With Art Week in full swing and Art Basel returning to Miami Beach for the first time after its pandemic shutdown, art enthusiasts are reveling in what for them is the most wonderful time of the year.
Michigan artist Melissa “MissyD” Divietri, who moved to the Biscayne Corridor more than a year ago, is leveraging an exhibition opportunity at the Kimpton Epic Hotel in downtown Miami, to give locals and art season tourists something to talk about.
(Johania Charles for Biscayne Times)
Melissa “MissyD'' Divietri, an abstract artist from Detroit, stands before several of her paintings, which are being showcased at downtown Miami’s Kimpton Epic Hotel.
The former Detroit resident is one of six artists selected for Epic Art, an artist-in-residency program created by Kimpton Hotels to increase exposure, networking and buying opportunities for local artists contributing to Miami’s art scene
Running through December 2022, the program invites participating artists from various disciplines to showcase their work in rotating, solo-show exhibitions. Each artist will be granted six weeks to display a number of pieces inside the hotel’s heavily trafficked corridor on the 16th floor, in between Exhale Spa and the Area 31 rooftop bar and restaurant.
“With Miami being an epicenter of creativity and cultural diversity, we’re always thinking of new ways to partner with local artists and broaden representation within our community,” said hotel general manager Erika Nelson in a statement. “The launch of Epic Art will infuse art and culture into the guest experience, provide a platform for artists to exhibit and sell their work, and pay homage to the extraordinary talent that makes our city unique.”
(Johania Charles for Biscayne Times)
A six-piece art collection by artist MissyD hangs on a wall of the 16th floor corridor at Kimpton Epic Hotel in downtown Miami.
MissyD’s show, primarily consisting of abstract art, is first. Sophia “Sona” Wong will take over in January, followed by Mira Lehr, Marcelo Holzinger, Pedro Amos and Cris Molina in the coming months.
As the creator of her hometown’s Still Loading art and techno music festival, MissyD wanted to bring flair to her six-piece exhibition through a Dec. 3 art party, activations, live painting and music – all at Kimpton.
Now on display are “Tropical,” “Tell Me,” “Forced In,” “Adversity," "Resilience,” and other pieces inspired by her life.
(Courtesy of Kimpton Epic Hotel)
Pedro Amos, Graffiti Artist and Muralist
“Every time I’m traveling, I’m recognizing patterns in different countries to try to recreate them,” said the artist. “When I’m thinking about my inspiration, I’m thinking about some of the challenges I had to go through when I wanted to start this lifestyle. In this industry, I’ve learned to only work with people that understand my value and help me go up from here.”
On any given day, MissyD can be found maneuvering through a studio on mechanical devices to splatter loads of paint onto a canvas. Though she is short in stature because of a crippling sacral agenesis diagnosis, her vibrant personality and paintings are larger than life. Since the age of 5, the 33-year-old has used art as a healing mechanism to navigate through some of life’s hardest challenges.
“My purpose and my mission is big,” she said. “When I’m painting people are so surprised to see that I have all these things going on. I want people to see me standing in front of these big canvases I paint and feel empowered and say, ‘If she can do that with her disability, then what’s stopping me?.’ I’m just happy Epic Hotel allowed me to have a platform to voice my story.”
(Pedro Amos via Instagram)
Pedro Amos, a graffiti artist and owner of Miami’s Best Graffiti Guide, takes two people on a tour in Wynwood to learn the history behind graffiti and the artists responsible for the murals in the area.
Epic Art was first announced at a private launch event in November, where at least one piece from each of the initiative’s inaugural year artists was on display in the hotel’s lobby to inform guests about the program, unlike the showing area floors above dedicated to one artist at a given time.
“We reached out to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (for recommendations) and reached out to some local artists we’ve worked with in the past,” said Eric Jellson, the hotel’s director of marketing and strategy, explaining how the artists were chosen.
“We looked at people’s art that we thought could fit the space from an installation perspective and the scale. Those who were available and interested committed. Our commitment is the exposure and platform. The first week of every artists’ installation, we’ll do a wine hour dedicated to them and share the news on social media and our website.”
Jellson emphasized that the program was solely created to uplift artists, revealing that 100% of sales proceeds will go directly to them. A QR code placed near each artwork features the presenting artist's biography, price points and access to an online store where pieces can be purchased.
“Melissa killed it,” Amos told the Biscayne Times while surveilling MissyD’s pieces during the launch event. “They’re fun and have a lot of energy, and while they have a lot of energy, they’re also really clean, too. She painted the corners and edges of the canvas to create organized chaos. Anyone can throw paint on things, but when you hang it, it has to be balanced. Melissa was able to do that.”
A graffiti artist since the age of 14, Amos said he’s developed a keen interest in other mediums. He’s done canvas work, countless Wynwood murals, graffiti advertising and has designed bike gear for cyclists, among other things.
(Courtesy of Kimpton Epic Hotel)
“Time Capsule of Your Life” was created by local graffiti artist Pedro Amos.
“I love traditional art, I love to have my hands on the canvas so I’m absolutely going to be showcasing some of that stuff,” he added in anticipation of his September 2022 show; he plans to feature up to 12 of his pieces. “Now, will there be an NFT or something else in that world attached to it? Most likely.”
Amos is the owner of the newly opened Pedro Amos Galeria in Little River and the Wynwood-based Miami’s Best Graffiti Guide, a tour company with hired artists leading graffiti crash courses and other team-building events.
“Although I’ve done group, hotel and solo shows plenty of times before, each opportunity is different,” he said, speaking of the latest “Pieces Make You Whole” collection featured at a solo show at his gallery during Art Week. “So I’m excited to bring my work here to [Kimpton]. I feel like people have much more of an appreciation for art now than before – especially with graffiti, which was demonized back then but is now very much solicited and sought after.”
His work incorporates vibrant colors like yellow, orange and hints of purple.
“When it comes to graffiti, it’s all about the letters and being an architect or engineer. Your piece should look just as awesome in a million colors as it does in black and white,” said Amos. “If creating art ever becomes something that’s not fun for me to do, I’ll quit. I do like the business side of things but I’m also really passionate about art, so if one takes over the other, I’ll call it quits.”
Epic Art, Amos said, gives him that balance.
“The idea was really to let the artists grow and build through a long-term plan that gave the artists organized traffic,” concluded Jellson. “Everybody has to walk through here when we do events, conferences or conventions. When you think about that traffic, that’s a lot of people. It really worked out well.”