Guided by Amanda Sanfilippo Long, Curator and Manager of Art in Public Places and Director of the South Florida Cultural Consortium, we explored new commissions at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami Dade Justice Center.
Moving through lobbies, courtrooms, and waiting rooms—spaces where people are often navigating profound and complex situations—we encountered artworks demanding that we feel the weight of the decisions made in these places.
Each installation invited us to remember where we are and to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else, envisioning the scenarios under which they might be at the courthouse, and how art, in all its promise, offers perspective.
Courtroom waiting area. Floor 14
Beverly Acha “Circular Ruins”
April 17—May 30, 2026. Izzy Lee Gallery. 508 Chung King Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Nuevos Principios o In Praise of Change (To the People of Miami) is Beverly Acha's first public art commission. A Season Three commissioned artist, Acha’s monumental 32-foot oil painting abstracts familiar forms found in nature. Miami, with its ocean and light, serves as a recurring motif in the artist's work.
In her first Los Angeles show at Izzy Lee Gallery, Circular Ruins features new paintings exploring the symbolism of time—using broken clocks and spirals—inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story of the same name. Learn more about Acha, and take a look at her monograph, here.
Courtroom waiting area. Floor 16
Loni Johnson in “Material, Material World (Miami)”
April 16—May 30, 2026. David Castillo Gallery. 25 NE 39th St., Miami Design District, FL 33137
Loni Johnson's installation at the courthouse, titled His Arrow Never Misses The Mark…, draws directly from High John the Conqueror, a powerful hoodoo symbol representing resilience, self-determination, protection, and victory.
The Season Six artist uses reflective materials that literally mirror the image of viewers and their surroundings, creating an intentional visual dialogue where audiences see themselves and can be seen within the work.
Just as significant is the artwork's placement in a waiting room—an interstitial space that functions as a portal between decisions and choices. This deliberate spatial positioning fosters familiarity and contemplation, perhaps even comfort at a time when many are navigating significant life circumstances.
Johnson’s work is now on view in Material, Material World (Miami) at David Castillo Gallery, a group exhibition featuring pieces by Miami-based artists exploring and pushing the limits of materiality.
Courtroom waiting area. Floor 21
Morel Doucet in “Fractured Foundations: 250 Years of American History”
June 27—November 29, 2026. American Museum of Ceramic Art. 399 North Garey Ave., Pomona, CA 91767
Sunset Serenade: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape is Season Three commissioned artist, Morel Doucet’s foray into new mediums and sculptural language.
Following his 2024 residency in the Everglades with AIRIE, Doucet was inspired by the dynamic and fragile landscape of South Florida, memory, and Caribbean motifs from his Haitian heritage.
Public art often pushes artists beyond their comfort zone as an opportunity to design for surfaces and spaces they may not have otherwise considered. Doucet describes this work as “looking through [his] memory,” using sunset hues to evoke a feeling of happiness in an otherwise serious space.
To see more of Doucet’s work, visit his permanent installation in the lobby of the Domus Flats Hotel in Brickell, which extends the themes from his ongoing body of work in the courthouse. Additionally, Doucet will be featured in Fractured Foundations exhibit this summer at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA). Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States, the show invites artists to reconsider historical events through contemporary ceramic practices, challenging dominant narratives while highlighting resilience, injustice, and transformation.
Courtroom reception area. Lobby
Edouard Duval-Carrié: “Crossing the Bridge,” Miami; “In Minor Keys,” Venice.
“Crossing the Bridge.” On view through May 24, 2026. Oolite Arts. 924 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach, Florida 33139. “In Minor Keys.” 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. On view through November 22, 2026. Arsenale and Giardini Venice, Italy
Ode to the Everglades is Edouard Duval-Carrié's largest painting to date and serves as the primary public art installation at the justice center's main lobby entrance.
Like Doucet, Duval-Carrié highlights South Florida's biodiversity. His works in the courthouse offer a perspective where the Everglades dominate the foreground while the Miami cityscape appears diminished in the background—a direct visual statement on where our care should be directed.
The Season Seven Commissioned artist is having an eventful year on the world stage with his Venice Biennale debut. Travel with us this fall to see his works in person, and closer to home, visit Oolite’s Crossing the Bridge exhibition curated by Claire Breukel and Lauryn Lawrence. Programming includes a panel discussion with Yanira Collado on Saturday, May 23, 6–8 PM (RSVP) and curatorial tours.
Compiled by Adaeze Nwakobi and Dejha Carrington.
Thank you to the Art in Public Places and to our Commissioner crew for continuously supporting the work of artists wherever they take us.