Kevin Tucker Named New Director of Florida’s Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement - posted by FFAB

Image by Alfonso Architects

New Director Hired for Florida’s Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement
From artforum.com

The yet-to-be-built Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, which is slated to get 110,000 square feet of space on a 3.5-acre site in St. Petersburg, has now also named its first director: Kevin Tucker, who’s currently senior curator of decorative art and design at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The museum, which will be constructed with an estimated budget of $70 million, is being founded by Rudy Ciccarello, a retired businessman who’s providing the museum with its collection, reports Lennie Bennett for the Tampa Bay Times.

At Dallas, Tucker organized shows like “Gustav Stickley and the American Arts and Crafts Movement,” 2011. He formerly worked as chief curator and deputy director at the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina, and has served on the board of the American Alliance of Museums.
Said Ciccarello of his new hire: “His understanding of the Arts and Crafts Movement, the objects, and the artists who created them, is exemplary and is based on his twenty-five years of experience working in the decorative arts field.”

For more information about this new museum;

Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, Florida by Alfonso Architects

Plans unfold for huge art museum in downtown St. Petersburg

Wynwood revitalization plan gets OK from Miami commission - posted by FFAB

Wynwood revitalization plan gets OK from Miami commission
by Brain Bandell
South Florida Business Journal

The city of Miami commission granted the first approval for the rezoning of the emerging Wynwood neighborhood as tens of millions of dollars of developer dollars have poured into the area.

Having gained international fame for its street art, Wynwood is in the midst of a transformation from a district of old warehouses and empty lots to buzzing restaurants, shops, and galleries. It’s located to the northwest of downtown Miami, just west of Edgewater.

The Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD) plan would allow greater residential density and height while encouraging the preservation of its signature warehouses. Residential density would be increased to 150 units per acre and units could be as small as 650 square feet, which would make them more affordable. Through buying Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) from other properties in Wynwood, sites could be developed eight to 12 stories tall. The greatest density would be on North Miami Avenue, Northwest 29th Street and Northwest 20th Street.

The NRD was approved by a 3-0 vote on Thursday. If it passes at a second reading in September, the plan would be put into place.

“We are pleased and grateful for the approval of the City of Miami Commission,” said Joseph Furst, chair for the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID) Board. “The NRD plan will ensure Wynwood’s continued evolution as a center for art and innovation for all of Miami’s residents and visitors—and we look forward to working with the City to implement it.”

Read the full article here

Miami Artist Farley Aguilar Wins Orlando Museum's Florida Prize - posted by FFAB

Miami Artist Farley Aguilar Wins Orlando Museum's Florida Prize

By Hannah Sentenac

 

NEW TIMES 

 

The power of Miami's art scene is pretty undeniable these days — and Farley Aguilar is at the top of the list. This week, the Orlando Museum of Art announced the winner of its Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, and Aguilar was the big winner.

The self-taught painter was one of ten Florida-based artists selected to compete for this year's honor, which runs for three months annually at the Orlando Museum of Art (through September 6). As the winner, he took home $20,000.
Aguilar's name isn't new in the winner's list. He received an honorable mention in the New Times Mastermind awards in 2013 and a spot on the 2010 100 Creatives list. Last year art critic Carlos Suarez de Jesus called him "Miami's new international art star."
 

 

Farley Aguilar, School, 2015, oil on linen, 68 x 12 x 95 inches.

 

Aguilar's work has been described as haunting; his rich, surreal paintings frequently feature images of crowds that echo a feeling of unease. He exhibits at Miami's Spinello Projects, and recently hosted a sold-out show in Basel, Switzerland. He's even earned a mention from the New York Times.

The jurors who selected Aguilar for the Florida Prize included Juan Roselione-Valadez, director of the Rubell Family Collection in Miami; Ginger Gregg Duggan, independent curator and partner of CuratorSquared, Orlando; and Ben Thompson, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville.

The other artists considered include: Cesar Cornejo of Tampa; Michael Covello of Tampa; Rob Duarte of Tallahassee; Jennifer Kaczmarek of Pensacola; Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz of Orlando;  and Antonia Wright, Bhakti Baxter, Alex Trimino, and Nicolas Lobo, all of Miami.

As far as words of advice for artists who'd like to be considered for next year: "Often what distinguishes exceptional artists in any discipline is that they know what they want to express, and everything in their work supports that vision," says the Orlando Museum's curator Hansen Mulford. 

Clearly Aguilar fits the bill.