring Magela Herrera in Celebration of Caribbean Heritage Month | Friday, June 24, 8 p.m.
Details: “Jazz at MOCA” is MOCA’s free outdoor concert series in-person on the last Friday of every month. On Friday, June 24, MOCA is pleased to present Magela Herrera. She is an Afro-Cuban flutist, vocalist and composer who holds a master’s degree in jazz and improvised music performance and a bachelor’s degree from the Norwegian Academy of Music. Throughout her career, Herrera has toured worldwide where she developed a unique timbre, phrasing technique, and rhythm and melodic skills on the flute. She has also evolved as a pianist, vocalist, arranger and composer leading her own projects. Today Herrera is considered one of Cuba's leading flute players in jazz and popular music scenes. Often praised for her unique background in Latin jazz, European jazz, and Afro-Cuban music traditions, she was a member of the renowned band Mezcla, one of the most famous Cuban leading jazz and fusion ensembles.
Cost: Jazz at MOCA is free and open to the public. The gallery is open to view MOCA’s current exhibition, “My Name is Maryan,” from 7-10 p.m. with museum admission. Admission to the museum is $10. Admission for students, seniors, and visitors identifying as disabled is $3. Admission is free to MOCA members, children under 12, North Miami residents, city employees, veterans, and caregivers accompanying people who are disabled.
RSVP: For more information, please visit: https://mocanomi.org/category/programs/jazz-at-moca/
Under the Electric Tree: Pioneer Winter in Celebration of Pride Month at Griffing Park| Wednesday, June 29, 7:30 p.m.
Details: Choreographer Pioneer Winter and sound artist Juraj Kojs will collaborate with performers and community members on a Pride Month activation at the Electric Tree. Collected oral histories and elder stories of 'first prides' will become an interactive soundscape for dancers to embody themes of memory, resilience, and community – reflecting on the Electric Tree created by artist Mark Handforth as a meeting place for corporeal and social exchange.
Pioneer Winter is a Miami-based choreographer and artistic director of Pioneer Winter Collective, an intergenerational and physically integrated dance-theater company, rooted in social practice and community, queer visibility and beauty beyond the mainstream. Recognized in Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch, Pioneer Winter's work democratizes performance in public spaces, museums and galleries, stage, and film. Juraj Kojs's (he/him) commissions for acoustic, electroacoustic, multimedia and installation pieces include Meet the Composer, Harvestworks New York, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Deering Estate, Miami Light Project and Miami Theater Center. His works have received multiple awards in Europe and he currently directs Foundation for Emerging Technologies and Arts (FETA) and teaches at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. This program is made possible with major support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Cost: Free
RSVP: For more information, please visit: 111401.blackbaudhosting.com/111401/Pioneer-Winter
Where: Griffing Park, 12220 Griffing Boulevard, North Miami, FL 33161
Where:
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA)
770 NE 125th Street
Miami, FL 33161
Support:
“My Name is Maryan” is made possible with lead support from the Terra Foundation for American Art and Shirley and William M. Lehman, Jr. MOCA is grateful to The Polish Cultural Institute of New York, The Wege Foundation, Funding Arts Network and Adele and Joel Sandberg for their generosity. Special thanks to The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Florida Humanities, Arlene Kahn and Richard Yulman. We are also grateful to Bal Harbour Village, City National Bank, Grand Brulot, Judi Witkin, Daniel Lewis, Isaac Fisher, Brian Bilzin, Helen Chaset, and The Robert Russell Memorial Foundation for their support.
MOCA North Miami exhibitions and programs are made possible with the continued support of the North Miami Mayor and Council and the City of North Miami, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. MOCA North Miami also thanks its Board of Trustees, Curator's Circle and MOCA Members for their meaningful support.