October 20–23, 2016
Little Haiti Cultural Center
212 NE 59th Terrace
Miami, Florida
convening.commonfield.org
#CommonfieldMIA
Common Field, a national visual arts organizing network, along with Miami artist organizations BFI (Bas Fisher Invitational), Cannonball, Dimensions Variable, and Locust Projects will host the annual Common Field Convening from October 20 through 23 in Miami, Florida. The 2016 Convening brings together 350+ local and national organizers to explore arts organizing in a time of accelerated capitalism. The full program of panels, breakout sessions, workshops, tours, and local arts events is now available at convening.commonfield.org.
Well-known for its hyper-luxury commercial market fueled by Art Basel, Miami is also home to a robust network of artist and cultural organizations devoted to critical practice and experimental production. The 2016 Common Field Convening will connect national and local arts organizers from artist-run spaces and centers, alternative spaces, and independent artists’ projects in Miami’s Little Haiti at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
This year’s convening will focus on how artist-run and artist-centered organizations survive and sustain in our current times, which require new practices for adjusting to rapid shifts in technological, environmental, economic, social and political forces.
The four day program is designed to connect presenters and attendees through discussion, debate, connection, and ideation. Thursday’s Opening Ceremony includes a performance by Miami’s Dream Defenders and a keynote by Edouard Duval-Carrié. Sessions on Friday and Saturday are anchored by four thematic panels followed by a series of breakouts, talks, and workshops. Panel topics include Art Making Under Accelerated Capitalism, Transitions: Evolving Organization Models, Gentrification + Sustaining Neighborhoods, and Critical Programs/Critical Ideas. Attendees are invited to share their organizations and projects during lightning rounds, video interviews, and in the live research forum. The convening features a total of 120 presenters sharing ideas and insights.
Evening festivities and events at Fountainhead and Diaspora Vibe will celebrate the Miami alternative art scene. Commissioned projects, screenings and performances feature local artists and collectives including Borscht Corp, Books Are Nice, Loni Johnson + Hattie Mae Williams, DJ Mack of Rhythm Foundation, Jillian Mayer, Miami Music Club With Ana Mendez, and Serge Toussaint. National and international audiences will be able to follow via livestream, social media, archived video content, and a digital convening report. Leading up to the convening, a series of essays commissioned and co-published by Miami Rail, Temporary Art Review, and Common Field will kick off reflections on convening topics for attendees and the field at large.
Tickets are 125 USD for Common Field Members, 150 USD for non-members. Tickets include breakfasts, lunch and Saturday dinner highlighting Miami’s rich culinary heritage. 52 scholarships have been awarded to local and national attendees. Tickets are still available but going fast; reserve yours today.
Common Field is a national network of artists organizations that launched officially at the 2015 Common Field Convening (aka Hand-in-Glove) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Common Field’s 450+ members from 40 states include artist-run and non-profit art spaces, publications, digital exhibition venues, festivals, residencies, collectives and collaborative organizers, curators, artists, and administrators working in a variety of mediums. Common Field creates visibility and viability for the field of experimental, contemporary artist organizations through connection, advocacy, research, and resources. The Convening provides an important outlet for national members to collectively plot futures for Common Field—brainstorming research trajectories, exchange channels, and advocacy strategies for the second official year of the organization.
Lead Miami partners include Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI), a 501c3 artist run space dedicated to creativity, experimentation, and discourse in contemporary art; Cannonball, a non-profit, 501c3, arts organization dedicated to supporting artists, innovative forms of cultural production, and education to advance critical discourse and understanding of contemporary art practice; Dimensions Variable (DV), an exhibition space based in Miami and committed to the presentation and support of contemporary art; and Locust Projects, a not for profit exhibition space dedicated to providing contemporary visual artists the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressures of gallery sales or limitations of conventional exhibition spaces. The convening has inspired the founding of the Miami Arts Alliance, a group of 60+ local organizations and organizers who have provided insight and support for the initiative.
The 2016 Common Field Convening is generously supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Knight Foundation, The Hemera Foundation, The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Thanks to Common Field Council, Founding Members, and Members for their engagement, participation, and support.
