Visual Arts

THE ARTS

Arsht Center launches permanent art collection

 

With the help of a grant, the Arsht Center is launching a permanent art collection — and offering prints for sale.

 

"Red Poppies" by Donald Sultan is the first piece in the Knight Masterworks Print Collection at the Arsht Center.
"Red Poppies" by Donald Sultan is the first piece in the Knight Masterworks Print Collection at the Arsht Center.

hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts wants you to come for the show and stay for the art.

With the help of a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the center has launched a permanent art collection and plans to sell limited edition prints in order to sustain the program.

On Oct. 26, the first new work — Red Poppies, a print from painter, printmaker and sculptor Donald Sultan — will be unveiled at the Miami building. Institutions including The Whitney, the Guggenheim and the Tate Modern in London have held solo exhibits of his art.

“I think it’s terrific for the space and the place,” said Sultan, who lives in New York City. “The main thing is that it helps raise money.”

The second work has already been commissioned, from art world darling and Miami native Hernan Bas. That print is set to debut early next year.

“We’re excited. It’s another moment in Miami’s evolution as a place that’s making art general to the community,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president/arts for the Knight Foundation. “Our goal is that everywhere you look, you have an encounter with art.”

The project kicked off with a $90,000 grant to be spread over three years from the Knight Arts Challenge; the Arsht Center is seeking $180,000 in matching grants. Arsht Center president and CEO John Richard said the project was a way to continue to emphasize art as a part of the facility; the Arsht partnered with the Lincoln Center two years ago to display works from the New York center’s List Art Collection.

Rather than creating additional partnerships with borrowed art, Richard said the goal of the Knight Masterworks Print Collection is to inspire the creation of new work. Prints will be sold for between $3,000 and $4,000 through the Benefit Print Project, which arranges for limited edition works to be created for nonprofit fundraising efforts.

Tom Lollar, a co-director of the company and former director of visual arts at the Lincoln Center, said the prints are “very collectible pieces,” signed and numbered by the artist. “It’s not like buying a poster at a museum gift shop,” he said.

Richard said he believes there is enough of a cross-section of fans of performing arts and visual arts that the new collection will get a warm reception.

“I think Miami is a city of culture vultures and there’s going to be a great appreciation simultaneously by people who appreciate both,” he said. “This is a really natural development.”

Read more Visual Arts stories from the Miami Herald

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category