Artistically Social

Amy Rosenberg's August Arts Recap

Amy Rosenberg is an attorney and arts and environmental advocate who founded the Arsht Center’s young patrons group and is the co-founder of the environmental non-profit organization Dream in Green. Amy is a member of Art Basel’s Junior Host Committee and sits on the boards of LegalArt, the Funding Arts Network, New World Symphony’s executive committee and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

The arts and events scene in Miami was a little slow in the month of August. It’s the calm before the storm, however, as Miami’s high season is just around the corner. There were a few fantastic events, though.

Punk legend Iggy Pop celebrated his 62nd birthday with double chocolate vegan cupcakes and live jellyfish projections courtesy of Morphologic at the Awarehouse in Wynwood. Boys and girls in mostly black drank Seven Tiki Spiced Rum and were treated to live performances by Awesome New Republic and the Jacuzzi Boys. Iggy happily took in the festivities in an upper deck VIP section. He rocked out sans shirt to renditions of his own songs. Sweat Records sold limited edition, exclusive Iggy t shirts.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami kicked off its 11th year of Optic Nerve, celebrating the innovative talents of South Florida artists. The fifteen films, all under five minutes, were chosen from an open call for submissions and represented a variety of genres in narrative and non-linear filmmaking, from comedy to abstract.

The Green Room Society presented the afterparty for the musical, The Harder They Come, the stage rendition of the 1972 movie starring Jimmy Cliff. The attendees sipped complimentary Heinekens and downed swoonworthy bread pudding in a rum kissed creme anglaise. Very few people could remain seated during the rollicking event in which the DJ offered up a brilliant selection of reggae hits.

For those who were seeking a mellower vibe, the Bass Museum offered up its Hot Nights and Cool Jazz series slash instant sanity restoration with the Fernando Ulibarri Quartet. (Free for members, $10 for nonmembers.) The audience was full of breathlessly romantic couples, young and old.

The Arsht Center presented the brilliant documentary, RiseUp, a journey into the heart of Jamaica’s underground music scene. The film, winner of the best music documentary at the AFI/Discovery Channel’s national documentary film festival, debuted to a packed audience. In the film, several unknown artists are profiled. Their stories were complicated, heartwrenching and often comical. Membership manager Esther Park led the Q and A with director (and University of Miami film graduate) Luciano Blotto following the screening.