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Two cities traditionally known for sunshine and beaches have also nurtured a vibrant arts scene from two formerly gritty industrial neighborhoods. The Arts District in Los Angeles and Wynwood in Miami.
Arts District Los Angeles:
The Arts District lies on the eastern edge of Downtown Los Angeles. The gritty area has given new life to old industrial buildings whose history often dates to the early 20th century. While much of the early creative art was done behind closed doors, the street scene has slowly been activated in the early years of the 21st century as more and more factories and old industrial buildings are creatively reused with some new construction interspersed. Art galleries have opened and given recognition to the area amidst the entire downtown where Art museums and numerous other galleries can be found on Gallery Row in the Historic Core on Spring and Main Streets. The Arts District is also home to the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) which adds to the creative energy of the neighborhood.
Wynwood, Miami
The Wynwood Arts District is a neighborhood north of Downtown Miami. The Wynwood Art District Association was founded in early 2003 by a group of art dealers, artists and curators Mark Coetzee, Nina Arias and Nick Cindric. Mark Coetzee initiated the idea based on a similar project, Art Night, which he started in his hometown, Cape Town, South Africa. Wynwood is home to over 70 galleries, five museums, three collections, seven art complexes, 12 art studios, five art fairs and the Wynwood Walls.
Anyone that has been to one or both have any comments on these neighborhoods and what lies in store over the next five to ten years.....
The Arts District plays second fiddle to Gallery Row which is located in another part of downtown Los Angeles. Gallery Row has a larger concentration of galleries (on Spring and Main Streets) and hosts a monthly art walk/open house which draws in large crowds.
I can't speak for Miami but I'd imagine Miami Beach must have a lot of art galleries. I picked the two neighborhoods because after remaining (mostly) dormant for years both have begun to come alive over the past 10 or so years. I think Wynwood is further along in its evolution but the Arts District in LA has really picked up steam in the last 5 years.
I could have posted more photos with people but I intentionally avoided that.
The LA arts district isn't really known for its big galleries just yet, even though Hauser Worth and Schimmel gallery just opened (Last LA photo). It has been home to a vibrant community of artists since the 80's due to the low rents and pretty much endless freedom to turn the neighborhood into a work of art by painting murals everywhere. There have been several galleries, but mostly by local artists.
Since DTLA's resurgence as an urban center, the arts district has been one of the fastest changing hoods and has seen insanely high rents which have pushed out all but the most successful artists. Now, major galleries are starting to open and private clubs such as SoHo House are moving in. It definitely isn't going sterile however, as many of the new establishments are unique and use creativity to preserve the industrial character of the neighborhood.
The only thing that really hurts the AD is that it's cut off from rest of downtown by the urban wasteland that is Skid Row.
I only know these two places from photos, but the LA Arts District looks like a lot of places. Wynwood looks entirely unique. I'd like to see it sometime -- was in Miami a couple years ago but missed it.
Wynwood doesn't look that interesting.
Arts district in LA is like a east coast/Chicago area. More urban, dense etc
Wynwood is a really fun, vibrant neighborhood. It is (I believe) a former industrial area, so it's not going to look like SoHo. Don't let Google Street view color your impression too much.
Las art district is a former industrial srea. It just looks older and urban.
Wynwood is probably a better comarison to Boyle Heights near the la river.
Last edited by Freddy K; 04-14-2016 at 03:40 PM..
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