Miami SunPost March 20, 2014 by Miami SunPost

Vol. XXIX No. 11 March 20, 2014 MiamiSunPost.com

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jeannette@miamisunpost.com POLITICAL EDITOR Michael Sasser

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Artburst Miami Alejandro Arce Marguerite Gil Tony Guzman Vala Kodish Frank Maradiaga Lee Reed Ruben Rosario Maryanne Salvat Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Michael Sasser Kim Steiner

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Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Mitchell Zachs

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www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 3

News

Progress In Process Miami Beach is Moving Quickly on Convention Center Redevelopment By Michael W. Sasser

Quickly, but quietly, the City of Miami Beach is moving ahead on plans for redevelopment of the dilapidated Miami Beach Convention Center. But “quickly” does not reflect desperation, nor does “quietly” mean out of the view of a public that appears pleased with the scaled-down effort now years in the making. “I heard they already have potential developers and that the whole thing will be fast and efficient,” said Miami Beach resident Paulo Courtes. “That already sounds better than how it was before.” Although the City has, for years, been discussing and developing aborted plans for redevelopment of the convention center site, and also possibly that of the Jackie Gleason Theater, 17th Street garage, several public-owned parking lots and, most recently, even city hall (not all included in any one proposal), the most controversial plan was just last year, prior to the November election. Under the Mayor Matti Bower administration, the City concocted a plan for a massive redevelopment plan to include numerous “programs,” including an on-site convention center hotel, commercial and even residential components. Much of the public balked at the expensive and time-consuming plans and heated up when a po-

litically-connected development team was awarded the bid over a less expensive and quicker proposal. Led by Commissioner Jonah Wolfson, residents also revolted against plans for use of public property for the proposed plan without voter input. November’s election ended those grand plans. Wolfson’s plan to ensure public involvement won huge support at the ballot box, as did Mayor Philip Levine, another opponent of the earlier, bloated process – and several fresh, new faces on the city commission. There’s a different atmosphere around city hall these days, activists claim, and arguably much of that arose because of the public’s exhaustion with City-supported mega-development projects. Citing several recent news items on progress on some of Miami Beach’s greatest challenges – namely, over-development, road project timelines and drainage — another local resident said she is just “plain impressed.” “I’m plain impressed for sure,” said Maria Fontanes of North Beach. “The last [administration] behaved as if no one in it ever left city hall and saw the problems the real people had. They wanted to raise money to cover the City’s [escalating] debt, act as developers with zero expertise

“From all signs so far, this city commission can be expected to move the process quickly and, at long last, deliver the upgrade the tourist industry has waited for so long.” – Miami Beach activist Frank Del Vecchio Page 4 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

and make friends in the beltway in time for reelection. I haven’t met the new mayor, but he sure doesn’t need the money, he’s living up to his promises and he isn’t wasting any time. If the convention center deal goes through the way he promised, this might finally be the government the city needs.”

PROMISE KEEPER Make no mistake about it, the convention center deal was a key to the November election. Besides Wolfson and his PAC’s convincing win, Levine made the bloated deal a center piece to his campaign – one also buoyed by the fact that the genial Levine is a local businessman who turned a small business into an international giant, a business accomplishment not matched by, well, any other elected city official in recent memory. Levine promised a lower-density project without serious public involvement but which would also serve the needs of the convention center. “During my campaign for Mayor, there was a lot of discussion and debate about the scale, design, and overall program of the mixed-use MBCC Project, yet there was never any dispute about the need to renovate the convention center itself, as well as the Center’s essential and significant role in the city’s – and Miami-Dade County’s – economy,” Levine wrote in a January 15 memo. “While realizing the imperative to renovate the Convention Center, I have always had significant concerns with tying that process into the larger private development of City owned land, as contemplated in the City’s RFQ for the development of the 52 acre Miami Beach Convention Center District. Additionally, recent legal events have created the possibility of a further delay to the renovation of the Convention Center (which has already been in the planning stages since 2007). For these reasons, I believe the City Commission needs to reconsider the current program in a way which prioritizes and expedites the renovation of the MBCC in keeping with the desires of the community.” Levine’s instructions to the administration reflected his campaign commitment and had the support of his commission colleagues. And progress is exactly what there has been. According to information provided by the City of Miami Beach, the process is specific and open to public input: “The contracting of a design criteria professional (DCP) is a requirement per the rules of CCNA (Consultants Competitive Negotiations Act) for design-build contracts. The design criteria professional is contracted by the owner, or agency, (in this case the City) to prepare a design criteria package. Per the rules of CCNA, the design criteria package is a package comprised of: “Concise, performance-oriented drawings or

specifications of the public construction project. The purpose of the design criteria package is to furnish sufficient information to permit designbuild firms to prepare a bid or a response to an agency’s request for proposal, or to permit an agency to enter into a negotiated design-build contract. The design criteria package must specify performance-based criteria for the public construction project, including the legal description of the site, survey information concerning the site, interior space requirements, material quality standards, schematic layouts and conceptual design criteria of the project, cost or budget estimates, design and construction schedules, site development requirements, provisions for utilities, stormwater retention and disposal, and parking requirements applicable to the project. “The City plans to take this design to approximately 30 percent completion, in other words from Conceptual design to Design Development, and then – after Commission approves the design, the City will issue and RFP for DesignBuild services and the design criteria package will be part of that,” Miami Beach’s Communications office concluded. “The Design Build (DB) firms (consisting of a contractor who has their own architect) will bid on that package through an RFP process and the selected firm will continue the design to construction documents.” “I want to see the convention center renovated and it’s needed. I want it to move fast,” Levine told SunPost when announcing his goals for the convention center. “I want to start from scratch with a fresh Request For Proposals. We have a situation here for a state of the art facility with our own money. As far as a hotel component, there may be a couple of possible sites. But the market will decide. We do want to create a lot of green space and a ballroom.”

PRIDE IN PROGRESS Already, there has been progress. Processes such as a major redevelopment plan take time, legally mandated procedures and prudence. So far, Miami Beach is showing commitment to all of those. On March 11, a memo from respected City Manager Jimmy Morales to the mayor and commission cited numerous impressive names for an advisory committee. Morales suggested Merrett Stierheim, former Miami-Dade County manager, Howard Herring, president & CEO, New World Symphony, Michael Spring, director, MDC Cultural Affairs, Brian Shriner, Dean, FIU School of Architecture, Peter McStravick, COO Hotel, Houston First Corporation, Bruce Orosz, CEO, ACT Productions, Inc., and resident and Michele Burger, resident. Each appears to offer expertise and awareness of Miami Beach needs. Alternate sug-

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News

HPB Opposes School Expansion Into Neigborhood By Michael W. Sasser

Miami Beach’s Historic Preservation Board (HPB) became the latest City entity to advise against the expansion of a synagogue-affiliated school into the historic Palm View residential neighborhood – and the HPB did so with a unanimous vote. Last week, the HPB issued a collective thumbsdown to a proposal to alter the city’s zoning map to expand limited commercial use to a single family home owned by the Cuban Hebrew Congregation – Beth Shmuel, within the Palm View historic and single family home-zoned neighborhood. “In a nutshell, it’s a residential neighborhood that has been designated as historic and it is almost completely made up of single family homes,” said HPB Chair Herb Sosa. “Several years ago, when it was designated as historic, the intention was to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood. Encroaching on that neighborhood is not good for the neighborhood or for historical districts; it would only benefit the applicant pursuing their own goals.” If ever approved by the Miami Beach City Commission, the proposed zoning change would extend a multi-family class of zoning to include a synagogue-owned single family home owned by Beth Shmuel and which has been previously categorized in the single family zoning designation. The zoning change would then permit Beth Shmuel to seek a conditional use permit for expanded use of the property as part of a Montessori School component of the shul. Both sides agree the use is to expand the potential student base of the school. The contentious plan has both supporters and opponents, with a group of residents retaining Miami Beach attorney Kent Harrison Robbins to attempt to scuttle the re-zoning attempt, which has been ongoing for three years. Such zoning shifts are not common in Miami Beach, a city that years ago put in place measures to protect the integrity of single family neighborhoods; and which ostensibly takes historic preservation seriously. “It’s not common to see single family rezoned to multi-family,” Acting Planning Director Thomas Mooney told SunPost last month. Among the arguments critics put forward at

a Planning Board meeting at which the item was discussed, was the possibility of such zoning changes being cited as precedent for additional encroachment into residential neighborhoods. At the time, Mooney agreed that was a risk. “Any time you change the boundaries of the zoning map, which is what the request before us is, there is always potential to set precedent that others might latch onto for their purposes,” Mooney said. “That’s always a concern.” Sosa said he believes the neighborhood faces numerous threats. “That neighborhood is being attacked by all angles,” he said. “We want the city to have development but not at the expense of historic single family neighborhoods.” Beth Shmuel President Becky Cohen has told SunPost that use of the home is essential to the school’s growth and its commitment to serving the entire community. She furthermore has said that the proposed zoning change would not result in any exterior changes to the home; but rather only interior changes. Sosa made clear that neither he nor the HPB are opposed to the shul’s desire to expand capacity and serve the community. “We respect their right to do that, but I think they have plenty of other opportunities to expand the school,” he said. “They want to use the single family home for additional classrooms, but that’s not something to do. “We want to stress that we are in support of the school and the temple and we want to see them grow and flourish, but not at the expense of a historic,” Sosa continued. “They haven’t been the best of neighbors, according to testimony. Hopefully, they will work together with the community. They can find solutions on their campus. It’s a massive building. It’s not our job to tell them how to do that, but they might want to ask if they are using the space as best they can.” Sosa said that the HPB even floated the idea of selling the residential property, which is quite valuable, and then to upgrade existing facilities. Miami Beach’s HPB is just the latest City entity with a negative recommendation in regard to the proposed zoning change. A February 25th staff report from Mooney to the Planning Board was hardly an endorsement for the proposed extension of the multi-family zoning designation into the

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currently single family home zoned neighborhood. The report stated that of 13 review criteria considerations, the proposal was not consistent in nine, partially consistent in three and consistent in just one category – that the proposed change would not substantially reduce light and air to the area. Otherwise, the report was not generally supportive of the change. Of the criteria the proposal didn’t meet in the staff report, the most impactful might well be the first – whether or not the proposed change was consistent and compatible with the comprehensive plan and with and any applicable neighborhood or redevelopment plans. In response, Mooney asserted the proposal not consistent. “The proposed future land use map change and zoning map change would only be consistent if the proposed amendment of the Comprehensive Plan is approved,” according to Mooney. “Additionally, the property is located within the Palm View Local Historic District, which was established in 1999, with the purpose of pro-

tecting and preserving the district’s stock of ‘contributing’ buildings, which includes the subject property, while also allowing for appropriate infill development to occur. Additionally, the proposed re-zoning would modify the symmetrical boundaries of the RS zoned lots.” However, ultimately the fate of the proposed change will rest in the hands of the city commission. It’s possible there is support at that level, since the City of Miami Beach was the official “applicant” for the change – a measure Mooney says most commonly follows an entity or party gauging commission support. But to date, City support does not appear strong. “Really, the next step is up to the administration,” Sosa said. HPB member Dominique Bailleul told SunPost she did not want to issue additional comment, since the Planning Board is set to hear the item on March 25.

Convention Center Redevelopment From page 4 gestions from the highly-praised new city manager are equally impressive. Proponents of the previous administration’s grand plans for the site asserted that a smaller plan would be less attractive to developers. But the City of Miami Beach already has a cadre of developers who have responded in the hope of landing any potential scaled-back deal, crushing those earlier criticisms. Responding so far to the City of Miami Beach’s RFQ for developers of the improved convention center site include: Woods Bagot, Rafael Vinoly Architects, Gensler, HKS Architects, Inc., RM Plus LLC Planning and Design, LMN Architects, Bermello Ajamil & partners, Inc. and Fentress Architects. So, apparently, finding a development team interested in the scaled-back plan is less problematic than some assumed. e’s certainly more work and negotiations ahead, but relative to most municipal processes, Miami Beach is moving at a remarkable speed – and with transparency. Frank Del Vecchio, one of Miami Beach’s most respected activists and an opponent to the uber-development of the convention center site, sees progress after years of entropy and controversy. “It has been nearly 10 years since MiamiDade County authorized $55 million in bonds for an upgrade to the Miami Beach Convention Center. [Project No. 233 of the ‘Building Better Communities’ County bond authorization.] Under the previous city manager, three tries

were made to get the ball rolling,” Del Vecchio continued. “The first, in 2004, revolving around a partnership with Cirque du Soleil and George Perez, was aborted. The second, in 2009, where several hundred thousand dollars in the bond account were used to obtain a convention center plan prepared by Arquitectonica, was rejected by the city commission as too massive. The third strike was an ill-fated open-ended invitation to developers to redevelop the entire 52-acre Convention Center District, that got mired in controversy. The 2013 Miami Beach election is widely considered a mandate to get back to basics and finally modernize the convention center without entangling it in a complicating public private partnership. The newly elected mayor and commission cancelled all the prior measures, and proceeded on a two-step program, designed to stay within the public funds available and upgrade the convention center without a complicating private entity entanglement,” he concluded. “Step one is to obtain the services of an architectural firm who that will finalize the design and then be available to oversee the builder, which is step two in the process. So far, so good: Eight qualified firms responded. Next will be evaluation by a select committee, followed by the city manager’s recommendation and a decision by the city commission. From all signs so far, this city commission can be expected to move the process quickly and, at long last, deliver the upgrade the tourist industry has waited for awaited so long.”

www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 7

New Kid on the

Block North Beach Looking Toward Optimistic Next Phase By Michael W. Sasser

Cover Story: North Beach: New Kid on the Block

hen Alicia Gomez first moved to the northern reaches of the City of Miami Beach a decade ago to live with her daughter and son-in-law, she didn’t know what to expect. Having lived in New Jersey for more than three decades and never visited South Florida, the images of Miami Beach with which she was familiar were the sights common to many in the U.S. and around the world – the vaunted Art Deco District on South Beach, Ocean Drive, Lincoln Road, beautiful people and crowded, even more beautiful beaches. What Gomez found, living several blocks north of 71st Street and a short walk from the beach proper, was different, but not necessarily in a negative way. “All of my impressions of Miami Beach were driven by the images of tourism and, of course, South Beach, primarily,” Gomez said. “North Beach didn’t have the glamor, the models, the billionaire Europeans, the celebrities, etc. It was nothing like what I expected it to be.” However, Gomez said she was pleased with what she did find. “It was a neighborhood, like the ones we had back in New Jersey – or, rather, a bunch of small neighborhoods,” she recalls. “People knew one another and there were a lot more middle class and working class families than what one would think when you only see the tourism photos and promotional materials. It reminded me of home, only a lot warmer and prettier and with amazing beaches.” Other aspects of her new home were appealing too. She said she loved the classic, open-walkway apartment buildings, the affordable rents, the multiculturalism and the ease of access to “all the types of shops and businesses [I frequent] regularly,” she said. “I loved it, but it did seem like an entirely different city than Middle Beach and South

“North Beach has always been the misfit kid kept locked in his bedroom; the city’s red-headed stepchild.” - Foster Firenza, North Beach Resident Beach. South Beach, even though just minutes away by car or bus, seemed like a million miles away.” That was fine for Gomez at the time, she said, making her adjustment to being a South Floridian much easier than she anticipated. “I’m a 54 year-old Puerto Rican woman by way of New Jersey, so I didn’t imagine how I would really fit in, in a city of world-class models and billionaires,” Gomez said. “North Beach, though, felt like home. I loved it.”

A HISTORY OF NEGLECT Over the years, though, Gomez said she began to see challenges in her adopted home town. Crime seemed a constant problem, too many young people seemed unable to find employment and ended up in trouble with the law, infrastructure needed improvement and this past recession’s harsh impact seemed to hit the less affluent district of the city hard. “It was and is beautiful, but after a couple of years, you could start to see through the veneer and there were problems,” she said. “There were times when even walking down 71st Street to catch a bus felt dangerous.” Yet, Gomez said that whenever she heard about the City of Miami Beach addressing economic development, infrastructure improvements and rehabilitating parks, housing and public facilities, the focus was on either South Beach or the well-to-do neighborhoods of Mid Beach.

PLEASE SEE PAGE 12 HOUSEN

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Cover Story: North Beach: New Kid on the Block

NORTH BEACH BANDSHELL

FROM PAGE 10 “I understand that the south part of the city is where a lot of the tourism and tax money is generated and North Beach is less glamorous and financially relevant to the City,” Gomez said. Gomez’s neighbor put it less gently. “North Beach has always been the misfit kid kept locked in his bedroom; the city’s redheaded stepchild,” said Foster Firenza, a resident of more than 20 years. “Every few years, a new mayor or administration comes in, promises to make North Beach the new South Beach, appoints a committee, cuts a ribbon at a new development that might or might not ever actually be developed and rakes in enough votes to stay in office. Then, rents go up – there are a lot of renters here – but not much else changes, making people’s lives harder. And then two businesses close for each that opens and the cycle starts all over again.” “We have a lot of assets up here,” Gomez said. “The beach and the park here are incredibly beautiful but under-used relative to the smaller beaches elsewhere. We have a lot of middle class and working class families here and some of the [low-density, historic] apartment buildings are just adorable. There’s room for building and there is clear distinction between commercial and residential areas. We’re minutes from South Beach and Bal Harbour and just slightly farther from Aventura. North Bay Village is just over the bridge and has seen

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massive development.” Firenza’s wife, Gayle, says, “We have everything South Beach had except a government looking to get rich – this government is already rich – and leaders with a real commitment to appreciating, understanding and {utilizing] our particular assets to send North Beach skyrocketing.”

THE TIMES: ARE THEY A-CHANGING? You hear it all over Miami Beach, from South Beach development-fearful activists to retiring police officials to businessmen involved in working in partnership with the City of Miami Beach: there is a different vibe within Miami Beach government’s halls of power. It began, many cite, with the insurgent victory in November of Mayor Philip Levine, an outside the beltway businessman of tremendous success; and the victories of other fresh faces to the commission. Others still note the strong, successful and independent women who sit on the commission; the breaking down of ethnic boundaries that once polarized the body politic; the end of developer control of too many in city hall after the success, largely, of Commissioner Jonah Wolfson – himself a transformative figure – at staving off a bloated

PLEASE SEE PAGE 14

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Cover Story: North Beach: New Kid on the Block

FROM PAGE 12 convention center deal. Regardless, it’s been said repeatedly, which must have some merit, at least in some corners. One of those corners is the North Beach Development Corporation (NBDC), “a non-profit community development organization dedicated to promoting the economic and physical revitalization of North Beach. (North Beach being defined as north from 63rd Street to the City limit at 87th Terrace.) NBDC has valiantly fought for North Beach through is better and worse years. While its efforts haven’t always been successful, when there have been successes in the area, NBDC usually plays a part in it happening. Carol Housen, real estate broker and president of NBDC said she believes the current mayor and administration will be transitional figures for North Beach and that progress is underway. “They have made North Beach a priority,” Housen said. “North Beach was ignored for years, they’re making North Beach a priority.” Housen said there was virtually no development for approximately five years. Now, “the City’s Design Review Board has approved new construction of one project, the Dezer Hotel is being restored, there’s a new project at 87 Street,” she said. “North Beach is no longer a secret. It’s been discovered. It’s happening up here.” In her broker role, Housen said she received three or four phone calls a week from those interested in developing in North Beach. “The new commission helps,” she said. “It used to be all talk. I’ve been in Miami Beach for 12 years and have never seen any progress here. We have a restored band shell with a new senior center opening behind it, a theater company in the Byron Carlyle and a lot of other things going on. Are we there yet? No But we’re making progress.” Housen credits the more geographically diverse commission as being more sensitive to the needs of North Beach – and there remain needs. “We have transportation coming... in July, I think, a shuttle to North Beach,” she said.

“Right now, we have a lot going on.” – North Beach Development Corporation President Carol Housen Page 14 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

“It gets pretty wide [at points] and getting from east to west can be challenging. Crime is improving. I think we do need more tax incentives through the city, to foster more development.” A recent City measure for relief on development parking fees was a move in the right direction, Housen said. Still, more work needs to be done. Housen is convinced that this administration, not weighted down by fiefdoms, scandal and internal bickering, might just be the one to succeed where many others have failed. “This North Beach organization has been around since 1988,” Housen said. “Right now, we have a lot going on.” Even Firenza, who admits being jaded, said he feels more optimistic than in the past. “You can see some things happening and so far, the new commission seems to be working together for a change,” he said.

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MIAMI CITY BALLET IN PROGRAM IV: DON QUIXOTE

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Calendar WHAT TO DO IN SOUTH FLORIDA

in South Beach. After receiving a master's degree in ﬁne art from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1977 he returned home, where he and Sweet photographed the old world Jewish community that characterized South Beach at the time. Free. 7pm. Art Deco Welcome Center, 1001 Ocean Dr; Miami Beach. For info: mdpl.org

MARCH 21 DANCE Program IV: Don Quixote Closing the season, Miami City Ballet brings back its joyous full-length production of Don Quixote, set to the irresistible Minkus score, with its oom-pah-pah rhythms and Spanish accents. Skirts will swirl, fans will ﬂutter, and the stage will be overrun with macho bullﬁghters and sensual gypsies in this all time popular work. Don Quixote: Petipa-Gorsky/Minkus. Come early for the free Pre-Show Lecture at 7pm with curator and Scholar Eric Zafran and dancer Michael Sean Breeden inside the Au-Rene Theater one-hour prior to the curtain for the pre-performance talks series Behind the Ballet. $20 - $125. Broward Center, 201 SW 5th Ave; Fort Lauderdale. For info: browardcenter.org

PHOTO FROM SOUTH BEACH STYLE BY GARY MONROE & ANDY SWEET

MARCH 20 THEATRE Clark Gable Slept Here A world premiere satire by multiple Carbonell Award-winning playwright and Zoetic Stage co-founder Michael McKeever (South Beach Babylon, Moscow), Clark Gable Slept Here transports the audience into the fantastical world of Tinseltown. As one of the silver screen's brightest stars charms his way through the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, his staff tries to ﬁgure out what to do with the dead male prostitute on his bedroom ﬂoor. South Florida favorite Michael McKeever takes a look behind the closed doors of the Hollywood elite, and presents a jet-black satire on what it means to be a "man" in the makebelieve world of motion pictures, where nothing is ever what it seems and closets are used for so much more than hanging up your tuxedo. Directed by Stuart Meltzer. Through April 6. 7:30pm. $45. Carnival Studio Theater, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: arshtcenter.org

MARCH 20 LECTURE South Beach Style Andy Sweet was part of a small faction of young artist/photographers who were discovering the creative possibilities of color imagery in the mid 1970s, and his fresh aesthetic would be perfectly suited for his subsequent photographs of South Beach. Gary Monroe and Andy Sweet collaborated on their South Beach project. Monroe is a native of Miami Beach, and he grew up

MARCH 21 FESTIVAL Loray Mistik At Big Night in Little Haiti Loray Mistik, one of Miami’s signature true world music groups, has been making music for 22 years. Led by Jude Papaloko Thegenus, their sound mixes traditional Haitian voudou (rasin) rhythms, West African percussion and soukous, with rock and blues. Opening set by Kazoots. The night will featuring kreyol cuisine from Leela’s Lakay, ice cold Prestige Beer at the bar, and more. The hands-on art activities for kids are sponsored by Positive Impact Foundation / Kose Famn and Bass Museum of Art. In the gallery, Jude Papaloko Thegenius exhibition featuring his work as a visual artist. Free. 6pm - 10pm. Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59th Terr; Miami. For info: rhythmfoundation.com

MARCH 21 MUSIC The Planets A modern classic, Gustav Holt’s, The Planets has influenced every composer of science fiction and fantasy film scores. Based on the astrological symbols, this work explores the complexity of human consciousness against the mysteries of outer space. Also included on the concert, famed British percussionist Colin Currie displays his dazzling technique in a fast-paced fun-filled concerto by Jennifer Higdon. The Planets is performed with high definition NASA images from space projected above the Orchestra on a large screen. The Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and Women of the Frost Symphonic Chorale with director Corin Overland. Program: Mozart, Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio; Higdon, Percussion Concerto and Holst, The Planets. 8pm. $88 - $170. Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: arshtcenter.com

JARABE DE PALO

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Calendar WHAT TO DO IN TOWN THIS WEEK

DUDU FISHER

MARCH 21 DANCE Casebolt and Smith Cabaret Series

MARCH 21 BOOKS Experiencing Jazz

Performance duo Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith deconstruct their creative process in a comical, fast-paced, intricately layered, meta-theatrical new work. In O(h), casebolt and smith cross the line between dance and theater in an irreverent and humorous exploration of their own limitations as artists. They speak directly to the audience, sing while dancing, and layer their performance with pop culture references, creating a theatrical work that demonstrates what they can, can’t—and won’t—do as dancers. $25. 8:30pm. Black Box Theater, 10950 SW 211 St; Cutler Bay. For info: smdcac.org or 786-573-5300.

In Experiencing Jazz: A Listener’s Companion, Michael Stephans offers a survey in the art of listening too and enjoying this dynamic, ever-changing art form. As Stephans illustrates, listeners and jazz artists often experience the essence of the music together—an experience unique in the world of music. Experiencing Jazz demonstrates how the act of listening to jazz takes place on a deeply personal level and takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the genre, instrument by instrument—offering not only brief portraits of key musicians like Joe Lovano and John Scoﬁeld, but also their own commentaries on how best to experience their music. Stephans is also a prominent jazz musician and has performed and recorded with a wide array of jazz artists. He will discuss and sign his book tonight. 6pm. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave; Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com

MARCH 21 MUSIC Jarabe De Palo Jarabe de Palo is a Latin rock group from Spain led by Pau Donés, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. In 2009 they released a new album, Orquesta Reciclando (Recycling Orchestra). In 2011 the album ¿Y Ahora que Hacemos? was released. The group has received many awards including Premios de la Música, Premio Ondas, and Grammy nominations. Pau has composed tracks for Ricky Martin and starred in a music video with Alanis Morissette. They also collaborated with Italian musicians Jovanotti, Niccolò Fabi and Modà. 8pm. $35.50 - $83.50. Fillmore, 1700 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: ﬁllmoremb.com

MARCH 21 ARTS Rising Stars 2014 Rising Stars Showcase, presents the extraordinary talent of high school and college students from New World School of the Arts, Florida’s premier arts institution. The showcase begins at 5pm at the New World Gallery, 25 NE 2nd St; Miami, with a juried visual arts exhibition. The show is diverse and includes painting, drawing,design, sculpture, digital media and installations. The evening continues at the Gusman with a pre-performance VIP Reception at 6:30pm. The performance showcases excerpts from works performed by the high school and the college students during the school year, including Once on this Island, Into the Woods. The NWSA Concert Band interprets Wild Nights, the Symphony Orchestra will present Symphony Number 1 in F minor by Dimitri Shostakovich. Forced Entry, by guest choreographer Josée Garant, and 1914 by choreographer Darshan S. Bhuller. 8pm. $20 $50. Gusman, 174 E. Flagler St; Miami. For info: nwsa.mdc.edu

TOP: INTO THE WOODS. BOTTOM: THE WORK OF JUDE PAPALOLO THEGENIUS ON EXHIBIT AT BIG NIGHT IN LITTEL HAITI

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MARCH 21 FILM 42 Bandshell Movie Night in the North Shore shows 42. The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey. Directed by: Brian Helgeland and starring Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight and Harrison Ford. 7pm. Hang out and enjoy a movie under the stars. 7pm. Free. North Shore Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave; Miami Beach. For info: miamibeachparks.com

MARCH 21 KIDS Ladybug Release Take the entire family to Ft. Lauderdale to kick-off the start of Spring Break with the annual Ladybug Release. Learn about the plight of the ladybug myth and folklore, participate in a Ladybug scavenger hunt, and help release thousands of ladybugs into the Museum’s future science park. Spend the day discovering how important this cute bug is to keeping balance in the ecosystem. The Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Second St; Fort Lauderdale. For info: mods.org

MARCH 21 FILM Nymphomaniac: Volume I Nymphomaniac is the wild and poetic story of a woman's journey from birth to the age of 50 as told by the main character, the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg). On a cold winter's evening the old, charming bachelor, Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), ﬁnds Joe beaten up in an alley. He brings her home to his ﬂat where he cares for her wounds while asking her about her life. He listens intently as Joe over the next 8 chapters recounts the lushy branched-out and multifaceted story of her life, rich in associations and interjecting incidents. $10. Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: mbcinema.com

MARCH 22 FILM Daisies In collaboration with the Wolfsonian's The Power of Design 2014: Complaints. In this Czech New Wave landmark, two girls both named Marie take on the world they live in but choose not to conform to. In grand Dadaist tradition but with a feminist pulse, the two Maries proceed to tear apart protocol. They dance, drink, and destroy, all against the rules, and create their own world of color and black and white slapstick and fast motion surrealist whimsy; all designed with similar glee by director Vera Chytilová and her cinematographer/husband Jaraslav Kucera. The ﬁlmmakers, of course, were banned for years and not allowed back into the country clubs of state-supported ﬁlmmaking that they were so against anyway. So like Marie and Marie, they took a decade off. 4:45pm. $10. Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: mbcinema.com

MARCH 22 MUSIC Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus will bring her Bangerz Tour to AmericanAirlines Arena tonight in support of the release of her new album. Bangerz debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top 200 Album chart and the Digital Album Charts with over 270,000 albums sold. Both singles, Wrecking Ball and We Can’t Stop, off Bangerz have already sold 4.3 million copies in the U.S. alone and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Don’t miss the opportunity to see her exciting live performance, described as a shocking and titillating pop explosion. 7:30pm. AmericanAirlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: aaarena.com

MARCH 22 WORKSHOP Bromeliads and Air Plants Seminar Come learn what you need to do to have thriving, beautiful air plants and bromeliads in your house and around your garden. We're fortunate in Florida to have an abundant supply of these popular plants. Manny Rodriguez from Plants In Design will discuss proper care of different genera and ideas for displaying your plants. This is a free lecture! Join us for morning coffee and conversation. Free. 10am - Noon. Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr; Miami Beach. For info: mbgarden.org

MARCH 22 FILM The Big Read: The Darjeeling Limited The Big Read: Bollywood Film Series Bring your friends and family to this free screening of Wes Anderson’s critically acclaimed comedy-drama, The Darjeeling Limited. The ﬁrst 50 attendees will receive a free copy of The Namesake. Screenings throughout the city will explore cultural identity and generational clashes, all set in India or about Indian-American families. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture. Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited stars Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody as three brothers who, at the insistence of the oldest, take a train ride through India together in order to strengthen their bond. Even though the vacation goes wrong in ways they do not anticipate, the strangeness of their setting and some revealing honesty produces some surprising changes between them all. 1pm. O Cinema Wynwood, 90 NW 29th St; Miami. For info: 305-571-9970.

BROOKLYN RIDER

MARCH 22 LECTURE Miami Model Citizens Hear from real models discussing how they broke into the business. Meet Miami Model Citizen co-founder Lisa Morales with Damaris Aguir and CNN Latino’s Andrea Ocampo signing The Miami Model Citizens Calendar with a talk on modeling and how women can advance within the industry. 2pm. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave; Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com

MARCH 22 FILM Love Song A unique collaboration between two independent pioneers of ﬁlm and music, The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller is a new live documentary by Academy Award-nominated Director Sam Green, featuring a live score by the legendary Indie Rock Band Yo La Tengo. The ﬁlm traces the career of futurist, architect, engineer, inventor and author R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), one of the most unique American minds of the last century. 6:30pm. $30. Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd; Miami Beach. For info: colonytheatremiamibeach.com

MARCH 22 PERFORMANCE Imaged Words and Worded Images Join Max Schumann, Tom Phillips, Michael Basinksi and Primary Information for an afternoon of discussion and performance poetry. This program is organized in conjunction with A Human Document: Selections from the Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, on view at PAMM through May 25. Primary Information is currently researching the Sackner collection, a vast repository of historic and contemporary works that synthesize word and image. 2pm - 4:30pm. Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: pamm.org

MARCH 22 MUSIC Shostakovich: The Monumental Tenth Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor; Sol Gabetta, cello. Meteorically rising Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado leads the orchestra in one of the most recognized works of post-Stalinist Russia, Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony. The riveting work captures the emotions and outcomes of the Second World War, from terror and tragedy to violence and victory. Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta makes her NWS debut in Elgar's contemplative and elegiac concerto. 8pm. Free. New World Center, 500 17 St; Miami Beach. For info: nws.edu

www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 19

Calendar WHAT TO DO IN TOWN THIS WEEK

MARCH 23 MUSIC Music for Munchkins These 30-minute concerts for children and their families are fun, educational, interactive and expose young children to orchestral music. This concert will highlight Brazilian music! Free. 5:30pm. North Shore Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave; Miami Beach. For info: 954.262.5303 or arsﬂores.com

MARCH 23 MUSIC Fiesta Carnaval! Ars Flores will present music celebrating the Brazilian and Latin Heritage in the spirit of Carnaval, including collaborations with Brazilian Voices and South Beach Chamber Ensemble. Classical and popular forms, such as bossa nova and tango, will be featured. $15 - $40. 7pm. North Shore Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave; Miami Beach. For info: 954.262.5303 or arsﬂores.com

MARCH 23 FILM Women in the Dunes

ZUBIN MEHTA

MARCH 23 MUSIC Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta As one of Israel’s oldest and most influential cultural institutions, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) was founded in 1936 by Bronislaw Huberman, and its inaugural concert that year was conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Then, as now, it is the living fulfillment of the Polish Huberman’s dream “to unite the desire of the country for an orchestra with the desire of Jewish musicians for a country.” IPO began, in fact, as an orchestra of soloists, brilliant German and Eastern European exiles from Nazi Germany who emigrated to Palestine and what would become the state of Israel. Today, with concert series in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa as well as across the world, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is an eloquent voice for peace as well as Israel’s powerful, most exquisite cultural ambassador. Its beloved music director for life, Zubin Mehta, leads the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in this highly anticipated Arsht Center season finale. Program: Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 version). 8pm. $75 - $100. Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: arshtcenter.com

MARCH 23 TOUR Coral Gables Waterway by Canoe

Filmmaker, opera director, calligrapher, ceramist, poet, and wood block artist Hiroshi Teshigahara's most famous ﬁlm is Woman in the Dunes, in which he combines all of his aesthetic talents in an elegant minimalist approach that has a variety of profound meanings. Jumpei Niki is a Tokyo entomologist who is on a mission collecting insect specimens among the dunes in a seaside village. He misses the last bus home, so is invited by the villagers to stay at a woman's house that is situated conveniently nearby. Her life is devoted. His life has been interrupted, and in a series of emotions directly corresponding to the design of his situation, he ﬁnds his true purpose. 4:15pm. Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: mbcinema.com

Enjoy a day out on the Coral Gables Waterway, a man-made system of canals that added 40 miles of waterfront to the City from the Bay through the residential section to the grand golf course at the Biltmore Hotel. This is a leisure canoeing experience led by EcoAdventures and Coral Gables Museum staff that encompasses both nature and history in a delightful blend of unique natural vistas and historic landmarks. A surprising amount of wildlife can be seen in the water and on the shore. Meet at the Coral Gables Museum and enjoy free admission to the current exhibit Water is Life, and then hop on a bus to the Waterway and onto your canoe for a 2 hour paddling adventure. 2 adults per canoe; 1 child may join as third passenger. Must be age 6+. 9am - 1pm. $40. Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave; Coral Gables. For info: 305.603.8067 or coralgablesmuseum.org

MARCH 23 TOUR Fisher Island SOBE Boat

MARCH 24 MUSIC An Intimate Evening with Dudu Fisher

Join HistoryMiami resident historian Dr. Paul George on this beautiful boat ride! Hear the amazing story of Fisher Island’s development and the revitalization of South Beach. Observe Star, Palm and Hibiscus islands, and even catch a glimpse of Al Capone's former home from the bayside. Advanced reservations and payment required. $54. 9am - 11am. Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami. For info: 305-375-1621 or historymiami.org.

MARCH 23 FESTIVAL Japanese Spring Fest This festival celebrates the culture that inspired our Japanese Garden. Bring the whole family for a fun day of Japanese-themed activities, food, and taiko drumming performances by Fushu Daiko. Release your own “koi” ﬁsh into the Japanese Garden pond, arrange a zen garden, taste some fresh sushi and learn how to create Ikebana ﬂower arrangements with Ikebana International. 11am - 4pm. Free. Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr; Miami Beach. For info: mbgarden.org Page 20 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

Dudu Fisher, best known throughout the world for his stirring performance as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" on Broadway, brings an intimate and exciting concert to Aventura. Based on his nationally renowned PBS special "In Concert From Israel", Dudu Fisher will take the audience on an inspired journey connecting his talent as a Broadway performer, cantor, and contemporary artist with music and stories that celebrate the beauty of Israel's landscape, culture and people. During his accomplished career, Dudu Fisher has performed on the stages of Broadway, the West End in London, Israel, and throughout the world. He has sung with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta and has recorded an album of show tunes with the London Symphony Orchestra. He has performed for the Britain's Royal family and for President and Senator Bill and Hillary Clinton. With this debut performance at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, Dudu Fisher's incredible vocal and artistic range will be on full display, promising to captivate viewers with a repertoire that tells the story of a cantor who ﬁnds success on the stages of Broadway, but who never forgets his home and its musical landscape. $50 - $100. Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St; Aventura. For info: duduﬁsher.com

MARCH 25 THEATRE American Idiot A critical sensation on Broadway and in London, the smash-hit musical American Idiot tells the story of three lifelong friends, forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia. Based on Green Day's Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album and featuring the hits "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "21 Guns," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Holiday" and the blockbuster title track, American Idiot boldly takes the American musical where it's never gone before. With direction by Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), choreography by Steven Hoggett (Black Watch) and orchestrations and arrangements by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), the result is an experience Charles Isherwood of The New York Times declares "thrilling, emotionally charged, and as moving as any Broadway musical I've seen this year!" $34.50 - $114.50. Broward Center, 201 SW 5th Ave; Fort Lauderdale. For info: browardcenter.org

MARCH 25 SOCIAL Picnic on the PatioTAKE A TOUR OF LITTLE HAVANA WITH HISTORYMIAMI Last month’s event sold out, so for those of you who couldn’t make it, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden is hosting another Picnic on the Patio. This time, the menu will be featuring surf and turf, highlighting meat, cheese, vegetables and more from local food purveyors. Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Dr; Miami Beach. For info: mbgarden.org

MARCH 25 BOOKS At Home with Harlan Coben We are honored to be one of the select bookstores from across the country chosen to see bestselling author Harlan Coben LIVE from his living room in New Jersey! Harlan will give an exclusive talk about his new book MISSING YOU and give audience members a unique opportunity to ask him questions. It's the ﬁrst time he will appear in this fashion and it's your chance to hear him speak about everything from his inspiration behind the book to advice for author writers and fun topics like his previous book jacket designs. This will be an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at where Harlan's writing magic happens. Many of Coben’s plots have revolved around the latest in technology, made creepy when domestic devices are put to criminal use— parental spyware in 2008’s Hold Tight, Facebook in 2011’s Live Wire. His latest, Missing You, centers on online dating and catﬁsh schemes. 7pm. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave; Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com

MARCH 26 MUSIC Pink Martini

far away places while opening a dialogue of our similarities. Participating Artists: Miami, USA: Moira Holohan, Christina Pettersson, Antonia Wright, Anja Marais, Alette Simmons-Jimenez and Venessa Monokian. Valencia, Spain: Cristina Ghetti, Virginia Paniagua, Jorge Montalvo, Damia Jorda, Javier Marisco and Tatiana Travisani. Opening Reception tonight. 7pm - 9pm. MDC Museum of Art + Design, Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: 305.237.7700 or mdc.edu

MARCH 26 ARTS Impromptu Impromptu: is a bridge between the traditions of visual and musical art. Tonight the New World Symphony fellows and friends perform in the ArtCenter's Richard Shack Gallery, 800 Lincoln Rd; Miami Beach. For info: artcentersf.org

MARCH 26 FESTIVAL Food Truck & Music Fest Miami Beach's North Shore Park Bandshell & Ocean Terrace will celebrate the characteristic Latin ﬂavor of the North Beach area welcoming the Miami Beach Food Truck and Music Fest. Free. 5pm. North Shore Park Band Shell, 7275 Collins Ave; For info: mbculture.com

Pink Martini will make its triumphant return to the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall stage with an inimitable, multilingual repertoire performed by its renowned 12-piece orchestra, led by founder and artistic director Thomas Lauderdale, and breathtaking vocals by lead singer and songwriter China Forbes. Pink Martini is like a romantic Hollywood musical of the 1940s or ‘50s, but with a global perspective which is modern. Melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together to create something which is new and beautiful. The Portland-based orchestra was founded in 1994 and has since achieved great success selling more than 2.5 million copies of their six albums showcasing their unique style of crossing musical genres such as classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop. Pink Martini will perform hits such as “Sympathique” and new music from their upcoming multilingual album, Get Happy. 8pm. $35 - $95. Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: arshtcenter.com

Free outdoor movies every Wednesday night are in full swing with The SoundScape Cinema Series at the Miami Beach SoundScape ExoStage. This week's flick is Despicable Me. When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds their love is profoundly changing him for the better. Directors: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Russell Brand. 8pm. Free. Exostage at Miami Beach SoundScape, 500 17 St; Miami Beach. For info: mbculture.com

MARCH 26 FILM Cortaditos

MARCH 27 FILM The Day of the Locust

Cortaditos - Video Shorts are shorts created by artists based in Miami, Florida and Valencia, Spain. The showcase presents some of the most arresting, provocative and conceptually challenging video artworks being created currently in each city. The event is a platform for these exceptional works, as well as a venue for the public to debate and exchange ideas. Cortaditos is part of an ongoing cultural exchange project involving gallery exhibits, video screenings, and more. There is an evolving roster of artists and curators that participate under the co-direction of Miami artist Alette Simmons-Jimenez and artist Cristina Ghetti from Valencia. The exhibitions create a forum that encourages our individual awareness of the different artistic efforts in

MARCH 26 FILM Despicable Me

Based on Nathanael West's novel, The Day of The Locust is an unflinching decrial of 1930s Hollywood, told in grand and magnificent detail by director John Schlesinger. William Atherton is a high-minded art director who surrounds himself with eccentrics, among them flighty, shallow actress Karen Black, her hasbeen vaudevillian father Burgess Meredith and her caring but oafish lover Donald Sutherland. They are slowly scraping, struggling, wandering to the top of the Hollywood System, as they are slowly being taken down by their own greed and desperation. $10. 7pm. Miami Beach Cinematheque, 1130 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: mbcinema.com www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 21

Calendar WHAT TO DO IN TOWN THIS WEEK

LOVE STORY

MARCH 27 MUSIC The Moody Blues A great rock n’ roll band with staying power beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. For more than 30 years, The Moody Blues have been musical mainstays on concert stages, recordings and the airwaves! Their remarkable consistency has generated the sale of over 55 million albums and created a standard for classic rock music which has brought them numerous awards. The Moody Blues’ legendary hits have been celebrated for decades, including the classic Tuesday Afternoon, one of the biggest-selling singles of all time Nights In White Satin, and the Billboard Magazine award-winner, “Your Wildest Dreams. 8pm. $55 - $125. Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: arshtcenter.com

MARCH 27 BOOKS 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity In his New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon showed readers how to unlock their creativity by stealing from the community of other movers and shakers. Now, in a new book, he shows how to take that critical next step on a creative journey getting known. Show Your Work is about why generosity trumps genius. It's about getting ﬁndable, about using the network instead of wasting time networking. Filled with illustrations, quotes, stories, and examples, Show Your Work offers ten transformative rules for being open, generous, brave, productive. In chapters such as You Don't Have to Be a Genius; Share Something Small Every Day; and Stick Around, Kleon creates a user’s manual for embracing the communal nature of creativity what he calls the ecology of talent. From broader life lessons about work (you can't ﬁnd your voice if you don’t use it) to the etiquette of sharing and the dangers of oversharing to the practicalities of Internet life (build a good domain name; give credit when credit is due). Kleon will discuss and sign his book tonight. 6:30pm. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave; Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com

MARCH 27 MUSIC Oneohtrix Point Never An intimate concert by electronic musician and composer Daniel Lopatin - Oneohtrix Point Never. The performance marks the musician's Miami debut, and will feature video artist Nate Boyce. For his highlypraised, most recent release, R Plus Seven, Lopatin assembles the sounds of corporate design - the sort found in commercial transitions, background music, and instructional videos- into songs that are as moving as they are conceptual. Pipe organs and horns to the abstract, Page 22 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost •

synthesized cues for soundtracked emotions. Boyces’ CGI forms, some appearing as modernist sculpture or consumer products, mutate and morph in disorienting virtual space. As with Oneohtrix Point Never, Boyce uses found text, the names of towns made enigmatic and website banners cut up and layered throughout like visual poetry. The duo have toured together extensively. 7pm. $20. Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: pamm.org

MARCH 27 ART Tatiana Vahan A Narrative of An Artist Exploring Capitalism from Los Angeles-based artist, Tatiana Vahan, is the fourth in a series of five exhibitions presented by MDC. The exhibition examines the complex relationship between value formation and art. Using artistic signifiers such as the press release and traditional portraiture, the artist constructs personal narratives that portray both humor and failure some spanning over ten years of time. This material play reconstitutes these narratives as art objects and negates their perception as accounts of failure by recognizing them as loci for cultural production. Vahan’s work looks at the relationship between identity and capitalism, redefining the boundaries of where and how these subjects converge both in the art world and outside of it. Opening reception tonight. 6pm - 8pm. Freedom Tower, MDC Museum of Art + Design, 600 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: 305.237.7700 or mdc.edu

MARCH 27 ART Beyond The Rails: Notes on Trains, Travel and Society Beyond The Rails explores the railroad industry through an examination of gender, class and regionalism. Objects including advertising ephemera, historical artifacts, photographs and art works will engage viewers with a visual experience and provoke a better understanding of the powerful role that rail travel played in society and industry in the late 19th and early 20th century. Men and women from divergent socio-economic classes and cultural backgrounds had the freedom to experience life on the rails although separated by class. Rail travel offered a way to experience new landscapes and cultures while safely surrounded by modern comforts. The rails also provided connections to previously isolated regions and served to develop tourism, commerce and industry. Curated Damarys Alvarez, Olga Garcia-Mayoral, Dayana Gonzalez, Javier Gonzalez-Lima, Stephanie Hadad, Yanai Nassar, Gabriella Perez, Shiori Ramos, Rafael Rodriguez, Michael A. Rosario-Figueroa, Irina Slizskaya and Lisa Sole Williams. The exhibition represents the ﬁnal production of a yearlong Museum Studies course at the Wolfsonian FIU/ Downtown. Freedom Tower, MDC Museum of Art + Design, 600 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: 305.237.7700 or mdc.edu MILEY CYRUS

www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 23

INTERVIEW

Film

Auteurs de Force By Ruben Rosario

We admire their work, until we want to strangle them. That’s the way it often goes with those idiosyncratic filmmakers who make their presence known in their work, sometimes in dazzling form and on other occasions in rather abrasive and patience-trying ways. This weekend sees, not one, but two new works by filmmakers many cinephiles love and other viewers love to hate. Nymphomaniac: Vol. I is the long-awaited first portion of Danish bad boy Lars von Trier opus about the titular woman and the men who shaped her sex life and, as a result, her rather nihilistic view of humanity. When we first take a peek at Joe (von Trier muse Charlotte Gainsbourg), she’s actually fully clothed, but in very bad shape. She’s laying on the ground in a dark alleyway, the unforgiving snow falling on her banged up body. She’s spotted by a passerby, and von Trier fans will immediately recognize Stellan Skarsgård playing Seligman, the Good Samaritan who offers to give her shelter. “I’m just a bad human being,” she warns him. Is von Trier tipping off the viewer as well? Is he referencing his own infamous behavior? What follows is a conversation between both characters divided by chapters that take us into Joe’s past, beginning with with her childhood and making frequent stops on her adolescence and young adulthood. Von Trier is in no hurry to set the austere tone that takes over the screen over the next two hours, and trusts the viewer to share his intellectual inquisitiveness. Nympho 1 might be many things: oppressive, cerebral, frustrating. The one thing it’s purposefully not is erotic, a curious thing for a movie that features scenes of unsimulated sex. (Body doubles perform all penetrative action, though there’s plenty of full-frontal nudity and touching of genitals on display.) Von Trier does not set out to titillate the viewer or serve up cheap thrills. On the contrary, for all the bare skin and coital shenanigans he stages in typically unblinking fashion, he’s far more interested in exposing Joe’s demons, something he attempts to do from the inside out. The explicit couplings are simply a means to an end. This turns the movie into a tough slog, but one that’s never uninteresting. So who are the men in Joe’s life? Von Trier begins with her tree-obsessed dad, played, in an outside-the-box bit of casting, by Christian Slater. The one constant who pops in and out of her life in all kinds of contrived ways, however, is Jerôme, played by a game Shia LaBoeuf, who is trying an ill-fitting English accent on for size. The scene in which Jerôme deflowers a young Joe (a captivating Stacy Martin) is rendered with ritualistic rigor, and that, for better or worse, extends to the rest of the rampant sex that follows. Von Trier doesn’t want to elicit joy. If anything, Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1 revels in depriving the sex fiends in the audience from any sort of carnal pleasure. In that regard, this auteur has earned my admiration, though he remains a difficult filmmaker to warm up to. What do I think of his latest provocation? I spent most of the film’s running time teetering between approval and disappointment, until a pitch-perfect closing scene snaps everything that’s come before into focus. The emotional uncertainty of this cliffhanger bodes well for Vol. 2, which will be released in April. If you’re not up to taking the plunge with von Trier and his fearless cast, allow me to recommend the whimsical delight that is The Grand Budapest Hotel, the latest meticulously crafted contraption from Wes Anderson. The film deserves more column space that I’m devoting to it here,

Page 24 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

but suffice it to say that, even though it bears all the hallmarks that turn off the Royal Tenenbaums filmmaker, it also features crossover appeal in the form of Ralph Fiennes, truly marvelous here as M. Gustave, the fastidious concierge of a mountainside hotel in the fictional Eastern European Republic of Zubrowka in 1932. Not so fast, says Anderson. Before we set eyes on Fiennes, he guides us through a series of framing devices. We learn of Gustave through an author, played in the 1980s portion of the film by Tom Wilkinson, who writes about his encounter with Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy Gustave took under his wing, when he visited the hotel in the 1960s as a younger man (Jude Law). In Chinese box fashion, Anderson keeps going further and further into the past, until we wind up in the 1930s. What follows is a tale of political intrigue, set right before World War II, that’s truly delicious at the outset and then, at least for this reviewer, decidedly less so when the action turns increasingly violent. The mixture of lighthearted humor and morbid is initially bold, but as the bodies keep piling up (yes, Anderson can be a vicious storyteller), my goodwill towards the movie began wearing thin. Fiennes, along with a uniformly terrific ensemble cast, however, save the day. And let’s not forget the top-notch production values, particularly Adam Stockhausen’s production design and Alexandre Desplat’s music score. It might be far from my favorite Wes Anderson creation, but the MVPs he’s working with turn it into a compulsively watchable one. The Grand Budapest Hotel starts March 21 at several area theaters. That same day, Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1 opens at the Miami Beach Cinematheque (mbcinema.com)

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www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 25

REVIEW

Theatre

The Anarchist By Roger Martin ATCA

It’s Mamet; It’s All About the Words A simple stage, a table and a desk, two actresses and a million, zillion words. Pay attention from the get go or you’ll never catch up. Playwright David Mamet, master of the coarse, keeps it clean but revels in obfuscation in his short play now getting a worthy, more than it deserves, production by Primal Forces in association with Andrews Living Arts. The Anarchist opened on Broadway in November 2012 and closed after 17 performances. This is its first post Broadway production. Cathy (Patti Gardner) is up for parole, having served 35 years for the murder of two policemen and Ann ( Jacqueline Laggy) is the one who must decide if Cathy goes free. The two do extremely well, building some sort of dramatic arc into Mamet’s dense display of erudition. It’s onion peeling time on stage as little by little Cathy’s story is revealed. Questions are posed, repeated, perhaps answered, all smothered with the philosophical discourses on religion, responsibility, sexuality and, it seems, anything else that might pop into the minds of a wealthy young woman who chose rebellion and the strict disciplinarian who confines her. Director Keith Garsson makes the most of a static script. Gardner’s Cathy is clad in billowing blue prison garb, the only touch of color on stage. She is gray haired, gray faced, worn from serving her time but still refusing to compromise. She seeks parole to visit her dying father but refuses to reveal the whereabouts of an accomplice. Laggy’s Ann is a bespectacled, pant suited, rigidly straight backed automaton who knows full well where the discussion is going. The only outside influence on the two actors is a loudly ringing telephone, answered tersely by Ann. The Anarchist is worth seeing to watch the simple challenge: make something entertaining and interesting out of a complex and somewhat boring script. Keith Garsson, Patti Gardner and Jacquie Laggy do exactly that. Playing through March 23 at Andrews Living Arts Studio, 23 NW 5th Street, Ft Lauderdale. 954-530-1879

Social

ABOVE: THE ANARCHIST. ABOVE RIGHT: PHOTO CAPTION MUST READ: JENNIFER LAWRENCE EARINGS AT THE JADE SIGNATURE SALES GALLERY OPENING. PHOTO: WORLD RED EYE

Fortune International Celebrates Jade Signature Sales Gallery Opening with Jewels! Jade Signature presented the premiere Chopard exhibition of Oscar-winner jewelry for the grand opening of the sales gallery. The theme of the evening was international design, with Swiss jewelry house Chopard set amidst the designs of Parisian interior design star Pierre-Yves Rochon for the Herzog & de Meuron tower. The exhibition featured over $4 million dollars worth of pieces, adorned by award-winning celebrities on the red carpet and lucky guests of the evening. With over 10,000 square feet of space, top brokers, designers, jewel aficionados and celebrities were able to mingle near the dazzling Chopard exhibition under giant portraits of memorable Oscar winners wearing the pieces. Every detail of the party, from Karla Catering to the endless

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flow of Champagne, Hermes furnishings and china patters to the electric harpist, foreshadowed the elegant international lifestyle to come at Jade Signature. Notable Attendees included Edgardo and Ana Cristina Defortuna, Fortune International; Marc Hruschka, President and CEO of Chopard USA; Mayor Norman Edelcup; Amy Cassell, from PYR led by Pierre-Yves Rochon; Alfonso Caballero from Herzog & de Meuron; Raymond Jungles from Raymond Jungles, Inc.; Commissioner Jennifer Levin; Aranxta Sanchez, Raymond Jungles, Christian Giaculli, Chris Brooks

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411 SOCIETY

A Night at The Museum, Famed Designers and a Hat Lunch By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore maryjoshore@aol.com

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM Every year, the Bass Museum of Art hosts, arguably, one of the most fun nights that can be had IN an actual museum. Last Wednesday’s fundraiser was no exception, bringing together a select group of the city’s leading arts patrons, socialites and tastemakers for the museum’s annual fundraiser, “A Night at the Museum.” The 500+ guests dressed to the nines, as the event invitation suggested, “creative black tie” for the multi-room, indoor/outdoor fete which was sponsored by Vogue México and Latin-America and Escada, and offered a private preview of Vanitas: Fashion and Art- the museum’s latest exhibit which presents fashion in a transformative light- we’re talking dresses made from poppies, real butterflies, skeletons...but don’t want to give too much away. To describe it officially, Vanitas: Fashion and Art explores the theme of vanitas as expressed in avant garde ready-to-wear and haute couture as well as in contemporary paintings, sculptures, industrial design and new media. The exhibition includes work by contemporary designers and artists.” The collection is showcased through a collection of historic frames,, strategically placed to provide an interactive encounter between the art and the viewer. The elegant guests enjoyed a night filled with free-flowing cocktails, delicious risottos and bites from Lincoln Road mainstay, Tiramisu, Chateau D’Esclans rosé at the Escada Escape Lounge and beats by DJ Mauricio Parra, and meandered throughout the Bass’ various galleries. Guests also bid on exciting silent auction items including art, and experiences and luxury items. Vanitas: Fashion and Art is on view Thursday, March 13 through Sunday, July 20, 2014. The exhibition includes works by contemporary designers and artists such as pieces by Isaac Mizrahi, Damien Hirst and a velvet mirrored evening jacket by Elsa Schiaparelli will also be on display, alongside dresses by Yohji Yamamoto and Iris van Herpen, among others. JOHN HALL NELSON HOSTS MARIO BUATTA AND GEOFFREY BRADFIELD John Hall Nelson hosted design legends Mario Buatta and Geoffrey Bradfield at Nelson’s Hollywood, Florida showroom for an afternoon filled with fanfare and flair. Mario Buatta, aptly named “The Prince of Chintz” has designed interiors for S.I. Newhouse, Malcolm Forbes, Nelson Doubleday, Henry Ford II, Barbara Walters, Mariah Carey, among others. Bradfield has decorated residences for Oliver Stone, the late King Hussein of Jordan, the estate of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and many “Silent Celebrities”, fervently guarding their privacy. Both have appeared in Architectural Digest numerous times, and have had long-runs in the AD 100, the most prestigious list of designers the world over. Partygoers, decked out in their finest, hailed from POSH Palm Beach to Miami, not to mention the seasonal luncheon ladies from Newport to New York City. The afternoon was a blast, thanks to the efforts of Michael Leondas Kirklandanother great production for mkarte! We hear that MK has Stephen Sills and Alexa Hampton on the horizon... We can’t wait!!! Page 28 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

VIZCAYA’S HAT LUNCH “Ladies who lunch” donned their most glamorous hats, fascinators and outlandish head pieces for Vizcaya Museum and Gardens’ recent Annual Preservation Luncheon, widely known as the “Hat Luncheon, now in its sixth year. The beautiful event had well-heeled ladies traipsing carefully throughout the stunning gardens and museum, in support of the efforts of the Vizcayans. Following a late morning cocktail reception in the spectacular formal gardens, the event continued with an elegant seated lunch on the East Terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay in the Courtyard of Vizcaya’s Main House. Just before lunch, guests enjoyed a fashion presentation of Mayda Cisneros’ Spring/Summer couture collection. Adding a bit of whimsy to an already spirited afternoon, came in the form of a friendly “Hat” contest. First Place, Best all around, went to Marile Lopez; Most Fashion Forward Hat went to Bianca Kannars and third place for The Most Creative went to Diane Sepler. The winners were awarded great prizes donated which included diamond stud earrings from Maurice Jewelers, a luxurious basket of Chanel Products and a very chic handbag from Michael Kors. This year’s generous sponsors include long-time Vizcaya supporters Cathy L. Jones, Africair, and M. Victoria Cummock. The event’s Co-Chairs were, M. Victoria Cummock, Swanee DiMare, Sonia Gibson, Laura Munilla and James Murphy. Jo Malone provided a special gift to all guests. CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS Robert Redford was on-hand for the National YoungArts Foundation’s presentation of the world premiere of The Way of the Rain Miami, a collaborative performance art piece featuring an all-star creative team directed by Sibylle Szaggars Redford (the wife of the award-winning actor). The unique multidisciplinary show paid homage to Earth and its universal elements through the exploration of light, sound, color and texture. The following night, YoungArts presented the second of six YoungArts Salons, featuring the Redfords once again. Sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the discussion on art, activism and environmental awareness was moderated by Knight Foundation Vice President/Arts, Dennis Scholl. Saks Fifth Avenue & Donna Karan New York presented a dynamic Spring 2014 Runway Show, followed by a private after party at the SLS Hotel last Thursday night. Donna Karan, hosted the event with guests including Adriana Lima and Pitbull. Guests sipped Belvedere Vodka cocktails poolside while enjoying the exclusive, invitation-only event. In Miami to mark the launch of a new bebe sunglasses collection Thursday night, Sports Illustrated cover girl and Victoria’s Secret model Nina Agdal celebrated with DuJour Magazine’s Jason Binn at WALL at W South Beach. Agdal dined with Binn along with bebe CEO Steve Birkhold at Milos prior to the party. She chatted about her upcoming birthday which she’ll be returning to South Florida to celebrate. Sun Sports HEAT TV broadcasters and two of South Florida’s leading sports media personalities, Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino celebrated the eighth annual Reid & Fiorentino Call Of The Game Dinner & Celebrity Golf Classic on Saturday night. At the party, MVP and World Champion of The Miami HEAT, LeBron James, accepted the evening’s most prestigious accolade in front of a star-studded capacity crowd, that included Miami HEAT coach Erik Spoelstra, owner Micky Arison, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Alonzo Mourning and Tracy Mourning. Miami HEAT President, Pat Riley, took to the stage to give a moving tribute and introduction to the legendary Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula, before both Riley and Shula presented James together with The Don Shula Sports Legend Award. Seen dining at MC Kitchen last week on different days, tennis player, Martina Navratilova, Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade and fiancée Gabrielle Union, sportscaster Bryant Gumbel and Burn Notice’s Sharon Gless. International tennis superstar and Calvin Klein model, Fernando Verdasco paid a visit to Perfecto Restaurant in Brickell Monday night. Accompanied by friends and his trainer, he reportedly left a note declaring the quaint gastropub his new favorite restaurant. Miami Heat super star “Birdman,” Chris Anderson was seen keeping fit for the upcoming finals with a house-made turkey burger at Brother Jimmy’s Restaurant in Brickell.

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411 1. Nahila Campos, Malena Assing, Vicky Montoya and Carmen Suarez

A Night at The Museum

2. Harold Koda & Kelly Talamas 3. Diane & Alan Lieberman 4. John Lin & Stephanie Hirsch 5. Marvin Ross Friedman and Adrienne Bon Haes 6. Naeem Khan & Ranjana Khan 7. Richard Toledo & Suzy Buckley 8. Paul & Trudy Cejas www.miamisunpost.com • Miami SunPost • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Page 29

Go! Social Events By Maryanne Salvat maryannesalvat@aol.com

FUNKSHION: FASHION WEEK MIAMI Funkshion: Fashion Week Miami Beach celebrates its 26th season!! As with every year, FUNKSHION: Fashion Week Miami Beach will fuse music and fashion like no other city in the world could do. FUNKSHION: Fashion Week Miami Beach will utilize the fashion tents at Collins Park in Miami Beach as the location for all shows. FUNKSHION: Fashion Week Miami Beach is a four day/evening long event that provide an intelligent, innovative platform for progressive and established designers to showcase their collections to media, celebrities, international buyers, and select style makers. The shows are geared towards designer diffusion collections and innovative lifestyle brands; general public to attend free of charge. First 100 people to rsvp - per show. Visit FASHIONWEEKMIAMI.COM or FUNKSHION.COM for a full schedule.

MOCA PRESENTS A NIGHT OF MUSIC The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami will host a special evening of chamber music featuring musicians from The Cleveland Orchestra Miami and UM’s Frost School of Music, Thursday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. A total of 24 musicians will take part in a diverse program which includes musical selections by J.S. Bach, Béla Bartók, Claude-Paul Taffanel, Alejandro Viñao and Witold Lutoslawski performed in an intimate museum setting. The program will include the premiere of two new chamber works by Frost composition students Peter Learn and Richard Yates under the direction of Andrés Jaime, a doctoral student in conducting at Frost.The event showcases the musical collaboration between Cleveland Orchestra Miami and Frost School of Music during their annual residency and is presented in partnership with MOCA. General admission to Music at MOCA performance is $20; $10 for MOCA members, and University of Miami students and faculty. To purchase tickets, visit www.mocanomi.org or call 305 893 6211. Advance purchase is strongly recommended as seating is limited.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY YOUTH FAIR & EXPOSITION AND MIAMI RESCUE MISSION The Miami-Dade County Youth Fair & Exposition has joined forces with Miami Rescue Mission to help feed the hungry of south Florida, while offering Youth Fair guests an opportunity to support the cause and earn a special discount. From Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 30, guests who bring two cans of food per person to the designated tent area in the front gate area, will receive a coupon that can then be presented at any Main Gate Ticket Booth in order to receive a $4 discount off admission. The canned items will be deposited into a large container, allowing visitors to see the impact their donations are making to assist Miami Rescue Mission, whose volunteers will be on-hand to assist guests. Gates open on weekdays at 3:00 p.m.; weekends and spring break at noon, March 21 through March 30. General admission is $12 with FREE admission every day, all day for children 5 years and younger, as well as adults 65 and better. Parking is always FREE! Preferred parking is available for $12 per vehicle. Preferred parking is limited.

AFROJACK LAUNCHES CAPSULE COLLECTION AT G-STAR RAW Next Thursday, March 27 EDM producer and DJ, Afrojack will be launching his new capsule collection done with G-Star RAW at the G-Star RAW Miami Beach store. The event is open to the public and will run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. To RSVP, contact g-star@exposure.net. Page 30 • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • Miami SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

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