MAN OF THIS MOMENT: The spotlight is tuned on Miami-based architect / designer / artist Germane Barnes — with good reason. An assistant professor of architecture at the University of Miami, Barnes was awarded the prestigious Rome Prize for Architecture in 2021 for his exploration between architecture and identity. This year’s milestones include a feature in Architectural Digest, a solo show at Miami’s Nina Johnson Gallery, and the 2022 Miami Design District Annual Neighborhood Commission. The winning concept, “Rock/Roll,” inspired by Carnival and honoring Miami’s BIPOC communities, includes whimsical, larger-than-life rocking seating capsules, chimes and an architectural-scale, free-floating dome that recalls a giant disco ball. You can also find his work at Oolite Arts on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach in his installation “Rosie’s Kitchen,” honoring his grandmother and exploring the role the kitchen has played in the lives of Puerto Rican, Jamaican and Haitian families in Miami, through Dec. 11.
