Memorial Day Art Show Seeks To 'Reframe' Narrative On Miami Beach

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Conceptual artist Octavia Yearwood of Miami said she wants to help "reframe" the narrative around Memorial Day weekend with the first Miami Beach holiday weekend arts and culture-focused program.

Yearwood and fellow curator, Jared McGriff, collaborated with South Florida based artists to produce works that spark conversations about inclusion, blackness and relationships. The works are on display all weekend at multiple locations. See also Memorial Day 2019: Miami Takes To The Skies

"Reframe was our approach at really taking back the narrative of what actually happens on the beach during Memorial Day weekend," Yearwood told Patch. "It was really important for us too, to recognize that there was a strain in the relationship on the beach with people of color during this time that are local, and who are visitors, but use arts and culture as a way to mediate that conversation and help that relationship by shifting the energy and the perspective of what's actually going to happen, and what they can be a part of when they get here."

ReFrame: Miami Beach is intended for both residents and visitors and inspire engagement with Miami Beach cultural institutions, such as Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, FIU-Miami Beach Urban Studios and The Bass.

"My biggest thing would be for people to take on the idea of reframing, which is shift whatever perspective that you are having, that's causing friction and resistance, and shift it to something more creative and cultural to help you connect with the other side," Yearwood explained. "This grew out of realizing that there is a strained relationship. Arts and culture is that mediator. We're the mediator in that relationship."

ReFrame: Miami Beach includes the following free exhibitions and activations:

I See You, Too

An exhibition about how propaganda and misinformation have compromised us. Curated by Octavia Yearwood and Naiomy Guerrero with works by Loni Johnson and Rodney Jackson. On view Friday, May 24 through Monday May 27 at 737 Lincoln Road.

Digital Signs by Michelle Lisa Polissaint

Large digital road signs with poetic and witty interventions that subvert common narratives. On view Monday, May 27 Between 5 and 10 street, Ocean Drive.

ReFrame Photo Pop Up

An immersive photo pop-up where photographer Michelle Polissaint will capture the true essence of Memorial Day Weekend on Miami Beach. Sunday, May 26. Between 5 and 15 streets, Ocean Drive.

Out of Context, by Chris Friday

Operating with the belief that education is not limited to a classroom, Chris Friday creates “learning environments," reflecting information that has undergone a context change, back at the viewer. In this way, Friday investigates themes of identity, race, gender, sexuality and the effects of popular culture on the perceptions of brown bodies. On view Sunday, May 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. FIU - Miami Beach Urban Studios, 1618 Washington Avenue.

PLAY, LAY, AYE, by GeoVanna Gonzalez

Play, Lay, Aye explores a contemporary queer interpretation of tete-a-tete, a classic French design, which translates as "head to head." The structure acts as an intimate meeting point with its completely open design acting as a declaration, a place to not feel shame or need to justify one's self. This new design is now a place for openness and outness. On view Sunday, May 26. The Bass, 2100 Collins.