Local Artist Donates Artwork to Commemorate Centennial
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, Nannette Rodriguez Tel: 305.673.7575, E-mail: [email protected] PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Local Artist Donates Artwork to Commemorate Centennial March 19, 2015, Miami Beach, FL: In honor of Miami Beach’s centennial anniversary, FIU College of Architecture + The Arts artist-in-residence Xavier Cortada will unveil a 5’ x 3’ digital painting of his art piece, “Just below the surface: 1915 (The Founding of Miami Beach),” archival ink on aluminum at City Hall, fourth floor on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Cortada was inspired by a 1915 microscopic diatom — a single-celled organism that lived in the water and harnessed the power of the sun to convert CO2 into oxygen —that FIU scientist Evelyn Gaiser was studying in her lab to help address sea level rise. Cortada’s artwork captures these diatom images of glass-encased algae that lived in Biscayne Bay 100 years ago. In the art, there is a large diatom just below the surface. It is wrapped in red, almost resembling a hemoglobin molecule that transports oxygen to blood cells. The diatom and the whole web of life it supports above and below the waterline is our lifeline. Above the horizon, images of the diatom are arranged into a circle to symbolize the Miami Beach sun rising above the water and shinning its light on the city. Through time, season after season (represented by the sun divided in four parts), the city grows, new life. The sun is also layered over a historic city map. “The environment is what gives life to the city,” said Cortada. “It is what we need to protect the most in its next 100 years.” ### To request this material in alternate format, sign language interpreter (five-day notice required), information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in any city-sponsored proceedings, call 305.604.2489 and select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6; TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service). We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
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