Miami Art Houses Heat Up
by Irene Sperber on May
11, 2011
After a
scrumptiously sunny, jam-packed winter season, summer is a’ comin’
here in roasty-toasty South Florida. As we say a teary good-bye to
our winter friends who’ve spent the past month packing up for their
annual 5 month pilgrimage to northern climes, we turn our sights to
personal possibilities for a siege into the long tunnel of Limp Hair
Days (LHD).
So you’ve laid in a lifetime supply of batteries and “WD-40ed” your
hurricane shutters. Now what? Lets identify a few machinations to
keep the mold out of our cerebral cogs. The mid-day siesta, long the
solution to languid summer days will obviously not be good enough
for your sharp intellect and ongoing quest for cultural satiety.
I’m thinkin’ blasts of A/C is not a bad place to start the search
and as luck would have it, South Florida is discovering the
delicious cocoon of cinematic art houses that Manhattan-ites have
long been using as a hide-away for mental get-aways. It was time we
had or own version of this idyll; and as luck would have it, we have
a choice of venues, both new and old:
U of M’s Cosford Cinema has
been a staple for foreign film and Film Festival fare for eons.
Located in Coral Gables, it has been a hidden bauble for the more
thoughtful cinematic fan base. Capable of wide Screen and 35 mm, the
Cosford also boasts a lecture series of world-renowned speakers.
1111 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, 305.284.4861, www.cosfordcinema.com.
Miami Beach Cinematheque Library
Miami Beach Cinematheque has
kicked it up a notch with their jazzy new digs at historic Miami
Beach City Hall. Long loved by locals for thoughtful film offerings
and warm community consciousness from its perch on Espanola, the new
Washington Avenue MBC houses a gallery, bookstore and library. The
vibe has not been diminished by the move. They got it so
right-paying attention to style, the use of earth-friendly building
materials as well as focusing on a comfy ambience. Do not go if you
want to be alone…all your neighbors are there on any given
night…trust me. Award winning new films and classics are
interspersed to provide a full viewing menu. 1130 Washington Ave.,
Miami Beach, 305.673.4567,www.mbcinema.com.
O Cinema is the
new kid in town located amongst the ever-evolving stew of life
erupting in the Wynwood section of Miami. Their aim is to
incorporate programming appealing to all facets of the population. A
separate space called Monitoring Art will explore the video art
realm. Several artists’ galleries on site complete the patchwork of
interests available at O. If you wish to participate in the ongoing
maturation of Miami’s cultural quilt, O Cinema Founders Circle
members will receive a years worth of free admission to films,
events and previews. Each dollar donated will be matched by the
Knight Foundation. Did I mention there is free parking? 90 NW 29th
St., Miami, 305.571.9970, www.o-cinema.org.
Alliance Francais provides
French language classes, lectures, art exhibits and film series. You
might want to brush up on your French by attending a few summer
classes before honing your newfound talent with the films. You just
missed the Romance in a Can Festival but drop by every 3rd Wednesday
for a concert of Saxophonist, Nestor Zurita and check out
what’s-what at the same time. 618 SW 8 St., Miami. 305.859.8760,? www.afmiami.org.
The Coral Gables Art Cinema is
another newbie on our block. Deemed as multi-cultural and
multi-lingual: animation, short films, Indies, foreign,
classic…throw in a few live performances and educational events and
we have another venue to add to our list of “must-dos.” 260 Aragon
Ave., Coral Gables, 786.385.9689, www.gablescinema.com.
The Tower Theater has
the distinction of inhabiting an Art Deco Miami landmark building
originally opened in 1926. Since 2002 Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs
has managed this terrific addition to our cinematic landscape: free
lectures by MDC and community scholars round out the programming
focusing on the Caribbean, North and South America. 1508 SW 8th
Street, Miami, 305.642.1264 www.mdc.edu/culture/tower.htm.
No need to travel far from the Mothership to be able to discuss
nuances of more obscure film features previously available only in
New York, while maintaining your cool demeanor both in intellect and
body temperature.
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