Meaning-Making with Philip Smith and Vickie Pierre

A sunset is a beautiful thing.

On Sunday, October 5, 2025, we invited our community to celebrate the closing of exhibitions Magnetic Fields by Philip Smith and The Maiden is The Warrior by Vickie Pierre at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA).

In a private tour led by Smith, 2021 Commissioner Artist, we learned about the critical moments, life changes, and spiritual journey that have informed his creative development over the past five decades. Curated by art historian Robin Clark, Magnetic Fields was Smith’s first museum career survey.

Pierre, although working from vastly different influences, has also honed her own pictographic language. In a conversation facilitated by Lauren Baccus, MOCA Director of Education and Community Engagement, the artist helped us decode the symbols, materials, and narratives behind her work. Here, we observed the “poupée” or doll as heroine. The Maiden is The Warrior, Pierre’s first major museum show, was curated by Adeze Wilford.

“These exhibitions together introduced us to worlds beyond worlds—unseen worlds—thinking through the landscapes of our minds, creation, and imagination,” observed Baccus.

Yes to this. More world-building, more speculative futures, please.

Photos by Daniel Bock, courtesy of MOCA.