By Sue Arrowsmith, Miami Dade College

In celebration of the newly renamed MDC Museum and Galleries of Art + Design (formerly the Art Gallery System) and in support of Miami DDA’s DWNTWN Art Days,Miami Dade College kicks off its 2012-13 season with two exhibitions by two extraordinary artists – Jaimie Warren and Elena Sisto. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 7 pm featuring a special live performance by Warren. Free and open to the public!

Warren’s exhibition, The WHOAS of Female Tragedy, is a history of ten years of self-portraits by the artist, as well as a new series of photographs that are recreations of photo-shopped collages of art historical paintings and visual pairings of pop culture icons created by anonymous users found on the internet. Warren collaborated with artist Lee Heinemann who created custom makeup, props and masks. Warren is a curator, performance artist, photographer, and co-creator/co-director of the faux public access television show “Whoop Dee Doo.” The WHOAS of Female Tragedy will be on exhibit through Oct. 27. There will be an artist lecture on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 1pm

Jaimie Warren, The WHOAS of Female Tragedy

New York artist Sisto presents Between Silver Light and Orange Shadow, 28 paintings created over the past ten years. The young women in her paintings are simultaneously interactive and introspective, and also some of her own art students. The paintings reach out to relate and also the viewer a chance to look within. They are seemingly autobiographical or somehow familiar. Between Silver Light and Orange Shadow will be on exhibit through Nov. 2. There will be an artist lecture on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 1pm

Sidelong, oil on linen, by New York artist Elena Sisto

Other highlights this season include sketches, original designs and a book presentation by fashion design team Isabel and Ruben Toledo opening on Nov. 9 at the Freedom Tower; an exhibition at the Kendall Campus, Grant Miller: New Works, starting Friday, Sept. 14; Vladimir Manic paintings at the North Campus starting Friday, Sept. 21; and on Saturday, Dec. 1, MDC once again partners with Galleria Ca D’Oro to present Foreverglades at the Freedom Tower, featuring environmentally-minded public art by European artists Cracking Art Group and William Sweetlove.

The Freedom Tower is located at 600 Biscayne Blvd. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 5pm. For more information, please contact the MDC Museum of Art + Design at 305-237-7700, or e-mail [email protected].