SoBAY Festival of the Arts at the Deering Estate in Miami

Set against the backdrop of a growing South Biscayne Bay (SoBay) Community and founded in 2006, the SoBay Festival of the Arts celebrates the literary, performing, and visual arts at the Deering Estate at Cutler. In partnership with LegalArt, Bernice Steinbaum, the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, the Miami-Dade College Theatre Department and individual artists such as Xavier Cortada, Jennifer Basile, Deena Blazejack, Cherie Clark, Ingrid Eliasson, and Vickie Pierre we celebrate the best of Miami’s artistic talent.

The following events will be held from January 31st through February 14th at the Deering Estate:

Sunday, January 31st
ArtSoBay Exhibit Opening
7:00 - 9:00 pm; Free. Open to the public.
Join us for the ArtSoBay Exhibit Opening with a progressive evening of art, history, and entertainment! Xavier Cortada will present his genographic project, "Ancestral Journeys,” a series of installations and performances using DNA to trace the ancestral journeys of people living in Miami. Guest juror, Bernice Steinbaum in partnership with LegalArt and the Deering Estate at Cutler presents a group art exhibit in the Stone House, Richmond Cottage and main grounds of the Estate. Artists in Residence – Jennifer Basile, Deena Blazejack, Cherie Clark, Ingrid Eliasson, and Vickie Pierre will present a culmination exhibit of their past year’s work while in residence on the Estate. Vignettes in the Courtyard will be featured by the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and the Miami Dade College Theatre Department.

Sunday, January 31st – February 26th
ArtSoBay Exhibit: "Ancestral Journeys," Xavier Cortada
In developing the works for the "Ancestral Journeys" installations and performances at Deering Estate, Cortada will be using DNA to trace the ancestral journeys of people living in Miami. Cortada will do so through the Genographic Project. The site-specific works Cortada proposes to install and perform during February 2010 include The Ancestral Dinner Party, Ancestral Journeys and Ancestral Miami. The artwork shows the interconnectedness between those who came from different countries across the Hemisphere to build their lives in Miami and their relationship to the natural world. In their blood they capture evidence of the routes their deep ancestors took in response to climatic changes from their original journey out of Africa 60,000 years ago. Looking at their biology to explore how nature influenced human history, the art piece will use genetic data to create a portrait of Miami's community.

Friday, February 5, 2010
Greater Miami Youth Symphony Performance
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm; $15
Join us for an evening celebrating emerging young artists in our community as they perform various vignettes of Chamber Music in the historic Stone House Ballroom. The Greater Miami Youth Symphony - our youth performance Artists-in-Residence - will co-host the evening.

Saturday, February 6, 2010
"Book Nook by the Bay" - "EcoArt"
10:00 am - 12:00 pm; Free with Estate admission: $10 for adults; $5 for children (ages 4-14).
Join the Deering Estate at Cutler's staff and Artists-in-Residence and find inspiration in the natural features of the Estate while creating an eco-art project that focuses on the importance of environmental stewardship.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
“Icon of a Moment” – Panel discussion and lecture in the Ballroom
7:00 - 9:00 pm; $15
Join the Deering Estate's own Literary Artists-in-Residence, Deena Blazejack, guest historian, Dr. Paul George, Independent researcher and author from the Chicago area, Jennifer Faus, and Education and Interpretive Staff, Jessical Cabral as they lead a discussion and discovery of the juxtapositions of technology and culture depicted through Charles Deering - an icon of a moment in our nation's history.

Friday, February 12, 2010
Miami-Dade College Theatre Department
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm; $15
Under the direction of Deborah Mello, Miami-Dade College's Theatre Department will present an evening of Vignette's on the Estate.

Saturday, February 13, 2010
ArtSoBay Exhibit: Curator's Tour & Lunch
Tour at 11:00 am; Lunch at 12:00 pm; $25 includes gourmet boxed luncheon.
Join Xavier Cortada, Artists-in-Residence, featured ArtSoBay artists, LegalArt Executive Director, Kathleen Carignan, and Exhibits and Collections Manager of the Deering Estate for a guided tour of the exhibits followed by a discussion of the Economic Impact on our Community over lunch. RSVP required by Tuesday, February 9th. Please call 305-235-1668 ext. 233.

Sunday, February 14, 2010
11th annual "Moonlight & Music" Valentine's Day Concert
Concert begins at 7:00 pm; gate opens at 6:00 pm; $20 general admission.
The festival will end on a romantic note with the 11th annual “Moonlight and Music” Valentine’s Day Concert. The concert will feature Johnny Rodgers who will delight guests with his original soft rock ballads, Taylor-flavored melodies, and sultry jazz arrangements. Johnny Rodgers performed to a sold out crowd at the Deering Estate's July 2009 Summer Cabaret Concert. Liza Minnelli discovered Johnny several years ago, bringing him on as a pianist and guest performer on her world tours and recently featured Johnny in “Liza’s At The Palace” on Broadway. Johnny Rodgers grew up in Miami and is a product of Westminster Christian, Southwood Middle School, and New World School of the Arts. He also attended University of Miami Frost School of Music.

For more information, please visit http://www.deeringestate.org/.