Miami Art Museum

It's only a matter of time before a three block stretch of Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami becomes one of the most architecturally important districts in the Americas.

Traffic mayhem! A sudden uptick in neon bracelet sales! A disproportionate number of Dutch speakers overheard at Starbucks! It can only mean one thing: the Dade County Youth Fair has arrived. Not so fast.

I'm the first one to discredit 'top 10' lists. Maybe it's because Miami, my hometown, is a perennial fixture atop rankings of the 'most dangerous,' 'most expensive,' and 'most superficial' cities.

Finally, there's a list that Miamians can take some pride in: The Chronicle of Philanthropy has released its annual Philanthropy "Top 50" and the Magic City is well represented.

It's not everyday that we pass on the opportunity to write about something that's near and dear to our hearts, but today's blog post authored by Matt Haggman, Miami program director for the Knight Foundation, was so well-done, so right-on-the-money that we just couldn't top it.

Big things are happening in Miami's arts scene -- and the best may still be on it's way.

Ever wonder what would happen if you stuck a pair of smart, creative, seemingly outspoken thinkers in a room together -- one as interviewer and the other as interviewee? Well if you're dying to know how this scenario plays out, then look no further. 

“The downtown picture was bleak not long ago, its towering empty buildings a symbol of the real estate boom -- and crash. But as prices dropped, younger residents moved in, transforming a business-only section of South Florida into a place where people work, live and hang out.”

Buzz builds in downtown Miami as region's international hot spot. Could it be the Arsht Center? Museum Park? New restaurants? Affordable condos? Lebron James and the Heat? Luxury hotels?

After years of anticipation and planning, Miami has taken a giant step forward in realizing the development of Museum Park. As reported in this week's South Florida Business Journal, the City of Miami has begun environmental remediation of two sites that will serve as the future homes of Miami Art Museum and Miami Science Museum. The remediation process is the pre-cursor to vertical construction of the museum buildings, which will get going within the next few months when MAM breaks ground on its Herzog & de Meuron-designed home.