MOCA To Host Public Programming Coinciding With Its Current Exhibitions

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) is presenting the 2019 "South Florida Cultural Consortium (SFCC)" Exhibition and "Collection Focus: Works on Paper from 1960-1980" until Oct. 20.

SFCC is the largest government-sponsored grant program in the U.S. for artists living in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach and Martin Counties; the exhibition is made possible in cooperation with Miami-Dade County's Department of Cultural Affairs. MOCA enlisted Amy Galpin, chief curator of the Frost Art Museum, to curate this dynamic group exhibition. Hundreds of artists apply each year. This year's exhibition will showcase 13 artists including: Nellie Appleby, Felecia Chizuko Carlisle, Domingo Castillo, Jen Clay, Katrina Sarah, Reginald O'Neal, Edison Peñafiel, Sebastian Ruiz, Jamilah Sabur, Vivien Segel, Misael Soto, Amber Tutwiler and Agustina Woodgate.

Also on view at MOCA is "Collection Focus: Works on Paper from 1960-1980," curated by Elizabeth Shannon, Ph.D. The first in a series of new explorations of MOCA North Miami's permanent collection, the exhibition presents a selection of works on paper dating from the 1960s through the 1980s. This exhibition features artists working with paper that has been specifically produced for painting or printmaking, as well as artwork created with materials appropriated and repurposed from daily life. The exhibition's works include examples of Pop Art, Minimalism and Post-Minimalism, while some objects reflect a specific political moment or social concern.

To commemorate the two exhibitions, MOCA is presenting an array of events to engage and educate the public. The full line of programming includes:

· Movement at MOCA | Friday, Oct. 4 - 7:00-9:00 p.m.

In association with South Florida Cultural Consortium artist Felecia Chizuko Carlisle, MOCA will host a performance by NSL Danse Ensemble, a Haitian folkloric dance company based in Miami directed by Nancy St. Leger. This live event will be followed by a brief discussion on the movement in Carlisle's short video piece titled "So Few and Such Morning Songs," choreographed by Catherine Hollingsworth and performed with members of NSL Danse Ensemble. Carlisle, Hollingsworth and Leger will each bring their experience to the table for a lively discussion on Haitian culture, traditional dance, storytelling, and the blending of cultural forms found in "So Few and Such Morning Songs."

Cost: Free with museum admission

· MOCA Mini Makers | Sunday, Oct. 5 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Learn about metal mask making and jewelry traditions in pre-Columbian Latin America and create your own yarn and foil embossed mask or design. The MOCA Mini Makers series takes place on the first Saturday of every month.

Cost: $12 for members, $14 for non-members

· Sunday Stories at MOCA | Sunday, Oct. 6 - 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Discover a new read-aloud staple with Green Is a Chile Pepper, a fun rhyming picture book where children discover a world of colors all around them: red is spices and swirling skirts and yellow is masa, tortillas and sweet corn cake. Many of the featured objects are Latino in origin, but all are universal in appeal. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this playful concept book will reinforce the colors found in every child's day! The Sunday Stories series takes place on the first Sunday of every month.

Cost: Free to the public, limit of 20 participants

· Performance at MOCA - SOBETH: Erica Dawn Lyle and Midnight Piper Dawn | Friday, Oct. 18 - 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Satellite Beach Blues takes place along the Space Coast of Florida in an unspecified moment in the very near future: a transgender woman living in a cheap hotel on Florida's Space Coast observes life in the state from the very shores where rising seas are slowly inundating the state. For this appearance at MOCA, Erica Dawn Lyle will be performing an experimental lecture in which she will read from the novel while edited sequences and soundscapes from the film-in-progress play on the big screen behind, offering a dreamlike consideration of gender transition, Florida's legacies of colonization and real estate speculation, and the magical realist possibilities of transcendence beyond capitalism through queer lived experience. In response to the slow motion environmental collapse of Lyle's native Florida, collaborator, Midnight Piper Forman, and Lyle (working together collectively under the name, SOBBETH) have for the past three years undertaken an ongoing multi-part exploration of the ruins of the Sunshine State's post-war 20th century mythology.

South Florida native, Erica Dawn Lyle, is a writer, musician, and curator who lives in New York City. She is the author of On The Lower Frequencies: A Secret History of The City (Soft Skull, 2008), and her writing has appeared in Art in America, Artforum, Frieze, and on NPR's This American Life. Since 1991, she has edited and self-published the DIY art/crime/punk magazine, SCAM. Her most recent book is Streetopia (Brooklyn, 2015). Currently she plays guitar in the bands, Bikini Kill and AquaShade.

Cost: Free with museum admission

· MOCA Makers | Saturday, Oct. 19 - 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Meet local artist Beatriz Rodriguez and discover her world of dark, surreal art just in time for Halloween. This workshop will introduce you to traditional woodcut relief-printing techniques. All skill levels are welcome. Learn how to select the right wood, prepare a surface for carving, care for tools, carve your block and produce a print. Beatriz Rodriguez is a printmaker and sculptor whose work presents enigmatic narratives. The MOCA Makers series takes place the third Saturday of every month for ages 12 and up.

Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members

· Performance at MOCA | Sunday, Oct. 20 - 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Join South Florida Cultural Consortium artist Misael Soto as he hosts a discussion and performance in the MOCA gallery that restages an earlier Center of Contemporary Art (COCA) performance by South Florida composer Gustavo Matamoros and MOCA's Founding Director Lou Anne Colodny.

Cost: Free with museum admission

For more information or to sign up visit, https://mocanomi.org/category/events/upcoming-events/