Miami | American Airlines | Florida | Art Museum

If You Go …

Planning a trip to the Miami area? American Way recommends these events and activities.

Festival Miami 2009 (October 2 to 30)
This annual showcase of international and local musicians, as well as faculty and student ensembles, features world premieres, symphonic concerts, chamber music, jazz performances, and more.
Gusman Concert Hall, University of Miami
1314 Miller Drive
Coral Gables, Florida
(305) 284-4940
www.festivalmiami.com

Florida Artist Series (October 9 to December 7)
The acclaimed Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum will showcase the photography of Cuban-born couple Eduardo del Valle and Mirta Gómez. The longtime artistic collaborators are known for their images of subjects in flux, including Mayan houses in the Yucatán, Caribbean salt flats, and remnants of nature’s evolution.
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
10975 Southwest 17th Street
Miami, Florida
(305) 348-2890
thefrost.fiu.edu

Marc Anthony (October 24)
The Latin heartthrob and husband of Jennifer Lopez will rock Miami’s American Airlines Arena.
American Airlines Arena
601 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, Florida
(786) 777-1239
www.aaarena.com

XI Miami Pan Am International Badminton Tournament (November 11 to 14)
Shula’s Athletic Club
15150 Bull Run Road
Miami Lakes, Florida
(305) 820-8025
www.clubshula.com

Miami Short Film Festival (November 14 to 21)
The international festival showcases more than 500 short films from around the world.
Various theaters
(305) 284-3147
www.miamishortfilmfes tival.com

Sailfish Cup (November 16 to 18)
Celebrate the start of sailfish season by entering this catch-and-release fishing tournament, and enjoy the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway as well while you’re in town. Tournament activities include both a live and a silent charity auction, a dock party, and an awards banquet.
Miami Beach Marina
300 Alton Road
Miami Beach, Florida
(866) 550-5580
www.sailfishcup.com

Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in Miami (through January 24, 2010)
This powerful exhibition is about the history of Miami’s diverse African diaspora, which stretches from Miami’s incorporation as a city in 1896 to the present day.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, Florida
(305) 375-1492
www.hmsf.org

Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (February 25 to 28, 2010)
Four days of world-famous wine and spirits producers, chefs, and culinary personalities will ensue. Foodie celebs will include Rachael Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, Paula Deen, Sandra Lee, Bobby Flay, Ming Tsai, and Daniel Boulud.
Various locations on Miami Beach
(877) 762-3933
www.sobewineandfoodfest.com

Sign of the Times

The bright, vibrant murals once housed in the old American Airlines terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport have found a new home … in bright, vibrant Miami.

After winning first and second prizes in an American Airlines art competition in 1959, Brazilian artist Carybé (Hector Julio Paride Bernabó) painted the two 16-by-53-foot murals directly onto the walls of the airport. When it was announced that the terminal would be demolished and the brilliantly painted walls with it, American Airlines decided to donate the murals to Miami-Dade County to be installed in Miami International Airport. But the tab for that would not be cheap. It would end up costing more than $2 million to remove, restore, and reinstall the murals.

By chance, American Airlines skycap Darren Hoggard mentioned the bad news to a traveler, Brazilian Beatrice Esteve, who happened to have connections with the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. Odebrecht agreed to pay the tab, and the murals began the trek. In a process that took almost a year, each of the one-ton walls was sliced into six pieces, removed, restored, and shipped more than 1,000 miles to their final destination.

The murals, one of which portrays diverse American cultures, are symbolic to this city, whose immigrant community is vast. “Everyone we speak with says [the murals] exemplify what Miami is: a melting pot,” says Gilberto Neves, U.S. CEO of Odebrecht. Travelers passing through the gateway will now have a chance to see a piece of the culture they left or are headed to experience; they will see the mural depicting the discovery of the West and then, according to Neves, “pass through the airport and conquer the West.” -- Lauri Valerio