FIU museums engage arts and culture lovers working, learning at home
Frost Art Museum, The Wolfsonian-FIU and Jewish Museum of Florida engage homebound arts and culture lovers with free content.
As FIU’s three museums join museums around the world in temporarily closing their doors in response to the coronavirus pandemic, they continue to offer inspiring, compelling and educational content to the community via virtual tours, digital content and social media outreach.
At Frost Art FIU, curatorial, educational and content teams are working together virtually to bring their members, supporters and art fans, entertainment, refuge and education. The museum has highlighted the following virtual tours:
At Frost Art FIU, curatorial, educational and content teams are working together virtually to bring their members, supporters and art fans, entertainment, refuge and education. The museum has highlighted the following virtual tours:
- Deconstruction: A Reordering of Life, Politics, and Art presents the work of twelve Miami-based artists who interrogate varying notions of deconstruction in their work.
- Spheres of Meaning: An Exhibition of Artists' Books presents a range of artists' books from manipulated texts to new narrative forms and books presented as sculptures.
- Cut: Abstraction in the United States, from the 1970s to the Present explores a multigenerational group of artists who challenged painting surfaces with cuts, carvings, and indentation. For some this gesture has been politically motivated; for others, it represents a bold and dynamic investigation into materiality.
Alongside virtual tours, the museum will offer new weekly newsletters and social media content, which will include a behind-the-scenes look at museum staff, games and activities for families to do at home, and video montages of current exhibitions.
You can view pieces from their permanent collection here.
“The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU has gone online to serve the Miami-Dade community in these challenging times. Art and culture provide solace, mental relief, and tools for resilience. In the coming days, you will see opportunities through our social media platforms and website to bring pleasure into your lives while you work remotely, home school your children, and search for creative outlets,” said Jordana Pomeroy, director at Frost Art FIU.
The Wolfsonian-FIU will also spotlight digital experiences produced over recent years, including:
- Art of Illumination, a Knight Foundation-supported initiative that commissions thought-provoking video art pieces from contemporary artists, designers, and collectives.
- Two online exhibitions, which give life to the golden age of Cuban–U.S. tourism (Promising Paradise) and early 20th-century spiritual art (The Pursuit of Abstraction) through texts, lectures, interviews, and virtual and collector-led tours.
- Recorded programming, allowing art lovers to enjoy past Wolfsonian talks from home.
- The museum's digital catalog, offering collection access at visitor’s fingertips.
"For us—and for museums around the world—opening up our collection for the community is a public service and an ethical responsibility. These are the moments when art's comforts and delights are most needed. If we can inspire a laugh, spark a new thought, or create a sense of solidarity, we consider that a success. We'll bring The Wolfsonian to you,” said Tim Rodgers, director of The Wolfsonian-FIU.
The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU will soon be launching their latest exhibitions Judith Leiber: Master Craftsman and Zachary Balber: Tamim as well as an educational activity series led by the museum’s education manager, Luna Goldberg.
“We have always been a cultural hub for the community, where people could find refuge, education and inspiration. During this very difficult time in the world, keeping that sense of community is more important than ever. We’d like to continue to offer inspiring content to our community and are focusing our efforts on bringing our content right into your home via digital exhibitions and social media content,” said Susan Gladstone, the Jewish Museum-FIU’s director.
All three museums are currently working remotely on producing new online projects over the coming weeks that feature dynamic digital avenues into exploring arts and culture. Audio, video, and interactive tools will open gateways into the FIU museums —ensuring that there will be an array of options for the culture-curious.