Stay busy this April with dinosaur Legos, Miami Film Festival and tarot poetry
There’s a lot going on this April for arts lovers. If you’re into astrology, the planet mercury is in retrograde, which means you can blame your typos and car troubles on the cosmos. But if you’re into arts and culture, there’s good news to look forward to this month.
This is the April edition of Arts Notes, the Miami Herald’s monthly column for art events, shows and celebrations. Email me suggestions for next month at arosa@miamiherald.com.
April 1 is especially exciting for all you tortured poets out there, as today kicks off National Poetry Month and the O, Miami Poetry Festival. That means you’ll see poems everywhere in the 305, from fruit stickers at the grocery store to fake parking tickets on your windshield. And WLRN and O, Miami are encouraging Miamians to write and submit Zip Odes, five-line poems where the number of words in each line correlates to the Zip Code numbers. I wrote this for 33140:
Everything bagel with
Chive cream cheese
Toasted
Now, to the beach
!
Maybe I’ll go into poetry if this journalism stuff doesn’t work out. Here’s this month’s arts and culture highlights:
Watch the best in cinema at Miami Film Festival
Miami’s premiere international film festival returns for its 41st edition with a lineup of more than 180 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films from over 31 countries. This year is the first with executive director James Woolley at the helm.
“This year’s lineup spotlights exciting narrative programming, essential documentaries, and groundbreaking shorts, bringing an unbelievable host of films to our local community,” Woolley said in a statement.
On opening night April 5, the festival kicks off with “Thelma,” an action film about a 93-year-old grandmother who goes on a treacherous quest to get her money back from a phone scammer. (As she should!) This year’s lineup is stacked with impressive films made in Miami by Miami filmmakers, like Monica Sorelle’s “Mountains” and Chris Molina’s “Fallen Fruit.”
When: April 5-14
Where: Screenings will take place at Silverspot Cinema, the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall, Regal Cinema South Beach, Cosford Cinema, Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Miami Beach Bandshell, O Cinema South Beach and Pérez Art Museum Miami.
Info: Full schedule, screenings and tickets available online. https://miamifilmfestival.com/
Traveling Lego art exhibit downtown
Some artists use paint. Nathan Sawaya uses Lego bricks.
“The Art of the Brick” is an internationally touring exhibit featuring over 150 sculptures made out of the popular children’s toy. Among the pieces are recreations of Michaelangelo and da Vinci’s works and a 20-foot-long “Tyrannosaurus Rex” skeleton made of 80,020 bricks.
Tickets start at $11.90 for children and $19.90 for adults.
When: On view until May 19
Where: Olympia Theater, 174 E Flagler St., Miami
Info: https://theartofthebrickexpo.com/miami/
New comedy series in swanky Miami Beach theater
Ready to laugh in one of Miami’s prettiest venues?
Last month, the grand opera house-inspired Faena Theater launched Masters of Comedy, a new monthly stand-up comedy series. The shows are hosted the last Wednesday of each month. This month’s comedian is Adam Ray, known for starring in “The Heat,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Arrested Development.”
When: April 24, 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
Where: 3201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Info: Open to guests 18 and over. https://faenatheater.com/masters-of-comedy
Grammy-nominated artist performs ‘Rock Guaguanco Opera’
Sol Ruiz, a Miami-based, Grammy-nominated musical artist, is presenting the world premiere of “Positive Vibration Nation,” an opera performance that defies genre.
With an ensemble of Miami-based, Hispanic musicians and performers, Ruiz combines Afro-Cuban guaguanco, reggae, cumbia and merengue to tell the story of six futuristic musicians who go back in time to discover their roots. The work was directed by Teo Castellanos and commissioned by Miami Light Project.
When: April 12-13, 8 p.m.
Where: Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave., Miami Shores
Info: https://miamilightproject.com/event/sol-ruiz-positive-vibration-nation/
Write poetry with tarot cards at The Deering Estate
If you can’t tell the future with tarot cards, why not create poetry with them?
Caridad Moro-Gronlier, an award-winning, Miami-based poet, is guiding a poetry workshop inspired by the symbology, imagery and archetypes of the tarot. Participants will be asked to pick a card and write original poems based on their creative interpretation of the card.
The event is part of this year’s O, Miami Poetry Festival. Tickets start at $15.
When: April 19, 7 -9 p.m.
Where: The Deering Estate Richmond House, 16701 SW 72nd Ave., Miami,
Info: https://omiami.org/projects-and-events/tarot-poetry-deering-2024fest
This story was produced with financial support from individuals and Berkowitz Contemporary Arts in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
