A Juried Exhibition of Florida Abstract Expressionist Artists Opens 

at Manolis Projects Gallery, presented by The Miami School

 

South  Florida’s largest Fine Arts Gallery, Manolis Projects, 

will host the awards ceremony and exhibition on March 23rd, 2023 

 

 

 

MIAMI, March 2023 — With the goal of providing a space for emerging artists in the local community and making arts-related events & activities more accessible, Manolis Projects has partnered with The Miami School to invite Florida-based abstract artists to participate in MIAMI: PASTEL PARADISE. 

 

In a stroke of genius, Leonard Horowitz, a Miami transplant from New York and founder of the Miami Design Preservation League (1977), formulated a plan to spruce up the dated and worn Deco properties of Miami. This idea was the Miami Color Palette, a grouping of 40 colors created by Horowitz, an interpretation of the tropical flair of the seaside community. Though it was a break with the tradition of pure white deco aesthetics, Horowitz knew that the emotional influence of color would bring interest to structures long ignored.

''I formulated my palette on the basis of sunset, sunrise, the summer and winter oceans and the sand on the beach, which used to be much more golden,'' Horowitz said. ''They all are natural sources, and they are the same ones that the original designers used. Within them are an infinite variety of pastels.''

The juried exhibition, MIAMI: PASTEL PARADISE will feature pastel color-based works from Manolis Projects Artists, as well as guest artists selected from an opportunity extended by The Miami School and financed by the art gallery to Florida-based abstract artists. To remove differentiating aspects like size and background material,  the participating works must be painted on canvas 40”H X 30”W and either 1 1/2” or 1 3/8”D. Explicitly denoting the required canvas size gives the opportunity to appreciate the different interpretations of one common theme truly.

 

Both Manolis Projects Gallery artists and extended artists selected will have the opportunity to win one of the thirty financial awards donated by various national art enthusiasts and corporate sponsors. In addition, the winning artists of the evening will earn the opportunity to become members of The Miami School and Manolis Projects Gallery. 

 

 

Manolis Projects Gallery

 

The thirty financial awards range from $250 to $2,000. The judging of grand prize for ‘Best in Show,’ and best guest artist will be made by Bruce Helander. 

 

Additionally, Bruce Helander, a member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame and the former Provost of the Rhode Island School of Design, will present J. Steven Manolis with a special “Donald J. Kuspit Proclamation” acknowledging Manolis’ creative and pioneering spirit in Founding, painting, quantifying, organizing, exhibiting, and promoting artists affiliated with his Miami School Art Movement from 2016 to the present. 

 

“Pastel colors depict various light conditions throughout the day. My mindset is walking on the beach at sunrise” says J. Steven Manolis. “I love how the color quietly, softly, serenely whispers in the artworks.”

 

This noteworthy event will take place at Manolis Projects Gallery (335 NE 59TH ST. Miami, FL 33137) on March 23rd, 2023 and the participating works will be on display from March 20th. To schedule a visit or to RSVP, please email event@manolisprojects.com.

 

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About Manolis Projects Gallery, LLC.:

Manolis Projects Gallery, Tomorrow’s Art Today is South Florida’s largest fine arts gallery, and also serves as a working artist studio and event venue. The gallery features unique paintings, sculptures, and collectible limited edition works from over 40 artists, focusing on modern masters and contemporary art, bridging the gap between established and emerging artists and collectors. Manolis Projects was founded by J. Steven Manolis, a leading and critically acclaimed abstract expressionist painter and former National Academy of Design Advisor and Chairman, and trustee and development director of the Vermont Studio Center, Artist in Residence at Manolis Projects Gallery, and co-owner of the gallery with his wife, Myrthia Natalie Moore. 

 

About The Miami School Art Movement:

Different “Schools of Art” have been around for centuries, with most identifiable groups developing from a common denominator of a recognized style and a specific geographic location, and most often designated by prominent art historians and leading critics. In 2016, Donald J. Kuspit, who is arguably the leading living scholar and commentator on art in America, began recognizing the emerging dynamic and creative energy located in Greater Miami from a group of talented artists who share a passion for incorporating a collective vision that utilizes a special pastel-like color scheme influenced by the surrounding water and vibrant sky and is connected to an abstract expressionist pictorial vitality. Kuspit named painter J. Steven Manolis as the founder of The Miami School and compared it to the nuances of the New York School, observing, “…libidinous, powerful, inspirational, and beautiful color driven art that has grown into a recognizable movement.”