Pwogram Atizay nan Espas Piblik Vil Miami Beach la ap devwale Kay Zwazo Michele Oka Doner a

Miami Beach, Florid – The City of Miami Beach is pleased to announce that Kay zwazo, a 22-foot-tall sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist Michele Oka Doner, will be unveiled on Friday, May 29 at 4 p.m. at Pak Bayshore (2530 Pine Tree Drive).

Selected by the city’s Komite Atizay nan Espas Piblik (AiPP) via a public call for artists, the work was conceived as a site-specific, integrated artwork that reflects the natural beauty and history of its surroundings.

The event will feature poetry readings by students from O, Miami’s Sunroom program and the ceremonial sounds of a Caribbean conch shell, celebrating the park as one of Miami Beach’s most tranquil green spaces.

Parking for the unveiling event is available at nearby Miami Beach Senior High School (2231 Prairie Ave). Free shuttles will run from the high school to Bayshore Park during the unveiling.

Standing 22 feet tall and six feet in diameter at Fairgreen Hill in Bayshore Park, Kay zwazo is inspired by Doner’s childhood and the natural elements that characterize both the park and the city. A Miami Beach native, Doner grew up across the street from the park and recalls discovering an abandoned birdhouse nestled in a coconut palm tree — a formative image that informs the sculpture.

“It was my desire to create a work of art that is totemic, a form somewhat familiar yet mysterious, a sculpture that appeals to all ages, visible beyond the boundaries of Bayshore Park,” shared Michele Oka Doner. “Like a beacon, it will draw curious visitors, become a destination for recreation and contemplation, and establish Fairgreen Hill as a meeting place for the surrounding community and all citizens of the City of Miami Beach.”

Composed of radiant mica, Kay zwazo evokes both the familiar and the mysterious. The work serves as a luminous beacon within the landscape, inviting visitors of all ages to engage with the magic of the natural world and the artistic spirit that defines Miami Beach.

“The unveiling of Birdhouse marks more than a sculpture addition, it's the continued evolution of Bayshore Park as a cultural and community landmark,” said Majistra Miami Beach Steven Meiner. “Recognizing artists like Michele Oka Doner during Women's History Month reflects our dedication to lifting up the women whose vision and talent enrich Miami Beach.”

Kay zwazo is the second permanent artwork by a female artist installed by the City’s AiPP Program during Women’s History Month. It follows the recent unveiling of Li te pale pou zwazo yo, a mural by Christina Pettersson honoring Marjory Stoneman Douglas in her namesake park.

Funded by $300,000 from the city’s Art in Public Places fund, the Bayshore Park commission marks the city’s largest public art investment since FriendsWithYou’s Timoun Zetwal was installed at Henry Liebman Square in 2022.

Avèk Kay zwazo, Doner joins the AIPP’s distinguished permanent public art collection, which includes works by artists including, Franz Ackermann, Farah Al Qasimi, Sanford Biggers, Amoako Boafo, Elmgreen & Dragset, Anneke Eussen, FriendsWithYou, Bill Fontana, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Dan Graham, Ellen Harvey, Joseph Kosuth, Roy Lichtenstein, Sarah Morris, Ebony G. Patterson, Christina Pettersson, Jaume Plensa, Tobias Rehberger, Nina Surel, Juana Valdés, Joep van Lieshout and Wendy Wischer.

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Konsènan Michele Oka Doner

Michele Oka Doner se yon atis ki gen travay li alimenté pa yon etid ak apresyasyon pou mond natirèl la pandan tout lavi li, kote li jwenn vokabilè fòmèl li. Pwodiksyon atistik li gen ladan l eskilti, desen, atizay piblik, objè fonksyonèl, videyo, liv atis, ak konsepsyon kostim ak dekor. Li kreye plizyè enstalasyon atistik pèmanan atravè lemond, tankou Sit Radyan nan estasyon Herald Square MTA nan Nouyòk, Yon ti mache sou plaj la nan Ayewopò Entènasyonal Miami, epi Vitès Limyè, antre nouvo Mize Astwonomi nan Shanghai. Travay li yo jwenn nan koleksyon Metropolitan Museum ak Whitney, NY, Art Institute of Chicago, Detroit Institute of Arts, The Louvre, Victoria and Albert, London, ak Michigan, Oxford, Yale ak Harvard university art museums, pami lòt. Li te resevwa anpil prim, tankou prim Sosyete Ekriven ak Atis Nasyonzini, Pratt Institute, New York State Council of the Arts ak Knight Foundation te bay. Li te premye Atis Rezidans nan New York Botanical Garden epi li te resevwa yon Doktora Onorè nan Inivèsite Michigan, kote li te jwenn diplòm bakaloreya ak metriz li nan bèl bagay. Oka Doner se otè oswa sijè plizyè liv, tankou Sediksyon Natirèl, Miami Beach: Plan yon Edenn, Nati Imèn, Tout bagay vivan, ak Nan mistè aMichele Oka Doner, ki fèt nan Miami Beach, fèk resevwa nonmen li Gadyen Gran Banyan Tree Vil Miami Beach la epi li reprezante Miami Beach kòm Anbasadè pou Atizay ak Kilti. Kounye a, l ap travay sou Talisman, an konjonksyon avèk Vil Nouyòk, sou yon enstalasyon pou Park Avenue, ki pral louvri an mas 2026.

Konsènan Pwogram Atizay nan Espas Piblik Vil Miami Beach la

Komite Atizay nan Espas Piblik la se yon konsèy minisipal ki gen sèt manm epi ki responsab pou kòmande ak achte travay atistik ki fèt pa atis kontanporen nan tout domèn. Pwogram nan bay yon total 2% lajan pou depans fiks pou pwojè minisipal yo ak pwojè prive/piblik konjwen yo. Lajan ki soti nan pwojè konstriksyon yo ka mete ansanm nan Fon Atizay nan Espas Piblik la epi bay li pou travay atistik nan sit piblik yo ak pou antretyen koleksyon yo.

Kontak pou laprès

cityofmiamibeach@culturalcounsel.com

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