With the best art out of all the major fairs and the most enjoyable, laid-back atmosphere, NADA Miami was the place to be during Miami Art Week in 2023. The fair, run by the New York-based New Art Dealers Alliance, offers the best balance between high quality and reasonable prices — for those actually buying art — and its support of rising Miami galleries is also notable. This past year, KDR, homework, and PRIMARY all exhibited at the fair, while previous participants, Dále Zine, debuted their mini-truck mobile bookshop two years ago.

Moving her home-hosted gallery to a dedicated space on the growing art corridor of NW 22nd Street in Allapattah has only boosted Katia David Rosenthal's largesse as the most dominant dealer in town. The move made national news, securing her gallery as a "must-see" in Miami. Her slate of artists includes some of the most fun, funky, and buzzed-about in Miami, including Joel Gaitan, Susan Kim Alvarez, and Alejandro Piñeiro Bello, all of whom earned museum showings last year with art that impressed as much as it amused.

It may come as a shock, but South Florida's best museum is, in fact, not even in the Miami-Dade County. Between shows that explore important artists and movements like color-field painting ("Glory of the World") and ones that showcase the largesse of the region's local artists ("Future Past Perfect"), NSU Art Museum in downtown Fort Lauderdale shines. It offers the type of ambitious programming that other area institutions should strive for.

Though the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami has come under fire for alleged censorship, it shouldn't dull the importance of what curator Gean Moreno does at this Design District museum. His thought-provoking shows shine a light on under-recognized artists of the Caribbean and African diaspora. He brought the colorful works of Grenada native and dub-reggae painter Denzil Forrester and politically minded 79-year-old conceptual artist Charles Gaines into the Miami to the local stage. He has also shepherded important books on artists like Carlos Alfonzo, Belkis Ayón, and Juan Francisco Elso and enriched the local arts scene through events and exhibitions as co-director of local press [NAME] Publications.

Have you ever picked up a book and thought to yourself, "Why hasn't this been done before?" Many Miamians will think just that when they see the bright orange cover of Ventanitas: A Window Into Miami's Coffee Culture. Oddly enough, author Daniela Perez was studying abroad in London when she was inspired to write a book on the unique culture surrounding coffee windows in Miami. The idea for a book was later picked up by Miami's poetry people, O, Miami, when photographer Gesi Schilling joined the project. Schilling ventured out, presumably cafecito in hand, to capture stunning portraits of the city's favorite ventanitas. Published earlier this year, Ventanitas is quite literally the perfect coffee table book about coffee.

Think Miami is a philistine, unlettered backwater town? Think again, friends. Miami's quarterly Islandia Journal proves otherwise. This unapologetically eccentric journal has a wealth of locally authored prose, poetry, and visual art that paints a lush picture of the myths behind this swamp and the ecology of the land itself. It's dedicated to the more esoteric side of Florida and the Caribbean — its untapped histories, legends, folklore, cryptozoology, and the paranormal. If you ask us, it's about time that the skunk ape and chupacabra got more love in print. Islandia's digital library has plenty of captivating ephemera, and following them on Instagram is a must for more archival weirdness.

The Regal Dania Pointe's 4DX cinema experience is big, brash, and all-encompassing — it's nothing like your couch. A cross between a movie theater and an amusement park ride, 4DX comes with a safety warning: Enter at your own risk. Combining state-of-the-art projection and sound with moving seats, specialty lighting, water effects, and even smells, 4DX creates a totally immersive experience. Developed in South Korea, this new technology is considered the biggest innovation in theatrical exhibition in decades. See? The 4DX theater experience at Regal Dania Pointe crushes your couch in every way. So get up and go feel the sands shift beneath you as you trudge your way through Dune: Part 2.

O Cinema has been at the center of film culture in South Florida since its inception. From its first location in Wynwood, its efforts to showcase the art of film — and the fun of film — soon helped it become a mini-chain, bringing indie flicks to Miami Shores and North Miami Beach, too. Under the stewardship of Vivian Marthell, it continues to challenge, entertain, and educate with the silver screen. Now, with one location housed in the former Miami Beach Cinematheque, O Cinema offers beach-goers and film nerds an intimate oasis, removed from the chaos of Washington Avenue. There it fosters the film community with curated selections, VR/AR experiences, and special series, like Sing-Along Sundays and collaborations with Flaming Classics that pair queer classics with live drag queens.

From crackdowns on password sharing and ever-increasing subscription fees, the sheen of the streaming revolution is fading fast. If you're bored on the couch and endlessly scrolling, AV Club 16mm is the antidote to your stasis. This innovative film series is the brainchild of librarian Katharine Labuda. It makes use of the Miami-Dade Public Library's extensive collection of 16mm films, bringing forgotten films and filmmakers — like Homer Groening, the father of The Simpsons' creator — to new audiences. It's refreshing to cede control and let Labuda thoughtfully curate an audio-visual feast. Each event feels special, with unique presentations at cool spots across the city, from the New Schnitzel House to the downtown branch of Miami-Dade Public Library. With the budgets and resources of local libraries shrinking, it feels hopeful to see this fascinating archive given new life.

Miami locals know too well the confusing mix of love and hate they feel toward the city where they live. Chris Molina's debut feature, Fallen Fruit, captures those contradictions beautifully. Named Miami New Times' Best Film Director in 2022, Molina follows a 20-something going through a quarter-life crisis when an impending hurricane forces him to evaluate his life. The only thing more Miami than its synopsis is Fallen Fruit's production. Supported by a 2023 Oolite Arts Cinematic Arts Residency, this micro-budget feature is the product of local filmmakers and local love. Not only does the character rediscover the unique charms of the Magic City, but the film is a fantastic showcase of our filmmaking community. After three sold-out screenings at the Miami Film Festival and OUTshine Film Festival, Fallen Fruit is poised to show everyone the real Miami.