The Miami Poster Project is not about changing the way people see Miami. People already see Miami in all sorts of ways. The issue is representation. Miami is typecast. It’s stereotyped. It’s got an image issue. Can something be simultaneously stale and moldy? Because that’s what we’re dealing with when it comes to visual representations of Miami. The idea behind the Miami Poster Project is to provide a space for the community’s interpretations of Miami. Our goal is to showcase and celebrate contemporary, authentic ways that the community depicts Miami – a portrait of the place, by its people. How? Through an annual poster, of course! The first year’s poster has been created by veteran illustrator and fine artist Philip Brooker.

In celebration of Miami Poster Project’s inaugural year, Brooker has created a series of five super-sized posters, marking a departure from the typical stale, superficial and tourist industry-driven images that have saturated the city. In offering visual content that is instead a reflection of Miami’s complex and fascinating cultural microcosm, Brooker draws on tropical living, snow birds, urban undertones and the arts. The opening reception on Saturday, September 11, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at ArtCenter’s 800 Lincoln Road gallery is free and open to the public; works will be on view until October 17, 2010.

In year two and subsequent years of the Miami Poster Project, we’ll open it up to the community at large. We’ll have a contest (with cash awards!) for the Miami community that anyone can enter – you don’t have to be an artist or a designer. You don’t even need to paint or draw your poster – it doesn’t need to be image-driven. You just need a vision of Miami. Maybe you’re a marine biologist. Or a writer. A fifth-grade student. A cab driver. An architect. A teacher. A waitress. It will be open to all, and everyone’s vision is valid. We’ll post results on our website and winning posters will be available for downloading free from the site. We’ll also have hard copies of posters available for distribution at various venues.