By Leilani Lynch, Bass Museum of Art

Since I’ve been at the Bass Museum of Art, I’ve dealt with a number of artists in our tc: temporary contemporary storefront window space on Collins Avenue. Most of these projects have consisted of installing existing work on the walls in these two spaces, which are at the corner of Collins Avenue and 23rd Street on Miami Beach. This is certainly a strategy worth exploring, as we are placing works normally viewed inside a museum or gallery into a wholly different context.

But with our latest project in these spaces, one of the sides was given carte blanche to an artist to create an immersive installation, rather than simply hang existing work. The artist, Andrea Nhuch experiments with specific materials, including inflatable plastic—commonly known as bubble wrap. Knowing this we decided to ask her to create a large installation, an entirely new one that hasn’t been installed before. This process could be viewed as risky, as one—either the artist or curators—never knows what the final aesthetic outcome will be.

The visibility of the installation process was also key to this project as well. As it occurred inside the store windows on a corner with high foot-traffic, Nhuch’s actual installation period was on view to the public. As artists usually have a studio to explore ideas and forms in their work, the creative process normally takes place behind closed doors and prying eyes. By making this process visible, the artist was in a new, vulnerable position by allowing the public to literally see the formation of a work. Creating such a situation for the creation and accessibility of art-making is a central tenet to our temporary contemporary program.