Here's Your Guide to Miami Art Shows in July 2024

The South Florida summer is in full swing, and between the intensely muggy heat and the punishing rain, it's been pretty tough to get out to see some art. So, I'm going to use this part of the column as a chance to spotlight some of our Best of Miami winners for 2024 in the arts.

First off, Best Public Art went to Germaine Barnes for his installation Ukhamba, a project commissioned for the Museum of Art and Design's MOAD Pavilions series that went on view during the Miami Book Fair last year. Barnes' installation was inspired by his time living in Cape Town, South Africa, and emphasized the importance of communal spaces.

Speaking of public art, the graffiti-bombed exterior of One Bayfront Plaza in downtown Miami won our Best Public Art (Unintentional Division) category. Turning a derelict office tower into a massive canvas for street art is a stroke of genius — make sure you take a look the next time you're in the neighborhood because the building is scheduled for demolition.

To see the winner for Best Mural, you'll have to trek out to Trail Skate Park in the Everglades, where a group of activists and young Miccosukee tribe members painted pictures of local fauna on the ramps. Pretty radical.

Best Visual Artist went to Alejandro Piñeiro Bello, whose tropical-fauvist paintings have landed him in multiple museums. The fast-rising artist recently announced that mega-gallery Pace is representing him. Speaking of galleries, Pineiro's local dealer, KDR, won Best Art Gallery.

For Best Illustrator, New Times chose Melissa Gutierrez, better known as Westofchester, whose humorous drawings of cherished Miami spots brim with nostalgia and local love. Best Graphic Designer went to Juan Mejía, AKA Liquid J, whose designs for the local underground dance party Jezebel are really sick.

Ian Patrick O'Connor won Best Photographer for his perfectly framed photographs. Best Art Fair went to NADA Miami, a great place to discover local and international artists — and potentially start your own art collection.

For Best Museum, we went up north to Fort Lauderdale to give the honors to NSU Art Museum. It's coming off a great year of supporting the vibrant local scene and staging major exhibitions. Finally, Best Curator went to Gean Moreno of ICA Miami, who's boosting interesting artists from the Caribbean and its diaspora.

Congrats to all the winners! If you'd like the complete list of victors, visit the Best of Miami section here. And be sure to check out the following art shows in Miami this July:

"The Immutable Will of Nature" at the CAMP Gallery

The North Miami space has brought in six Asian artists for its summer group show. Works on display include modern takes on traditional Chinese aesthetics by Xuanchen Fan and Hou Guan Ting, digitally integrated canvases by Guang-Yu Zhang, and whimsically surreal figurative oil paintings by Su Yu. The gallery will host a curator talk for the show at noon on Sunday, July 28. On view through August 24, at the CAMP Gallery, 791-793 NE 125th St., North Miami; 786-953-8807; thecampgallery.com.

"The Stage Miami" at I.D. Art Lab

ArtMedia Gallery in the Upper Eastside joins forces with Allapattah space I.D. Art Lab for a show of contemporary photographers. Participants include Zachary Balber, G.A. Jakubovics, Rainy Silvestre, and Mitya Trotsky. On view through Saturday, July 27, at I.D. Art Lab, 676 NW 23rd St., Miami; idartlab.org.

"Majorica Meets Art" at Majorica Store Miami Beach

Jewelry brand Majorica, known for inventing high-quality synthetic pearls, has opened its storefront on Lincoln Road Mall to a pair of local artists: Luke Jenkins, a furniture designer who works primarily in wood, and Patricia L. Cooke, a mixed-media artist and University of Miami grad. Miriam Kolker curated the show. On view through Saturday, September 7, at Majorica Store, 639 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; 305-433-4339; us.majorica.com.

William Osorio at LnS Gallery

Miami-based Cuban artist William Osorio is presenting a new series of paintings called "The Path to the Volcanos." Featuring figurative, mixed-media images of Cuban migrants traveling through Mexico, the show engages with the ongoing mass migration from the island, many coming to South Florida. On view through Saturday, August 3, at LnS Gallery, 2610 SW 28th Ln., Miami; 305-781-6164; lnsgallery.com.

"Spokesperson" at Tunnel

One of several small DIY art spaces cropping up in the city, this Little Havana space housed in a parking garage has emerged as a consistent spot for interesting shows from local artists. Its next show is an "anonymous exhibition," and the contents have been kept secret — you'll have to find out for yourself what's in store by checking out the opening on Thursday, July 11, at 6 p.m. Opens Thursday, July 11, at Tunnel Projects, 300 SW 12th Ave., Miami; tunnelprojects.com.

Cornelius Tulloch at Andrew Reed

After a performance-incorporating show at Locust Projects that opened during Miami Art Week last year, Cornelius Tulloch returns with a new show at Andrew Reed in Allapattah. He'll present new work made during a residency in Suriname supported by local nonprofit Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Institute, focused on creolized cultures and fashions worn by Afro-Surinamese women. Opens Thursday, July 11, at Andrew Reed Gallery, 800 NW 22nd St., Miami; andrewreedgallery.com.

"Vida Pastel" at Miami Art Society

The North Miami organization will open a new group show "celebrating the carefree spirit of summer" and "feel-good art." Participating artists include Natalie Galindo, Jesus Emmanuel Villarreal, Jenny Perez, and Tuto. Opens Saturday, July 13, at Miami Art Society, 800 NE 125th St., North Miami; 786-525-3898; instagram.com/miamiartsociety.

"Prints" at Fredric Snitzer

Fredric Snitzer Gallery is partnering with Columbia University's LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies for its summer show. They'll showcase prints from various big-name artists, including Cecily Brown, Eric Fischl, Sarah Sze, and Rikrit Tiravanija. Opens Saturday, July 13, at Fredric Snitzer Gallery, 1540 NE Miami Ct., Miami; 305-448-8976; snitzer.com.

New Shows at Mindy Solomon Gallery

Another crop of three new shows at Mindy Solomon is as much a showcase for the gallerist's interest in vibrant textile and pottery art as it is for the artists. That's what's in store in "Don't Forget to Hydrate," which includes work by ceramicist Adam Miller, fiber artist Terri Friedman, and Rubell Museum 2023 artist-in-residence Basil Kincaid. There's also a queer take on the Founding Fathers from Moises Salazar Tlatenchi in "Founding Sisters" and mixed fiber-and-paint canvases from Tanzanian artist Malaika Temba. Opens Saturday, July 13, at Mindy Solomon Gallery, 848 NW 22nd St., Miami; 786-953-6917; mindysolomon.com.

"Blurred Identities" at Pan American Art Projects

Coinciding with this month's Progressive Art Brunch, this show from a group of art students at Florida International University explores themes such as gender, memory, and cultural identity, incorporating references to fauvism, surrealism, Russian realism, the conceptualism of Joseph Beuys, and other movements. Sandra Ramos and Claudia Taboada curated the show. Opens Sunday, July 14, at Pan American Art Projects, 274 NE 67th St., Miami; 305-751-2550; panamericanart.com.