#KEEPCOOLMIAMIDADE

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ABOUT THE INITIATIVE

Artist Xavier Cortada and Chris Valletta, Co-Founder of MISSION, celebrate the launch of #KeepCoolMiamiDade

EXTREME HEAT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Xavier Cortada’s #KeepCoolMiamiDade socially engaged art project harnesses the transformative power of art to deepen our understanding and response to the pressing challenges of a warming planet. In collaboration with the county’s Chief Heat Officer and the Coral Gables Museum, the Xavier Cortada Foundation is implementing artistic interventions this summer that ignite dialogue and inspire action in relation to extreme heat.

To amplify the impact, Xavier Cortada joined forces with MISSION, a prominent producer of cooling gear, to create special edition cooling towels. These unique towels not only shield us from the scorching sun depicted on them but also serve as catalysts for conversations about our vulnerability to extreme heat.

The Keep Cool Miami-Dade initiative goes beyond raising awareness; it serves as a resounding call to action. By encouraging individuals to recognize the far-reaching consequences of extreme heat and providing them with the tools and knowledge to mitigate its most severe effects, we strive to enhance the safety and resilience of Miami-Dade County in the face of this critical public health threat. Together, let us pave the way towards a cooler, more sustainable future.

ABOUT THE ART

Xavier Cortada’s “Keep Cool Miami-Dade” cooling towel is a visual representation of the heat and humidity that defines life in Miami-Dade County. The vibrant sun, with its bold yellow and orange hues, symbolizes the scorching heat that makes it challenging and often dangerous for people to carry out their daily activities. The background’s contrasted, textured blues evoke the importance of hydration, shade, and finding ways to keep cool. This artwork is at the heart of #KeepCoolMiamiDade, a heat safety campaign raising awareness about the consequences of extreme heat while providing practical strategies for individuals to combat the worst effects.

ABOUT THE TECH

MISSION was co-founded in 2009 by a group scientists, engineers, world-class athletes, Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade and Drew Brees, as well as heat-safety experts who all saw the frustrating and increasingly-dangerous impact of heat, along with the limited solutions available to address it. The opportunity to create wearable cooling innovations that not only improved comfort and safety during activity in the heat, but also drastically improved performance and productivity, was clear. 14 years later, MISSION has become the established US market leader in year round, active wearable cooling innovations that help improve comfort, safety and performance for anyone who lives, works or plays in the heat. MISSION is distributed nationwide in over 25,000 retail stores, online, via industrial and commercial channels, and leads the market with patented and proprietary technologies that empower users to do more when the HEAT is on.