Valeria Izaguirre is a Senior double majoring in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communications and International Relations at Florida International University. Once she graduates she hopes to work in PR. Her desired industries are education, tourism, and hospitality. She has a passion for traveling the world and learning about new cultures. Valeria was born and raised in Honduras but moved to the West Palm Beach area at the age of 12. She has lived in Miami for the past 3 years and hopes she can continue learning and experiencing the city even after she graduates.
Art Encounter as Text
“Art City” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU January 17, 2024
Ever since I was young I have always been fascinated by art. For as long as I can remember I was always enrolled in an art class outside of elementary school. I was so inspired by art that from a young age I decided I wanted to be an architect. As time went on I became more obsessed with the peculiar shape of certain buildings and the attention to detail of their interior. Later on this fascination turned into an admiration for interior design. I was now captivated by the way that designers could compose the inside of a home with such beauty. I would be so focused on how each furniture piece, artwork, and even a throw pillow all tied together to create a specific ambience in each room. As I grew older my dream to become an architect diminished, however, my fascination for art still stands today.
I continue to incorporate art in my life in more ways than none. My current major, public relations, has been a pathway to digitize my creativity and find more ways to reach my aspiration to continue being creative and artistic. I have learned that art isn’t only painting on a canvas, art can be found on walls, on the floor, in your phone, through a video, or just with pen and paper. I have dove deeper into digital art and can spend hours creating videos that illustrate my feelings and emotions through a completely different way. Nevertheless, I love when I get the opportunity to express myself on a canvas with different colors and how I learned from a young age.
One of my favorite activities is attending museums. I believe it’s an opportunity for people who don’t usually express themselves with words to tell their story while allowing other people to use their imagination and creativity to analyze and understand their art in their own way. When I visit museums I usually take my time with each painting and try to find the meaning behind it. I look at the colors that were used, the technique that was used, the position of the canvas, and the different materials that were used to create each piece of art. What I love most about art is the uniqueness of each piece, it is really hard to find the same piece of artwork, with the same meaning and thought behind it. Each artist tells their story in their own creative way. As a result of my admiration for art, I have an appreciation for Miami culture. Every corner you look there is art on the street, on the walls, in cars, on the clothes people wear, and anywhere else you can imagine. I also love the difference in art in each part of Miami, with all the different cultures that this city has. Each piece of art tells a story from a different country, a different background, a different language, and a new way of experiencing life. I am excited to see the hidden artworks that this city has to offer.
Norton As Text
“Hometown Museum” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU January 24, 2024
I would have never imagined that there was such a great place near my home. I had always heard about Norton Museum but I had never gotten the chance to visit, even though I live 20 minutes away. The morning of our class I was excited for all the new art I was going to be experiencing that day, as well as visiting a new place that I had never been to before but had heard such great things about. As soon as I walked in and met the rest of my classmates, I was mesmerized by how big the museum was. We began walking upstairs and it seemed like the stairs were never ending. From the outside, I would have never guessed how much art this museum had inside. The art throughout the staircase was mesmerizing, it looked like bubble bath waters, it was very hard to not want to touch them. It was definitely a great piece of art to be introduced to the Norton Museum.
As we quickly approached our first gallery we were introduced with some of the oldest artifacts many of us had ever seen. With each new piece of art that we saw I was in awe that I had never been in the museum before. The difference in artifacts around the museum is impressive, it felt like we were transported through the years. As we made our way up to the last floor we were welcomed by art pieces that seemed to be twice the size of us. Not only were the paintings splendid but each of their frames made them stand out even more. Most of the third floor was filled with religious paintings, however, each created in a completely different time period with different techniques. What truly surprised me, and I think a lot of my other classmates, is how many of the paintings would be badly looked at in a religious manner as oftentimes it felt that religion was disrespected by the artists. Additionally, it was explained that influential and wealthy individuals of the community would pay artists to include themselves in important religious events to demonstrate the community that they were religious individuals committed to their people.
At the end of the day we ended with some of the best art pieces I have seen. We were able to see art by Picasso and Van Gogh which I would have never imagined I could have seen in a museum in Palm Beach. However, what caught my eyes the most was a painting of the beach. It was so simple compared to the other paintings around the museum but in my mind it illustrated the environment that the museum was around. One of the most recognized places in the country, housing some of the most famous people, and in my opinion one of the best beach towns in the country. I could be biased as I have lived the last 10 years of my life only 20 minutes away from it but I will always adulate Palm Beach.
Margulies/Bakehouse As Text
“Everyone is an Artist” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU February 11, 2024
From Everglades to Art Basel and so many more visits with Bailly, the Margulies Warehouse has been my favorite experience so far. Not only are the paintings and sculptures incredibly unique, but having the incredible opportunity to tour the warehouse with Martin Margulies himself gave a completely new perspective to the art found there. The ability to ask Margulies questions as to how and why he acquires certain pieces allowed me to better understand the meaning behind each piece of art. To begin, Margulies gave us a brief explanation of his warehouse and how he had started this project. Both him and Bailly emphasized how he was one of the first people to open a warehouse in Wynwood, even before art consumed this part of the city. He explained how sculptures were a fascination for him as they spoke so much more than paintings or photographs. When speaking about sculptures, Margulies mentioned how “you could take anything and make it a piece of art.” This created a completely different connotation surrounding art. I appreciated his comments regarding this and how everything can be seen as art because it means that anyone can be an artist, without the need to know different art techniques or have attended years of art school. This resonates with me a lot because even though I have been in art class for much of my life, as I grew older and was no longer a part of these classes I felt like I lacked my artistic side. However, Margulies reminded me that you can in fact be an artist without any external factors. Additionally, I admired Margulies for the way that he appreciated art to such an extent that he created this warehouse for other people to be able to experience these pieces.
My favorite piece of art at the Margulies Warehouse was without a doubt “The Ages of the World,” by Anselm Kiefer. I was fascinated with the detail of every piece that went into creating this sculpture. I was especially captivated by how this was supposed to be a waste pile of failed art paintings but it turned into an art piece on its own. The dead sunflowers “growing” from the pile of “trash” was a sign of hope and rebirth. To me this ties back with how a pile of “trash” turned into a piece of artwork, meaning this sculpture gave these failed pieces of art a new meaning and hope to be seen as art even though they did not turn out as they were originally supposed to. Additionally, this piece of art reminded me of what Margulies initially said that “anything can be turned into art.” Almost two weeks after our visit to the Margulies Warehouse I am still fascinated by its history, its owner, and everything else it has to offer. I truly cannot wait to go back to the warehouse and experience any new exhibitions they might have. I without a doubt will remember this experience for many years to come.
Art Wynwood As Text
“Best of Both Worlds” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU March 3, 2024
In my opinion when most people think of Miami and art, oftentimes, the first thing or place that comes to their mind is Wynwood. Since this part of the city is recognized by their unconventional art in every corner that you walk in. Whether you are looking at the walls, the streets you are walking, or even inside each store or restaurant you step in, you are definitely seeing art in every place. On the other hand, some people’s definition of art in Miami might be Art Basel. A world-known art fair that happens every year in Miami Beach. To me, both of these sides of Miami were seen at the Art Wynwood fair. It was a mix of the unconventional art that is seen in every corner of Wynwood with the luxurious side of Miami art seen at Art Basel. As it was my first time ever attending the fair and even hearing about it, I truly did not know what to expect. Before arriving I thought the fair would showcase all of Wynwood’s most famous graffiti artists that are easily recognized by their distinct art style. To my surprise the fair included artists from all over the world that similar to Art Basel artists had to travel many miles for the opportunity to display their art in one of Miami’s art fairs.
The first gallery that we visited was definitely an all time favorite of mine. The speaker, Ramon Cernuda and his wife, were so welcoming to their gallery and the way that Cernuda spoke about every painting truly showed how invested they both were in the world of art and more than their job, it was truly a passion of theirs. Each painting in their gallery was so beautiful and gave life to the bare walls of the gallery. Each explanation that Cernuda provided felt genuine and it seemed like he had specifically chosen each piece of art. Most of the art in his gallery illustrated Latino, specifically Cuban, feelings and emotions that were understood by most of our class as the majority of us come from Latino families. More specifically some paintings portrayed the hardships of a Latino country, like Cuba, against a corrupt government. Many countries in Latin America have been negatively affected by corrupt governments and thus many citizens of these countries have seen the need to emigrate from their countries and move to the USA and search for a better life. It is fascinating to see how different artists portray this feeling in their own unique way and how it allows us as the viewers to connect with the art. Some of the art in Cernuda’s gallery had Cuba illustrated as part of a circus emphasizing how most of their government acts as if they were part of a circus. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many countries in Latin America, however, it is somewhat comforting to see it illustrated in a playful and beautiful way as it was shown in the paintings.
Rubell/Emerson Dorsch As Text
“New Perspectives” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU March 17, 2024
The Rubell Museum was one of the places I was most excited to visit with this class. I had the opportunity to visit this museum with my friends a year ago and completely fell in love with it, but I knew that visiting it with the class would give me a completely different perspective and appreciation of the museum. When I visited the museum with my friends, we roamed around the rooms admiring the art at a quick glance but we truly did not know what type of art we were looking at, who the artists were, and the meaning behind it. Regardless of not having any idea about the art I still very much enjoyed the museum and had been aching to go back. This is why when I found out that we would be visiting Rubell with the Art in Miami class I could not be more thrilled. Similar to any other museum it felt like we were receiving the VIP experience, we were able to visit every special exhibit room in the museum and even got the opportunity to wander around the museum before it was open to the public.
Both of the special exhibit rooms by Yayoi Kusama were some of my favorite parts of the museum. Stepping into both rooms transported the guest into a completely different world. I was amazed by the artist’s choice of objects and ability to transport people into a different dimension with just mirrors. The Infinity Mirrored Room was my all time favorite as the mirrors in the shape of a ball gave the room a different look and feel than if it were a room with regular mirrors. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed how the museum incorporated Kusama’s art throughout the entirety of the museum. The mirrored balls at the entrance of the museum caused the guest to be curious about the balls and want to learn more about the installation. I think this is a great way to lead the guest to the exhibition room and it also creates an interesting feeling when you step into the mirrored room. Apart from Kusama’s installations I enjoyed the art by Keith Haring. It was interesting to find out more about the artist since it seems that his art is everywhere nowadays.
On the other hand, visiting the Emerson Dorsch gallery gave me a completely new perspective of art galleries. Both Ibett and Daniel explained the gallery so well to us that in my opinion my classmates and I were able to put into perspective how these art galleries work and how truly difficult it is to transport art from one place to another. The ability to visit art galleries like Emerson Dorsch reminds us that there are a lot more places to visit and view art than museums. I think, especially in Miami, it is easy to only focus and visit museums as this city has such a great range of museums to visit. Nevertheless, this class teaches us about new places in our own city that are just as cool as all the other museums.
PAMM As Text
“Miami’s Museum” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU March 31, 2024
Visiting the Perez Art Museum Miami allowed me to experience a completely different part of the museum. I had previously visited twice before but had never had the opportunity to experience it so in depth. Touring the museum with someone that works there and knows a lot about every piece of art within the museum helps the guest understand the concept of each art piece and why the museum decided to have it. Additionally, the rainy Miami weather the day we visited the PAMM made it the perfect activity. To begin, the art from Joaquin Torres Garcia allowed the class to immediately immerse themselves in Latin America. In my opinion, it is the perfect way to introduce the guest to the museum as it incorporates what Miami is mostly known for, its hispanic culture. Joaquin Torres Garcia, a Uruguayan artist included some of his country’s most recognized characteristics in his art. With such particularity, someone outside of Latin America would find it somewhat challenging to depict the items in which he drew inspiration from, however, being in Miami where most of the population is hispanic many can depict the yerba mate that he included in his art. Following this exhibition we had the privilege to attend another of Yayoi Kusama exhibit rooms, this one looked completely different from the ones we had visited at the Rubell Museum. This exhibit room was filled with different shapes and colors. In comparison to the others at Rubell, which were all filled with just mirrors and no particular colors. It truly is amazing that we have been able to experience three of Kusama’s exhibitions.
Without a doubt my favorite part of this excursion occurred after lunch where we were able to be creative and make our own piece of art in a section of the museum. We were tasked with creating our own zin, which most of us had never heard of before. Taylor Anderson, quickly explained that a zin is basically a small magazine that someone creates with different pieces of art utensils that they find. She provided us with magazines, markers, stamps, tape, and anything else you might think you need for a craft. Each student was motivated to create their piece of art from an experience that they preferred from the Art in Miami class. This was my favorite part of the excursion as we were able to use everything we have learned so far in the class and create something of our own. I decided to create a zin that focuses on Miami and all the art that can be found throughout the city. As this is my third year living in this city, I felt inspired by my own experience of living here and partaking in everything the city has to offer. It was a great way to end our afternoon and it allowed me to see how my classmates express themselves through art. Additionally, we showed each other our own experience in the class through a creative way.
Wolfsonian As Text
“Different Perspectives” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU April 14, 2024
One of my favorite parts of the Art in Miami class is being able to visit different places that showcase art in such unique ways. This part of the class was perfectly illustrated last week as we visited both a museum and a creative learning center. We spent our day in Miami Beach, which I have learned from this class that this side of the city is filled with art everywhere you look. I now have a completely different perspective of Miami Beach than I had before. We first met up at Oolite Arts where I realized I had walked past the building multiple times but had never stopped and looked at it. That is one lesson I have cherished from this class, oftentimes as Miami residents we are used to the places that we typically go to but don’t take the time to look at other amazing things that the city has to offer. As we went up the building at Oolite Arts we were shocked at what a beautiful building it was from the inside and everything that it had to offer. We got the opportunity to meet a couple of the artists that have residencies in the center and we got to learn more about their artworks and their story. A particular person that caught my attention was Diana Eusebio, her story and artwork was incredibly beautiful. She informed us on how she creates her art in the process that goes behind each one of her art pieces. When we were in her Studio the conversation felt very involved as she gave us the opportunity to see, touch and feel the products that she uses to dye her art pieces and how each of them comes to life. She introduced this type of art to me and I look forward to learning more about it.
At the end of our day we visited the Wolfsonian. I had previously heard about the museum but I had never had the privilege of visiting it. Once we walked in, I felt like we were transported to Europe, every inch of the building was so well thought out. Molly Channon, our lovely tour guide at the museum, quickly filled us in on the history of the museum before personally showing us some of the most breathtaking sections of the museum. One of the parts of the tour that most caught my attention was how she decided to introduce a floor of the museum through an interactive activity. We were allowed to choose one of the many paintings on that floor of the museum and she instructed us an activity to learn and experience the art in a new way. She mentioned that on average most people spend 30 seconds looking at an artwork before moving onto the next one, that is nowhere enough time to be able to truly experience the art and understand it. In my opinion, more museums and art places should incorporate this type of activity into their program in order to get their audience more engaged and allow them to learn more about the artwork that is curated for the museum.
Art Final Reflection As Text
“City Art” by Valeria Izaguirre of FIU April 21, 2024
This is more of a reflection of professor Bailly’s classes than simply just Art in Miami. It has been a year since I first enrolled in Bailly’s Miami in Miami class. At that point I truly had no idea what I had gotten myself in and all my roommates that I had somehow convinced to join me in this class. Throughout the first semester we traveled through different parts of Miami that most of the class had never seen before. This gave me a different perspective on a city that I believed was only full of skyscrapers, nightlife and some of the best beaches in the state. It provided an opportunity for all of us to learn about the story of the city that we live in. Additionally, Miami in Miami brought me much closer to my roommates than ever before. As we sat in traffic every other week visiting new places in the city that we live in, this class gave us the opportunity to make different and unique types of memories together especially as this was our last year living all together. We definitely enjoyed our time in Miami in Miami which is why we all decided to come back and enroll for Art in Miami. This was also a new experience for us but we knew we wouldn’t have to kayak through the waters of Key Biscayne to make it to Chicken Key or walk through muddy water in the Everglades, which made us a lot more calm about the experience we were about to have.
As we traveled through Miami, we got the opportunity to visit art museums, galleries, and artist’s studios. We began our journey at the Norton Museum which was in my hometown but I had surprisingly never visited it. In my opinion this was a great first class since it gave us a brief introduction of everything we would be seeing throughout the semester. In addition I was thankful that I had the opportunity to visit this museum in my own home town. After we visited the Margulies Collection, in my opinion I think this was my favorite place that we visited throughout the whole semester. It was truly incredible to learn from Margulies himself and see some of his most possessed items. As the semester went by and we visited other places, many tour guides were impressed that we had the opportunity to learn from Margulies himself, this allowed me to realize just how lucky we were to be able to have that opportunity. Additionally, the day we visited the Margulies Collection was my favorite day all semester as we also visited Bakehouse. This was the first time that I was able to visit artist’s studios and learn from them. We also got the opportunity to take a couple of books home which made the experience a lot better than it already was. In regards to other places that we visited like the Rubell and the Perez Art Museum, it was great being able to revisit museums that I had already been to but now I had the opportunity to learn even more about them since I was visiting with people who knew more about them.
Miami in Miami 