Whether people come to Miami for the sun, real estate, or low taxes, they stay for the art. As the home to world-class museums, fairs, private collections, and gallery districts, over the past four decades Miami has first quietly, then noisily, become a major player in the art world. With every new shopping mall and condo development announcing a major commission, art has become increasingly embedded in our landscape. But none of this could have happened without one thing: artists.
As a Miami-based arts organization that has long been a part of this growth, Oolite Arts is constantly thinking about how we need to evolve to build Miami’s next creative chapter—while centering the needs of artists, providing access to the community, and building for long term sustainability. We started back in 1984, offering affordable studio space in vacant storefronts on Miami Beach, long before Art Basel landed here. Now, in the lead-up to our 40th anniversary in 2024, we’re unveiling a new campus designed to meet the needs of our artist community. As we reveal the plans for it, we wanted to share what we’ve learned about how arts organizations can adapt to a rapidly growing artistic landscape and support artists for generations to come.
