Al Loving’s “Untitled No. 32,” circa 1975. Museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez, Knight Foundation and PAMM Ambassadors for African American Art.

From its inception, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) set out to be both a window into the visual art world for Miami, and a mirror, reflecting the diversity of the local community.

The PAMM Fund for African American Art, focusing on the purchase of contemporary art by African-American artists for the museum’s permanent collection, was one of the early key initiatives towards that goal. The museum started it in September 2013 with a $1 million seed fund, sponsored in equal amounts by developer and art collector Jorge M. Pérez, a trustee and major donor whose name is on the museum, and Knight Foundation.

“Miami is a very diverse community, and one of the wonderful things about PAMM is that it seeks to make the museum a home for every sector of the community,” says Marilyn Holifield, a partner with the law firm of Holland & Knight in Miami who is a museum trustee and co-chair of PAMM Ambassadors for African American Art, a group of donors who support the fund. “That diversity is what makes Miami unique and for our museum to emphasize the importance of African-American art, not only for the African-American community but for the community at large to gain a greater appreciation and awareness of this work is a wonderful thing.”

For Dennis Scholl, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation, “since its opening, PAMM has become Miami’s gathering place, and it’s important that the museum look like, and be inviting to, our community. All museums have an obligation to reflect the community they serve, but in Miami in particular, given its broad diversity, that is even more important. One of the ways to do that is to make sure that when people go to the museum they see work by artists that reflect the broad and diverse nature of our community. [The Fund for African American Art] is one of the initiatives that the museum is taking to ensure that goal.”

Ambassador memberships support not only the acquisition of art but also educational programming and include a number or perks, corresponding to the level of the donation. According to PAMM’s interim Director Leann Standish, the year-old ambassadors group already has 107 members.

“One of the most inspiring things about the Fund for African American Art and the ambassadors is how the ambassadors have stepped up as patrons,” says Scholl, a noted art collector who, with his wife, Debra, donated more than 300 works to the museum, including work from African-American artists. “They don’t want this to be a one-time occurrence. They want the fund to acquire works for the Pérez museum for many years to come.”

And Holifield adds that there is another dimension to the ambassadors’ role. While raising money is important, she says, the larger role of the ambassadors “is to expand the awareness and appreciation for the work of African-American artists.” 

For Haitian-born artist Adler Guerrier, a Miami resident, efforts to expand PAMM’s permanent collection to include the work of black artists, “will only enrich the possibilities of what we might encounter when we go to the museum. The permanent collection mostly hangs on the wall year round; to me, the chance of encountering the work of a Xaviera Simmons adds to the experience.”

PAMM’s initial purchases include “Black Light Series No. 1: Big Black,” a 1967 painting by Faith Ringgold; “Untitled No. 32,” a piece from 1975 by Al Loving; and “Untitled (Pink),” a 2009 photograph from Xaviera Simmons. Guerrier is a member of the African American Artist Advisory Committee, which helps with the selection process for such purchases. Three more acquisitions will be announced April 1 during the Second Annual Reception for the PAMM Fund for African American Art. The museum’s collection already include works by important African-American artists such as Leonardo Drew, Sam Gilliam, Rashid Johnson, Lorna Simpson, James Van Der Zee, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley and Purvis Young.  

Guerrier, who recently had his first major solo show at PAMM, underscores the importance of art in addressing the community’s diversity.

“Artwork can be a building block for the conversation between the different tribes [in the community and reflect our shared values,” he says. “ It says who we are and what is important to us.”

To learn more about the PAMM Fund for African American Art Fund, visit pamm.org/artfund.

Fernando González is a Miami-based arts and culture writer.