If you’re in Miami, make sure to check out the Miami Design District. It’s a must-visit spot.
The Miami Design District Art Walk is a great way to explore the area, and there are free guided tours available that showcase the district’s highlights.
First Stop: De La Cruz Collection
- Address: 23 NE 41st St
- Website: delacruzcollection.org
The de la Cruz Collection is a highlight during Art Basel in Miami, open all year but featuring a new themed exhibition each Art Week.
This year’s exhibition, titled ‘Together, at the Same Time,’ includes large-scale works by artists like Harumi Abe, Hernan Bas, and Mark Bradford, among others.
The collection, maintained by the Cuban-born de la Cruz family, rivals the exhibits of major museums.
Stop 2: ICA Miami
- Address: 61 NE 41st St
- Website: icamiami.org
Walk east down 41st Street to the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), a key venue for contemporary art in Miami.
The building features a striking facade of perforated aluminum designed by Aranguren + Gallegos Arquitectos.
This year, the ICA will host the first US solo museum exhibition of the late multimedia artist Michel Majerus.
It will also feature new works by New York artist Nina Chanel Abney and exhibitions by Hervé Télémaque and Jiang Cheng.
Be sure to visit the sculpture garden to see Suchi Reddy’s installation, Shaped by Air.
Stop 3
Paseo Ponti (Virgil Abloh’s Dollar A Gallon III and Urs Fischer’s Bus Stop)
- Address: 168 NE 41st St
- Webiste: miamidesigndistrict.net
AUBI & RAMSA
- Adress: 172 NE 41st St #3516
- Webiste: aubiramsa.com
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
- Address: 176 NE 41st St
- Webiste: franciskurkdjian.com
After leaving the ICA, continue east on 41st Street until you reach Paseo Ponti.
Here, you’ll find Virgil Abloh’s sculpture, Dollar A Gallon III, a 2019 artwork resembling a fallen gasoline sign, prominently featuring Sunoco branding.
Nearby, if you take a left at the small walkway, you’ll come across Urs Fischer’s Bus Stop, a 2017 piece that replicates a Miami Beach bus stop complete with a skeleton on the bench and a small water puddle from a fountain dripping onto the skeleton’s head.
This path east leads to Aubi & Ramsa, a unique shop offering alcohol-infused ice cream for those over 21.
Continuing north on 41st Street, you’ll find Maison Francis Kurkdjian, a high-end perfume shop where you can find great holiday gifts like the popular Baccarat Rouge 540 fragrance.
The Fourth Stop on Your List Should Be Misanthropocene (origins of Ecofeminism)
- Address: 2022 NE 2nd Ave and 41st St
- Website: miamidesigndistrict.net
Turn right on 41st Street, and stop at the corner of 2nd Avenue to see a new artwork by Miami-born artist A.L. Steiner.
This double billboard introduces the concept of ‘ecofeminism’ and highlights the urgency of ecological collapse.
Stop 5 David Castillo Gallery
- Address: 3930 NE 2nd Ave, Suite 201
- Webiste: Davidcastillogallery.com
Continue south on 2nd Avenue to the David Castillo Gallery, one of the remaining contemporary art galleries in the Design District.
The gallery is managed by a well-known Miami dealer and showcases work from emerging to mid-career artists.
Enter the building from NE 2nd Avenue and go to the second floor.
This year, the gallery is hosting a group exhibition called ‘The Floral Impulse’, curated by artist Xaviera Simmons.
It explores the tradition of floral still life with works by 28 artists who reflect on and challenge this artistic genre.
Sixth stop at Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch Buick Building
- Address: 3841 NE 2nd Ave
- Webiste: gagosian-deitch.com
Walk east on 38th Street to 2nd Avenue where Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch, two prominent art dealers, collaborate for Art Basel Miami Beach.
They present the group exhibition ‘100 Years’, which reflects on the interplay of past, present, and future.
The exhibition features contemporary artists who engage with major cultural and environmental shifts of the last century and envision future possibilities.
Stop 7 Craig Robins Collection DACRA Headquarters
- Address: 3841 NE Second Ave, Suite 400
- Webiste: craigrobins.com
Also located in the Buick Building, the exhibition ‘Two of the Same Kind’ focuses on South African artist Marlene Dumas and German artist Jana Euler.
Their paintings and drawings are highlighted alongside over 100 pieces that provide a comprehensive view of figurative art from the past three decades.
Stop 8 Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome (1979/80–2014)
- Address: 140 NE 39th St #001 (plaza)
- Website: miamidesigndistrict.net
Turn the corner on 39th Street and head west. Stop at the Fly’s Eye Dome, a historically significant public artwork in Miami.
Originally conceived by Buckminster Fuller in 1965 as an ‘autonomous dwelling machine,’ this 24-foot fiberglass sphere was completed posthumously with the help of the Buckminster Fuller Institute and other collaborators using advanced materials and technologies not available in the 1970s.
Spend an afternoon here for a calming experience and explore the dome, which also serves as an exit for a garage below.
Ninth Stop at Locust Projects
- Address: 3852 N. Miami Ave
- Website: Locustprojects.org
Continue west on 39th Street to Locust Projects, Miami’s oldest alternative art space.
Known for promoting experimental art, it allows artists to extend beyond their typical work. In its last three shows before relocating to Little River in 2023, the space features Ronny Quevedo’s ‘ule ole allez’, a dynamic installation created with marks from local soccer players;
T. Eliott Mansa’s exploration of space in ‘Room for the living/Room for the dead’; and ‘Portals of Introspection‘, a video work exhibition curated by Donnamarie Baptiste with contributions from artists like Dimitry Saïd Chamy and Duke Riley.
Final Stop at ASTRA
- Address:2121 NW 2nd Ave
- Websit: astramiami.com
Take an Uber south to Wynwood for a drink at ASTRA, a Mediterranean-inspired rooftop bar in Wynwood with stunning views of Miami. It’s a perfect spot to enjoy the local party atmosphere and capture Instagram-worthy photos.
While you’re there, don’t miss navigating the captivating street art scene at Wynwood Walls, just a short walk away, showcasing vibrant murals and urban creativity.
