By Angelica Arbelaez, Locust Projects

Locust Projects selects twenty-five South Florida high school students to participate in the 2014 LAB (LOCUST ARTS BUILDERS) program:

LAB 2014Image courtesy of Locust Projects, MiamiImage Credit: Marilyn Loddi

Kristen Baldaccini, TERRA Environmental Research Institute, David Baptiste, Miami Beach Senior High, Marco Barbieri, TERRA Environmental Research Institute, Cyrus Blot, North Miami Senior High School, Allison Bouganim, Design and Architecture Senior High, Valeria Buttaci, Gulliver Preparatory School, Ashley Chacon-Herrera, Mays Conservatory of the Arts, Carolina Cuevas, G. Holmes Braddocus Senior High, Micaela Diaz Galvez, Sunset Miami Sunset Senior High, Valentina Echeverry, Academy of Arts and Minds, James Ephraim, Coral Reef Senior High School, Sofia Fascia, Dr. Michael Krop Senior High, Chloe P. Friend, New World School of the Arts, Beth Kimsey, Miami Arts Charter, Ana Martinez Oletta, Palmer Trinity School, Betty McGhee, Ransom Everglades, Fabiola Millan, New World School of the Arts, Vincent Nastasi, Academy of Arts and Minds, Luciano Picone, Design and Architecture Senior High, Danielle J. Respeto, New World School of the Arts, Galicia Rothe, Palmer Trinity School, Anais Shaw, TERRA Environmental Research Institute, Catherine Toruno, John A. Ferguson Senior High School, Camila Villa, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Emmaneul Williams, Design & Architecture Senior High

Florida-based MFA student, Andrew Horton, currently enrolled at Florida International University, has been selected for the LAB MFA exhibition in Locust Projects’ Project Room.

Locust Projects, Miami’s longest running alternative contemporary art space, is pleased to present the 5th year ofLocust Arts Builders (LAB). This year, 25 South Florida high school students selected from an open call, will have the opportunity to create a collaborative exhibition at Locust Projects’ gallery in Miami’s Design District. In a landmark year of growth, applications to the LAB program have nearly doubled, in both the amount of submissions and number of high schools served.

Under the direction of contemporary visual artists Monica Lopez de Victoria of the TM Sisters and Loriel Beltran, students are given the opportunity to create a collaborative exhibition at Locust Projects and manage all aspects of its production during a three week summer intensive. Students also visit art institutions on guided field trips and interact with members of the local art community during visits to the Locust Projects gallery.

The LAB program extends Locust Projects’ 16-year commitment to experimentation and innovation in artistic practice to the next generation of South Florida artists. LAB promotes contemporary art and project-based learning as a means to encourage creativity, critical analysis, and problem solving, while building communication skills. This unique initiative allows young artists to learn the practical and exciting aspects of creating a public exhibition in collaboration with their peers.

The exhibition project culminates with an opening reception where students’ parents, teachers, and friends are invited to celebrate and mingle with Miami’s art community on Second Saturday Art Walk in July.

View video of the 2013 Locust Arts Builders. Video by Jai Paul, Miami

ABOUT LOCUST PROJECTS Locust Projects is a not for profit exhibition space dedicated to providing contemporary visual artists the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressures of gallery sales or limitations of conventional exhibition spaces. Local, national and international artists are encouraged to create site-specific installations as an extension of their representative work. Locust Projects supports the local community through educational initiatives and programming that are free to the public.

The LAB is made possible with major support from the Alvah H. and Wyline P. Chapman Foundation and The Children’s Trust. The Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.

Locust Projects’ exhibitions and programming are made possible with the support from: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Cowles Charitable Trust; The State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Foundation for Contemporary Arts; Funding Arts Network; Galt & Skye Mikesell; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; The National Endowment for the Arts Art Works Grant.