“To Miami, with Love”: Pandemic Life and Protest by Rahsaan Alexander
APRIL 8TH to may 8th, 2021
Hampton Art Lovers and the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery supports local African-American artists and their personal narratives of reflection. “To Miami, with Love”: Pandemic Life and Protest by Rahsaan Alexander” is a photographic art exhibition that provides a moment of reflection about life in Miami during an historic moment. This unique installation is an interactive multimedia series of programs featuring photography, literature, music, food and dance that commemorates the one year anniversary of the first lives lost to the pandemic in Miami. Sponsored by S.E. Overtown / Park West CRA | Reef Technology | Ottinot Law P.A. | Spirits Sponsored by Duke & Dame Whiskey.
Rahsaan Alexander has a distinguished career curating musical events as “DJ Fly Guy.” He has always had some affinity for the visual arts as well. Recently he picked up a camera during the pandemic. Within the purity of his monochrome photos, he vividly captured Miami throughout an unprecedented time of civil protest and life during a pandemic. “To Miami, with Love” highlights the story and emotion of Miami’s new “normal” quarantine and pandemic life; that can only be captured by someone who has an organic connection to their surroundings.
Miami changed drastically on March 15th, 2020. The cities of Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale announced sweeping measures to shut down their most popular public beaches indefinitely and to close all “non-essential” businesses by 10 pm. This was a delicate balancing act designed to mitigate the spread of the most deadly pandemic in a century without decimating the region’s tourism-based economies. The pandemic moment has shocked the tourism, nightlife and entertainment industries. No industries have been more directly impacted by the pandemic. From the low-wage hotel-room cleaners to the well paid event promoters, all were impacted immediately as businesses closed their doors.
This is where “To Miami, with Love” enters. Rahsaan amassed a 10-year career as the “high energy" persona “DJ Fly Guy” in the South Florida entertainment industry. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, his career took a devastating blow. A new reality began to set in, but along with it - a moment of solitude and deep inflection. Rahsaan made a decision that would ultimately change the course of the remainder of his year. He charged himself with the task of reigniting the zest and enthusiasm he once had for an old love of his, photography. With an eye for design, he published a book of photography, which is the basis of the artwork curated by Hampton Art Lovers.
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COVID 19 restrictions apply.
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Photo by Rahsaan ‘DJ Fly Guy’ Alexander
“To Miami With Love” is a pop-up experience that includes several curated events to provide a panoramic experience of art, music and culture:
“To Miami, with Love: By Rahsaan Alexander” : photographic art exhibition at the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery from April 8 to May 8th
“To Miami, with Love: Groove Theory” : Grooves curated by DJ Fly Guy for Tuesday night dinner patrons at Marcus Samuleson's recently opened Red Rooster in Overtown.
“Friday Gallery Night: Dedication” : every Friday in April at the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery we present an experience of vibes, art and sounds. DJ Fly Guy will curate music inspired from a specific piece of his artwork weekly
“Movies in the Ward Garden” : every Saturday in April we feature films in our garden that promote thought and conversation about art and. Featuring: “PIVOT: A 2020 Story”, short film that chronicles the journey of Rahsaan "Fly Guy" Alexander through his formative years as a young entrepreneur up to his evolution into becoming one of Miami's top entertainers drastically impacted by the on-set of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. | “Light Found in the Dark: The Life Story of Dr. Steve Gallon III,” showcases how the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Vice Chairman rose from the streets of 1980s Liberty City to lifelong educator. Gallon’s life frames the struggle of young Black males decades ago and their continued struggle today, regardless of their place in society, in order to avoid pitfalls that lead to prison, poverty or early death. | “The Art of The Steal” is a documentary about the controversial move of the Barnes Foundation collection of the world's best collection of post-Impressionist art, valued in 2009 to be worth at least $25-billion. Albert Barnes’s died in 1951, his will gave control of the collection to the trustees of Lincoln University, the nation’s first HBCU. Eventually, Philadelphia's elite schemed to permanently remove the collection from Lincoln University, that some would later call the heist of the century.