Oolite Arts Reveals Designs for New Miami Headquarters
The US $30 million campus will provide 21 free artist studios, classrooms for over 200 art classes, and more.
A render of Oolite Arts' forthcoming headquarters in Miami. Credit: Oolite Arts.
Oolite Arts, who have supported Miami artists for almost four decades, have released renderings of their new headquarters, which will open in 2024.
The arts campus is the first US project by Barcelona architects Barozzi Veiga, who were announced as the project's lead architects in 2020.
Located on 75 NW 72nd Street, the new campus attempts to evoke an artists' village with openings to the street on all sides. An open interior courtyard garden will connect 21 artist studios, a gallery, a theatre, two classrooms envisioned for 200-plus art classes, a maker space, a print studio, and offices.
'I think that if we succeed with this balance between a calm atmosphere for artists that can be open and can be shared with the citizens of the neighbourhood, the building will succeed,' said architect Alberto Veiga.
President and CEO of Oolite Arts, Dennis Scholl stated, 'This new space will be a thriving cultural hub where artists can grow and come together with international visitors and neighbours alike.'
Harnessing wind, water, and sun with features like solar chimneys, skylights, wind catchers, and water tanks, the new building is designed to be energy-efficient and obtain Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
The horizontal, industrial style plan will provide a total of 26,850 square feet, compared to the 16,000 square feet available at Oolite Arts' current space on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. According to Oolite Arts, the new studio spaces will increase the capacity of the organisation's studio residency programme by 50%.
Oolite, which takes its name from a sedimentary rock made up of organic materials cemented together to make a solid foundation, is a non-profit founded in 1984. It has supported hundreds of Miami artists by offering free studio space, education, institutional promotion, and financial backing.
Artists to pass through Oolite's studio and travel residency programmes include Michael Richards, Teresita Fernández, William Cordova and Edouard Duval-Carrié, among more than 1,000 others.
Across the pond, Delfina Entrecanales, who established art studios and residencies that supported hundreds of artists, passed away earlier this month. The Delfina Foundation continues to provide London residencies to artists from around the world. —[O]
