Greater Miami & Miami Beach’s independent art galleries are a vibrant part of the destination’s thriving arts scene. They’re on the vanguard of contemporary art, showing new works by emerging local, national and international artists, as well as mid-career and blue chip masters. Each has its own unique curatorial perspective.
While the Wynwood Arts District is booming with both pioneering galleries and a street art movement, the Miami gallery scene has expanded to Little Haiti, the Miami Design District and Allapattah, with other galleries found in South Beach and Downtown Miami.
Some of Miami’s early trailblazing galleries include Oolite Arts (formerly Art Center South Florida) founded in South Beach in 1984, and Bakehouse Art Complex in Wynwood in 1985. Both emphasize artist residencies, and a trip to either is an opportunity to visit both gallery and studio spaces.
Art Basel Miami Beach shines an international spotlight on Miami’s art scene when the annual art fair arrives in early December every year. Some of Miami’s most respected galleries have showcased works there, including Fredric Snitzer Gallery, David Castillo and Spinello Projects.
You’ll also find Miami galleries devoted to Latin American artists, such as the Gary Nader Art Centre with its impressive collection of works by Fernando Botero, or the Futurama 1637 Art Building with its mission to advance the knowledge and practice of contemporary visual arts and culture in Little Havana.
Art of Black Miami is a celebration of the contribution of Black artists to Miami’s cultural landscape through events and gallery spotlights throughout the year. In Little Haiti, N’Namdi Contemporary includes the works of important, yet often overlooked, mid-century Black artists, as well as emerging contemporary talent. Programs such as the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator and Miami Urban Contemporary Experience foster communities for diverse Black artists.
