Untitled Miami

Viewfinder

We are thrilled to present Viewfinder with Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, an interactive project that spans the fairgrounds of Untitled Miami and the surrounding public context. The project is inspired by, and dedicated to, artist, educator, and activist Corita Kent, and is an invitation to practice a different way of seeing our world. In conjunction with their publication Slow Looking: These Views Are Our Tools, published by Childish Books, Branfman-Verissimo will provide cut a 'views' from a Risograph print they created for the project. Participants are invited to explore the fair though this lens, and bring their viewfinders outside to discover new ways of slow looking and deep investigation of the surrounding area. On the flip side of the viewfinder is a map of landmarks and spaces in Miami that center Black, Queer, Diasporic History. The map is provided as an educational tool and guide for exploration. Self-taken photos of views can be shared online and gathered via the hashtag #slowlookingmiami2022 providing a multi/collective view of this current and historic time and place, offering new perspectives to those who are in attendance in Miami, as well as to those who are virtually visiting from afar. A special and limited edition screenprint titled Slow Look will be on view and available for purchase in conjunction with this project.

We Slow to Look Close

How does the slowing down of your time here let you learn from surrounding sites, places and land that you may otherwise pass by? What does it mean to slow down and take the time to learn from past, present and future Black, Indigenous, queer, trans, non-binary, people of color based in Miami and the surrounding area?

Hold this viewfinder up to these places, to the sea, to the sky, let this view slow down for exploration of your time here. Tag your photos with: #slowlookingmiami2022 and be a part of the virtual archive of this project.

Project visioned by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo and September Gallery, UNTITLED Miami 2022

Site 1: Here (1200 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL)
We are on the occupied land of the Tequesta, Taíno, Miccosukee, Seminole, Mascogo people. We are on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, 360 miles from Cuba, 181 from The Bahamas, 680 from Haiti. On the site of diasporic movement, escape, exile and forced displacement.

Site 2: 12th Street Beach (1200 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL)
We are on the site of what’s known as the 12th street beach, a safe space of relaxation and survival for the queer community of Miami. Where do we as gay, queer, trans, non-binary people escape to and let the sun nourish our beloveds, family & communities?

Site 3: Virginia Key Beach (Miami Beach, FL)
In 1945, a group of Black men staged a “wade-in” or “wading in the water” as an act of civil disobedience, demanding beach access for Black families. Becoming a treasured place for Black families to relax in.

Site 4: Historic Ward Rooming House (249 NW 9th Street, Miami, FL)
Built in 1925, the Historic Ward Rooming House (located in the Overtown Neighborhood) served as a haven for African American, Bahamian and Indigenous travelers during segregation in the early to mid-20th century. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Overtown was a bustling Black community with a vibrant arts, music and cultural scene.

Site 5: Little Haiti Cultural Complex (212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami, FL)
Escaping the brutal dictatorship in the 1970s, most Haitians fled between 1977 and 1981, creating community in North Miami.The Little Haiti Cultural Complex broke ground in 2006, to preserve Afro-Caribbean culture and make space for future generations.

Site 6: The PAMM (Perez Art Museum Miami) Collection (1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL)
Viewable online (www.pamm.org) and in person, the PAMM Collection specializes in Miami based artists, artists from the African and Caribbean diaspora, Latin American , Latinx and self taught artists.

Site 7: Caribbean Cultural Institute (in person, online & beyond)
The Caribbean Cultural Institute (CCI) is a curatorial and research platform at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) that promotes the art of the Caribbean and its diasporas through scholarship, exhibitions, fellowships, public programs, and collection development.

Site 8: The Black Archives, at Historical Vault Theatre (819 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL)
The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields as a non-profit organization to collect and preserve the rapidly vanishing material that reflects the African American experience in Miami-Dade County.

May our views be expansive and ever growing. If you have a site that holds and carries Black, Indiegnous, diasporic, queer, trans, people of color importance, feel free to email us: info@septembergallery.com
  Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo
Untitled Miami, Viewfinder
November 28 - December 3, 2022

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SEPTEMBER