Key West and Other Unusual Places featuring artwork from Brian Reedy and Tom Virgin.
Early in 2019, I responded to a call for art from the Miami International Airport by pestering one of my favorite artists in the world to join me in a show. It took a while, but eventually Brian Reedy relented, and we sent in a proposal a few weeks later. In early April 2019 we found out that our proposal was accepted. March 2020, our show was postponed indefinitely. Unusual times for Unusual Places notwithstanding, our show opened June 23 – October 3, 2021.
Both Brian and I were offering travelers a bit more that they expected. If you do not already know Brian’s work, follow him on Instagram and you will soon see that he has visited far more worlds that I have. “Art can be a perfect form of escapism – a means to go to fantastic places limited only by the extent of one’s imagination.” Brian Reedy @brianreedy
I chose my work to reflect my travels to artists’ residencies in the United States (Earth), It takes the traveler kitty corner across the country, South-East to North-West. From Key West, Florida to Portland, Oregon the prints, photos, ephemera, and drawings bounce north through the Midwest to Mount Hood. My intention was to offer travelers a jump start at the beginning of their journey, or one last hurrah upon their return home. @extravirginpress
Last August MIA put out a Call for Artists to lift local artists practices and profiles during Covid 19. I was delighted to inform all the collaborators in the Home/s Portfolio, created at Extra Virgin Press in 2017, that all travelers arriving at Gate D would pass our broadsheets, offering them an introduction to our city, and our eleven Miami artists and poets. The poets: Edwidge Danticat, Denise Duhamel, Mia Leonin, Maureen Seaton, and Michael Hettich. The artists: Pip Brant, Adler Guerrier, Laura Tan, Michelle Weinberg, and Tom Virgin.
In a city where the “minority” has been the majority for over two decades, Miami has long provided a refuge to refugees. Our city and its people usually name more than one city as home. “Home/s” invites you to join our conversations.
View the work at MIA Galleries, Miami International Airport, The Eye Has to Travel Gallery in Concourse D – 2nd Level – near Gate D29.