Credit: Xavier Cortada
CONTACT: Adam Roberti, (954) 593-9778, adam@cortadafoundation.org
MIAMI, FL– Miami-Dade County Artist-in-Residence Xavier Cortada proudly presents “The Underwater,” an immersive public art campaign, set to make waves during Art Week 2023. This community-wide initiative grabs attention and piques curiosity through site-specific yard signs that creatively reveal Miami’s vulnerability to rising seas, spark climate conversations, and catalyze civic engagement.
From December 4th to 10th, 2023, Miami Beach, Downtown, and Wynwood will transform into dynamic canvases for thousands of elevation yard signs strategically placed in front of retail venues, cultural hubs, and high-traffic corridors. The signs will depict each area’s elevation above sea level, inviting passersby to scan embedded QR codes and discover their home’s elevation, turning the invisible threat of sea level rise into an undeniable reality.
“I developed “The Underwater” to help my neighbors understand our vulnerability to rising seas and provide them with a creative platform for climate solutions,” stated Cortada. “Art has the power to reframe the way we think, connect us to one another, and catalyze us into action.”
Miami Art Week attendees will have the unique opportunity to actively participate in the campaign by creating or picking up their own elevation yard signs at select locations. This hands-on involvement connects individuals with the climate crisis, empowering them to be part of the solution. The Knight Foundation and Xavier Cortada Foundation, in collaboration with Creative Capital, Cecil & Ana Milton Family Foundation, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, Wynwood BID and others, have invested in this large-scale participatory art project.
“We believe that this art-centered approach not only makes climate feel personal and urgent, but it reaches audiences who are not typically involved in environmental efforts and provides them with actionable steps for local engagement,” said Adam Roberti, Executive Director of the Cortada Foundation.
“The Underwater,” an initiative recognized with awards the artist has received from Creative Capital, Oolite, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, transforms spectators into contributors, instilling a sense of collective responsibility and hope for meaningful change.
“Working together,” said Adam Ganuza, Chief of Staff at the Knight Foundation, “we have an incredible opportunity to not only highlight the urgency of climate change in our community, but to showcase how our city is at the forefront of finding innovative and collaborative solutions through informed engagement.”
“The Underwater” will feature several key events during Art Week 2023:
Monday, Dec. 4th | 5pm – 7:30pm | Miami Beach Regional Library
Launch of Art Week 2023: Underwater Conversation
Join Xavier Cortada and esteemed panelists for an insightful discussion on climate change, featuring Brian Haus (University of Miami), Christine Kuan (Creative Capital), and Adam Roberti (Cortada Foundation).
Tuesday, Dec. 5th – Sunday, Dec. 10th | 11am – 5pm | Miami Beach (Ocean Drive and 6th Street)
Elevating Miami Beach: Interactive Installation
Experience Xavier Cortada’s site-specific interactive installation of Elevation Yard Signs at Ocean Drive and 6th Street, where participants can engage with the Cortada Foundation to create their own elevation yard signs.
Tuesday, Dec. 5th (5pm – 10pm) & Wednesday, Dec. 6th – Sunday, Dec. 10th (11am – 5pm)
Downtown (Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall – North Bay Shore Drive and 14th Street)
Elevating Downtown: Interactive Installation
Experience Xavier Cortada’s site-specific interactive installation of Elevation Yard Signs outside the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall, where participants can engage with the Cortada Foundation to create their own elevation yard signs.
Sunday, Dec. 10th | 6pm – 8pm | Moonlighter FabLab (Miami Beach)
Close of Art Week 2023: Underwater Conversation
Celebrate the conclusion of Art Week 2023 with Xavier Cortada and panelists including Kylee Crook (Bass Museum) and Katie Mach (University of Miami), discussing solutions for protecting South Florida.
For more information about “The Underwater” and a schedule of upcoming events, please visit https://cortadafoundation.org/underwater/art-week-2023/.
About The Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers.
About Xavier Cortada
Xavier Cortada, Miami-Dade County’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence and a University of Miami Professor of Practice, is a Cuban-American artist whose work intends to generate awareness and action around climate change, sea level rise and biodiversity loss. Cortada has created art at the North and South poles and across six continents, including more than 150 public artworks, installations, collaborative murals and socially engaged projects.
About The Cortada Foundation
The Cortada Foundation is dedicated to implementing socially engaged art projects that drive community-led climate action and inspire meaningful change. Learn more at www.cortadafoundation.org
