Join us for an afternoon of orientation, vision-dreaming, and intention-setting. To help you get the most out of membership, this orientation will cover everything from why the program exists to how it works and what you can expect. Orientation is also the ideal time to meet or reconnect with fellow members you’ll learn from and grow with throughout the season. 

4—4:30 PM | Welcome libations & snacks inside The Bass
4:30—6 PM | Orientation with artist Carola Bravo outside at Collins Park
6—7 PM | Extended museum hours

A portion of this year’s session will take place on the green in Collins Park at The Bass Museum of Art, and all are invited to stay for a while and explore the museum’s exhibitions after orientation. With picnic blankets courtesy of textile creatives Fouta Harissa, we’ll gather inspiration from and connect around the work of Miami-based Venezuelan artist Carola Bravo. In Between Absence and Presence, Bravo challenges traditional commemoration and the use of public monuments by inverting a pedestal and covering it in a mirrored surface, reflecting spectators and the surrounding environment. The reflective presence offers us a moment of observation and introspection, directing the viewers’ gaze toward themselves and, in our case, toward each other.

A few notes as we leap into Season Six together:
- Wear comfortable shoes and attire
- Custom picnic blankets by Fouta Harissa are made for sharing; consider sitting next to someone new 
- Stay open to the creative process
- Orientation is rain or shine; the event will be moved inside the museum if need be
- Contact hello@commissioner.us with any accessibility questions or considerations

Thank you to partners Fouta Harissa, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and The Bass Museum of Art for making this gathering all the more special.

More About The Bass and New Monuments 

The Bass is situated in Collins Park, a public park in Miami Beach, where there are presently four monuments that were commissioned by different groups at various times. Sitting atop stone plinths in the south side of the park, these existing monuments pay homage to Cuban epidemiologist Dr. Carlos Finlay, Venezuelan political leader Simón Bolívar, Nicaraguan scientist Dr. Luis Henry Debayle and Cuban writer Jose Martí. Amid an international debate on monuments and their legitimacy, New Monuments seeks to provide artists the opportunity to produce a new, temporary fifth monument.

“The Bass conceived of New Monuments as a way to elevate artistic voices in Miami,” said Silvia Karman Cubiñá, Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Bass. “In its third year, we’re excited to continue to provide a forum where local artists engage in the national conversation redefining monuments and who or what they honor and represent.”

Building upon the question of “what is a monument” and engaging in current conversations, Between Absence and Presence by Carola Bravo is the third work in the New Monuments open artist call.