Fabulous and free: FIU opens new Frost Art Museum

November 20, 9:01 PMMiami Travel ExaminerGeorge Leposky

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The new Frost Art Museum on
the FIU campus © George Leposky

Florida International University in Miami will open its new $19 million, 46,000-square-foot Frost Art Museum to the public on Saturday, November 29, beginning a schedule of festivities that continues through Sunday, December 7. 

On December 7, modernist sculptor Joel Shapiro will speak at Breakfast in the Park, an Art Basel Miami Beach event held in front of the Frost from 9:30 AM to noon.  The museum will be open, and tours of FIU’s extensive collection of outdoor sculpture will be available.  Breakfast in the Park is free, but you must RSVP. Call 305-348-0401.

The new Frost Art Museum replaces a small campus gallery space that opened in 1977 with just 2,800 square feet of space.
The Frost is the only museum in South Florida that charges no admission. “You don’t have to pay to get in the door,” declares Carol Damian, director and chief curator

Artist Xavier Cortada describes
the creation of his tapestries
© George Leposky

When you go, you’ll see an architectural jewel. The exterior surface of this three-story L-shaped structure sparkles in the sun.

You’ll enter through a lofty atrium and ascend a cantilevered, exposed-steel staircase with Italian marble steps.

‘Digital Tapestry’

On the atrium’s south wall hangs the only significant splash of color in this entire space, a vivid “digital tapestry” by Miami artist Xavier Cortada depicting the shadows cast by leaves of native Florida trees.

On the atrium’s south wall hangs the only significant splash of color in this entire space, a vivid “digital tapestry” by Miami artist Xavier Cortada depicting the shadows cast by leaves of native Florida trees.

Tapestry and cantilevered atrium
staircase from the second-floor
landing © George Leposky

The tapestry is one of four that Cortada has created, inspired by the ancient Greeks’ four primary elements. They will be rotated seasonally through the year: aer (air) for autumn, ignis (fire) for winter, terra (earth) for spring, and aqua (water) for summer. “As you climb up the staircase,” he says, “you can explore your connection with nature and experience the native tree canopy that used to be here before FIU was here.”

You can also get a close-up look at portions of the tapestry, which Cortada crafted using photographic and scanning technologies, and printing on fire-retardant cloth with a dye sublimination so it won’t fade. “It’s all digital, except for a few scratches I added by hand for texture,” he explains.

Six New Exhibitions

The new Frost museum encompasses 46,000 square feet of space, including 10,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The Frost will open with six new exhibitions, including modern masterworks from the Smithsonian; an exhibit of works by a former FIU art student, Luisa Basnueva; and two large-scale sculpture installations that make immediate use of the museum’s new-found elbow room.

While you admire the art, don’t neglect the building’s technological artistry.  For example, five of its nine galleries have skylights that admit natural light in carefully controlled doses.

When you go

The Frost Art Museum is at 10975 SW 17th St. on FIU’s University Park campus. Located on a broad pedestrian mall called Avenue of the Arts, the Frost is north of the university’s Wertheim Performing Arts Center and west of the Blue parking garage.

During its opening celebration from Saturday, November 29, through Sunday, December 7, the Frost will welcome visitors daily from 10 AM to 5 PM. Thereafter, normal opening hours will be 10 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 PM Sunday, closed Monday and on legal holidays.  The main museum phone number is 305-348-2890.