Anna Gaskell

March 15 – June 1, 2007

Miami, Florida: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has launched a series of art exhibitions designed to reach local and national audiences and to position Vizcaya as a venue for creative exchange. The Contemporary Arts Project engages artists in developing and presenting site-specific installations that reflect their reactions to and interactions with South Florida’s beloved National Historic Landmark on Biscayne Bay.

Vizcaya’s second contemporary artist, New York-based visual artist Anna Gaskell, has created an original short film entitled Still Life set in Vizcaya's stunning formal gardens. It will be installed in the main house for visitors to view March 15 – June 1, 2007.

Gaskell's early photographs were self-portraits, but she soon began photographing girls as they collectively acted out stories, often embodying characters reminiscent of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Over the last decade Gaskell has exhibited around the world to strong critical recognition. Her photographs are in such prominent public collections as the Guggenheim Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Tate Gallery, London.

Built by agricultural industrialist James Deering during the years leading up to World War I, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens has tremendous potential for artistic exploration and educational programming. In addition to a roster of international craftsmen and artisans, Deering commissioned well known artists including Charles Rumsey, Gaston Lachaise, and Robert Chanler – all of whom exhibited in the landmark 1913 Armory Show of modern art in New York – to create works of art especially for his winter home. The Contemporary Arts Project is intended to reinvigorate Vizcaya with the creative dialogue that characterized its foundation.

The program’s other primary goal is to engage the local community by developing appreciation of Vizcaya’s contemporary relevance. The Vizcaya complex includes a resplendent main house, ten acres of formal gardens, a hardwood hammock, and a soon-to-be-restored historic village that will ultimately provide additional venues for programs and community outreach.

Installations of future artists include Miami-based sculptor and installation artist Cristina Lei Rodriguez and Chicago-based theater and film artist Catherine Sullivan. They will exhibit simultaneously from early November 2007 through February or March 2008. The pilot phase of this unique contemporary artist series was made possible through the generous support of The Danielson Foundation.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, located at 3251 South Miami Avenue between Brickell Avenue and Coconut Grove, is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.vizcayamuseum.org or call 305-250-9133.