Celebrating Miami-Dade County’s hospitality history makers
Rosie Gordon-Wallace: founder of Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator
MIAMI – This Women’s History Month, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is highlighting Hospitality History Makers from local businesses like Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI). DVCAI was founded by Rosie Gordon-Wallace.
Platform for Diaspora Artists
DVCAI is a global resource and a leading platform dedicated to providing diaspora artists with a venue to explore and experiment with new forms and themes. These themes challenge traditional definitions of Caribbean and Latin American art.
DVCAI serves as a local and global laboratory dedicated to promoting, nurturing and cultivating the vision and diverse talents of emerging artists from the Caribbean diaspora. Additionally, DVCAI supports artists of color and immigrant artists.
Since its establishment, DVCAI has served more than 3,500 artists. This has enabled Gordon-Wallace to provide a variety of assistance to emerging Caribbean artists. For example, this includes an artist-in-residence program, securing gallery exhibitions and sponsoring cultural-exchange trips to more than a dozen Caribbean countries. There, artists are able to work with other artists.
DVCAI artists have traveled and engaged in conversations with artists in France, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Antigua, Suriname, Panama and Guadeloupe.
DVCAI representatives travel to Belize this spring with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
“My work with artists over these 30 years has been purposeful, strategic and meaningful,” said Gordon-Wallace. “DVCAI works with artists to promote, nurture and cultivate the vision and diverse talents of emerging artists in the community and beyond. This is our mission and purpose. We strive to be the most strategic and creative incubator network in a data and performance-driven world.”
Art of Black Miami (AOBM)
Gordon-Wallace’s work with DVCAI aligns closely with the GMCVB’s Art of Black Miami (AOBM), where she consults with GMCVB staff. The year-round initiative celebrates all genres of the visual arts found across Greater Miami’s rich heritage neighborhoods and communities including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, animation, film, printmaking and limited editions.
Today, AOBM plays a crucial role in the GMCVB’s Tourism Business Enhancement efforts. In particular, it links the destination’s vibrant art scene with economic opportunities for local small businesses.
AOBM events provide businesses with increased visibility, engaging both residents and visitors. This drives economic activity year-round. Moreover, these results extend beyond the destination’s major events and ensure continued growth for Greater Miami’s diverse communities.
In 2021, the GMCVB expanded the platform with the Art of Black Miami Podcast Series. It features Miami-based artists in conversations about their creative styles. They discuss how Miami-Dade County’s diverse cultures and neighborhoods shape and influence their work.
Notable Curation
A recognized curator and pioneering community leader, Gordon-Wallace has played a pivotal role in advancing contemporary Caribbean diaspora art. Her notable curation includes “What’s in Your Container?”; presently on view at Barry University’s Monsignor William Barry Library extended by popular demand to April 30. Other selections include Across Ebb and Flow, The Whole World is Churning: Then and Now | Now and Beyond.
The Depth of Identity 11 at Green Space Miami; Brushes with Cancer at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and most recently, Roscoé B. Thické 111, solo exhibition, Order My Steps at Oolite Arts, Miami Beach.
Her experiences with DVCAI are enhanced by her community work, which accelerates careers and advocates for arts funding. She is an active member of the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and the Fund for AfricanAmerican Art. Additionally, she is a frequent panelist for the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, National Young Arts Foundation and Florida Department of Cultural Affairs.
She serves on local, national and international boards including the Young Arts Foundation Board, the National Performance Network (NPN), Art2Action, the Wattle and Red Earth (WARE) Board and the Taha Thinks Culture Board of Directors.
