Wynwood Art Fair, benefitting the Lotus House Women’s Shelter, aims to bring the community together by reminding us that we are all connected through art. The fair and its participating artists incorporate virtually all forms of artistic communication and invite the community to collaborate and create.

HOPE BLOSSOMS

Lotus House, which currently houses 75 women, is a resource center and residential facility serving women who find themselves homeless, whether due to domestic violence, untreated medical or mental illness, disability, or loss of employment, and it includes a special maternity wing for women who are homeless and pregnant. The women are referred from homeless outreach shelters, safe houses, rehab centers, prisons, hospitals and courts and are provided with much-needed support, nurturing and opportunities.

Thanks to the upcoming addition of a brand new building, Lotus House will soon be able to accommodate up to 110 women, and its continued growth is a testament to its success. To provide alternative paths to healing and self-exploration, they offer educational workshops and a host of enrichment activities, including art classes, creative writing, yoga, and dance. Constance Marguiles, president of Lotus House, believes that “art reminds us that we are all connected, it brings the community together.” The Wynwood Art Fair is an extension of that.

ART HAPPENS

This year’s Wynwood Art Fair will explore today’s emerging Pop Arte Povera, an urban street art movement celebrating “street art with heart” which uses materials free from traditional formats in a virtual reality of media bites, idols and icons. Through discarded objects and spray paint, street art developed its own language which speaks to the heart of urban culture and those who live and breathe it.

The fair will be expanding beyond the walls of The Margulies Art Warehouse to include six surrounding blocks. Participating exhibitors range from museums, artist residencies, art schools and local galleries including Miami Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Bass Museum, The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, The Wolfsonian, De la Cruz Collection, LegalArt, Locust Projects, and the University of Miami Department of Art.

As a reminder of the importance of providing resources for the community, artists are invited to submit exhibit proposals that compel art goers to see, feel, and discover. They are encouraged to use any artistic medium – visual, sound, video, sculpture, installation, conceptual, music and performance.

Beyond raising money for Lotus House, the Wynwood Art Fair seeks to open people’s eyes and increase social consciousness. President Marguiles understands that it takes honesty and courage to make art just as it does to seek help from the shelter. The Wynwood Art Fair strives to raise social consciousness and provide artists and community with a non-competitive environment to collaborate and express themselves openly.

In honor of the great work being done at the Lotus House, we’re going to feature the artists that have helped make Wynwood Art Fair such a success. Stay tuned.

Wynwood Art Fair kicks off on Friday, October 21st and runs through Sunday, October 23rd, from 10am to 6pm, at The Margulies Art Warehouse. Purchase Tickets or Make a Donation