Dear friends, collaborators, and supporters,
Since the devastating blow of suddenly losing our last space, we have been on a soul-searching and uncertain journey. As we knew before, and further clarified on this hiatus, several points have become apparent.
1. Artists need to self-organize.
2. Artists need an affordable place to work.
3. Artists need a place to realize non-commercial projects.
4. Artists need to find markets for their work.
5. Artists need to be sustainably paid.
6. Artists need to be supported long term.
7. Artists need to be in positions of power.
8. Artists need to empower each other.
It’s with these beliefs that we resume our Dimensions Variable (DV) project with the opening of our new space located at 101 NW 79th Street, Miami FL 33150. The new space is much larger to house the main gallery, two versatile project spaces, and five studios for all the incoming collaborators. Thanks to the vision and support of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the State of Florida, we have the funding to begin a new chapter and concurrently celebrate our 10th Anniversary in 2019.
We launch a new DV with an expanded self-organizing ecosystem that includes more artists with the realization that affordable and stable studios are desperately needed for artists working in Miami. We believe that studio practices take time and short studio residencies, although important, don’t solve long-term issues. We move forward with the idea that artists can come together and contribute their skills for the betterment of the community and in support of themselves.
We reject the assumption of being a one-off project, a side hustle, or fleeting artist-run project. We are serious artists working collaboratively to support our peers and community, while at the same time supporting ourselves. We bring our collective skills in and beyond the studio to lead this project forward as artists and as leaders. There is power in numbers as well as in generosity, we hope you will join us to support DV in our new mission. A project lead by artists committed to the education, presentation, and support of contemporary art in Miami. Through a supportive community, DV provides studios, curates exhibitions, produces external projects, publishes content, hosts discussions, develops education, and organizes events that engage the community and support challenging and experimental art practices.
The team leading DV is now the founders Frances Trombly and Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova who have been at the helm for 10 years. Joining the founders in 2019 for the opening of the new space is Juan Pablo Garza, Laura Marsh, Magnus Sigurdarson, and Anita Sharma. All of these new collaborators bring something special to DV. We hope you take a moment to get to know them and the wonderful things they contribute to our community.
We also hope that you take this opportunity to join us and support us. Without you and the support of the visionary organizations that fund us, this project would not be possible. We need you to get involved, become a member, attend our events, buy work from us, spread the word, and donate to a grassroots project like DV. Your efforts will support two important sides of DV, the artists who make up our project and work here, and the commission of new projects from artists invited to create new exhibitions.
