The facade of the iconic original home of the ArtCenter. At the ArtCenter/South Florida, it’s time to say goodbye. Not to the organization or the art, but to the flagship space at 800-810 Lincoln Road on Miami Beach. Opened back in the 1980s, it’s one of the first and oldest art institutions in South Florida. On May 2, the center will throw itself a little goodbye party in the gallery and studio spaces, calling it Lincoln Road Social Club. The theme appropriately celebrates the 1980s and 1990s, which in retrospect were the heyday of this particular space. So it’s also an appropriate time to look back – and forward – at the ArtCenter (a recipient of a number of Knight grants) and what it has meant to greater Miami. “Thirty Years on the Road” anniversary exhibit in the main gallery. Photo by Silvia Ros. In 1984, long before Art Basel Miami Beach arrived, before there was much of a cultural scene and when the Deco District of South Beach was being rediscovered, the ArtCenter was founded, with 21 studio spaces on a forlorn stretch of Lincoln Road. It’s hard to picture now, but Lincoln Road 30 years ago was decrepit, littered with empty buildings and far from a pedestrian-friendly hang-out. By the late 1980s, ArtCenter had established a juried artist-in-residence program and acquired a couple more buildings, making it one of the first areas where art was helping gentrify and re-develop a down-and-out neighborhood. Some of the initial artists to take up residence in the ArtCenter are now well-known names, such as Edouard Duval-Carrié, Carlos Betancourt and Charo Oquet, and were pioneers in a sense in both a burgeoning area and art scene. Two of our major museums – MAM (now PAMM) and MOCA – had not even been founded yet, there was no Arsht Center, there were few galleries. It made the ArtCenter all the more central. Collage Painting #37 from Babette Herschberger at the ArtCenter-curated space at O Cinema Wynwood. As Miami’s cultural scene sprouted throughout the 1990s, Lincoln Road itself became a poster child for how the arts could promote development, as the mall filled with funky new shops and restaurants. After 15 years in existence, residents from the ArtCenter could be found in the growing list of local galleries, and farther afield. Then the tsunami of Art Basel came to town in 2002, and the cultural landscape exploded. But that also meant that the ArtCenter was no longer alone as the main incubator of local art. And as new emerging art hubs such as Wynwood developed, Lincoln Road lost some of its funk and transitioned into a more high-end dining and shopping district. The ArtCenter went through several regime changes, trying to find its footing in this new world. When Maria del Valle took over as executive director and Susan Caraballo as artistic director, they knew they needed to change things up. They decided to expand programming at the 924 building down the street, with an exhibition space on the second floor. They encouraged more multimedia projects along, as well as more interaction with national and international organizations and artists. An innovative project popped up outside the main center, under the awning, of sound art. Thanks to a Knight Arts Challenge grant, Gustavo Matamoros set up the Listening Gallery, where experimental music and sound from across the globe would create public art “concerts.” Matamoros also moved into the upstairs of the 924 building and opened up the sound studio Audiotheque, which has hosted numerous musical events and talks. Another example of alternative programming is the Bookleggers Reading Room, which is closing along with the main space. Another recipient of a Knight Foundation grant, it is a mobile library where every visitor can take one book, or trade one, or just read. According to the mission of Bootleggers, it works on the honor system, where it “takes seriously its duty to protect and re-distribute the books of this community, and we hope that those taking a book will honor this request.” ArtCenter got its mojo back. The first ArtCenter space became a facilitator for the development of Lincoln Road. But the main location, like the Road and South Beach itself, seemed to have run its course. Just as the art scene had expanded, in order to remain fresh and edgy, the ArtCenter too wanted to spread its wings. They realized they were sitting on a real-estate pot of gold, and imagined what they could do with the money they would get from selling the iconic flagship space. Last summer, it was sold for $88 million. For its Art Basel exhibit last fall, former residents Duval-Carrié and Caraballo put together a massive show highlighting artists from all three decades of ArtCenter’s existence under a clever banner: “Thirty Years on the Road.” The show was both a retrospective and a farewell. So, what’s next? Exhibits will continue at the 924 space, says Del Valle. The May offering will be artist/scientist collaborations and video works inspired by the research going on in Europe at the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. Here in Miami, it will be an artistic exploration of the fundamental laws of nature. Then, “during the summer we’ll do a renovation of the exhibition space and re-open in September with an exhibition and symposium ‘Central What? Central America,’” says Del Valle. “Our main focus, though, will be shaping and defining a robust residency program.” The residency program was indeed the foundation of ArtCenter’s success, and was in need of an overhaul. “We’ll have 20 artists in residence for a two- year period,” she says. “It will help us to work closely with the artists in this transition period. We’ll make the most of this opportunity.” And we’ll continue to see ArtCenter artists elsewhere. For instance, the center now curates solo shows at O Cinema Wynwood, which include a one-day screening of a film that the artist has pinpointed as an influence. Through June 7, the abstract paintings of Babette Herschberger, an ArtCenter alum, are featured (her film has not yet been finalized). But they also don’t want to be bound by Miami. “Cultural exchange and expanding our network of international partners is important for us,” Del Valle explains. “We’ll continue the visiting artists program, bringing in artists from around the world, and we plan to keep sending ArtCenter alumni abroad.” The center wants to continue to be integral to the transformed landscape. “Miami is becoming a world-class city, and we aim to contribute to the cultural scene with a world-class center,” says Del Valle. “This is a unique opportunity, and we should respond by doing something unique. We will work on developing talent, offering selected artists a platform for further development of their work–a program that leads to a national and international breakthrough in the artist’s career.” As a final hurrah for the inaugural space, tomorrow night the studios will be filled with site-specific installations, as well as performances from Bistoury Physical Theater and one of ArtCenter’s most talented alums, David Rohn. Stop in for the last time at 800-810 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach from 7-11 p.m. (RSVP required).