Miami's Art Scene During the Pandemic
On March 10, 2021, Architectural Digest published Stefanie Waldek's feature, "Miami's Buoyant Art and Design Scene Proves Culture Can Thrive Amid the Pandemic." The article examined how galleries, designers, and public art producers adapted when traditional indoor programming was limited.
Waldek's report placed South Florida's outdoor cultural activity in a national context. Among the projects cited was Illuminate Coral Gables, the February through March 2021 exhibition curated by Lance Fung of Fung Collaboratives. The show placed light-based works by sixteen artists at sites across downtown Coral Gables.
The Architectural Digest piece described how Miami's climate and street life allowed exhibitions to continue when northern cities faced harsher winter restrictions. Public installations, open-air design events, and decentralized viewing routes became practical alternatives to museum attendance.
Fung Collaboratives' approach aligned with that shift. Illuminate was conceived for plazas, facades, and civic landmarks rather than gallery walls. Visitors could encounter sculpture, projection, and neon works while walking or driving through the city.
Why this coverage matters
Major design publications rarely treat temporary public art as central to a city's cultural recovery. Waldek's article treated Illuminate as evidence that curated outdoor programs could sustain audience engagement during a public health crisis. That framing matched Fung Collaboratives' stated goal of keeping art free and accessible.
Readers interested in the original reporting can also see Fung Collaboratives' press archive page and the related Forbes article summary on this site.
Sources
- Waldek, Stefanie. "Miami's Buoyant Art and Design Scene Proves Culture Can Thrive Amid the Pandemic." Architectural Digest. Released March 10, 2021. architecturaldigest.com
- Fung Collaboratives project page: Illuminate.
- Fung Collaboratives press archive: Architectural Digest.