Growing up in South Florida, I thought of Miami Art Week just as the time when traffic is delayed for what feels like (and can literally be) hours, celebrities take over the town, and more events are happening than humanly possible to attend. I saw only the glamour and saturation of what it was supposed to be, leading me to assume the week was for only those with money to spend or in affluent positions in the city.
However, after my first experience during this sought-after week of creative paradise, it became something much more.
Beyond popular brands and celebrities occupying space in the city’s art district, Miami Art Week brings together local Black creativesbusinesses, historians, and artists to showcase their craft and to the communities that helped shape them. Through activations, exhibitions, panels, and gatherings led by local community members, the week fosters connections that help residents and visitors understand what lies beneath the glitz and glamour: a chance to experience the city’s history and creativity.
One way it was achieved was through archivist and memory worker Nadege Green’s The Power of Her Hands: Black Washerwomen in Early Miamian exhibition on display at YoungArts Gallery. Her work examined the role of Black washerwomen in Miami’s early tourism landscape from the late 1890s to the early 1940s, and how this collective built community in the Jim Crow South.
By chronicling these lives, the exhibition offered visitors a deeper understanding of the city’s complex past and its layered racial identity—reminding them that Art Week unfolds within a place shaped by history as much as by creativity. “Black artists and curators help to claim this week to make sure that the community is also present in these spaces. Miami’s more than a postcard; there’s real layered history, and there’s blackness here,” Green shared.
This presence and Blackness are also felt through the work of young creative collectives like Burgundy XYZ, a self-proclaimed “petri dish” that has been supporting local Black artists through a variety of mediums and events since August 2024. Its exhibition, Chambers of Reflections, connected two Black male artists through themes of vulnerability, reflection, and creativity.
Featured in the exhibition were the works of artist Qadir Parris, known for his realistic tapestry paintings inspired by archival family photographs, and artist Terry Joshua, whose surrealist paintings explore emotional processes. Set in the heart of historic Overtown, their joint showcase offered visitors an intimate experience—one where viewers could see themselves reflected in the art. The exhibition also created a space for both aspiring and established artists to encounter fresh, unconventional work rarely seen at traditional art fairs during the week.
“It was important to have us all coming together, just different backgrounds, being able to showcase other black artists, and like bringing something to a historic place like Overtown, it was unanimous for us to make that happen,” stated Burgundy XYZ collaborator Olivier Michel Thervil.
Even social gatherings, such as The Pop Up Market, contributed to the week’s creative energy. Hosted by West Palm Beach–based Neighborhood Thread, launched in September 2023, the event brought together young creatives and business owners from across South Florida. It offered not only a lively party atmosphere but also a platform for vendors, artists and entrepreneurs to expand their reach and build new connections during such a high-traffic week.
Sariai Bethel, owner of Inov8 Artwear and a vendor at Neighborhood Thread, discussed how this Art Week opportunity helped her brand and further connected her with others.
“It’s really supportive for the Black community and just brings us together to reach more people from Miami and other parts of Florida,” she shared. “It’s great to express myself as a black person and be creative in a space with other Black people.”
Across these events and others during Art Week, one takeaway was clear. Despite the highly publicized events with celebrity endorsements, flashy programming with expensive price tags, and the party culture surrounding the week, something far more important exists: Miami Art Week is a time for locals and visitors to understand, see, and celebrate the Black creativity that emerges from the sunshine-soaked scenery.
From this perspective, Art Week Miami serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing and preserving our history, art and creativity. It opened my eyes to a vibrant world I never imagined existed, one that thrives even amid the endless traffic and chaos of the week.
