During a typical Miami Art Week, upstart artist-led initiatives tend to get drowned out amid the hubbub of Art Basel and its satellite fairs. But this year, with almost all the usual in-person events moved online, artists in the city have a unique opportunity to take up more mental—and physical—space.

Jada, a self-proclaimed artistic movement with international ambitions, is planning to do just that, with various installations by artists spread throughout the city during 2020’s quieter affair. 

“We have to have a physical presence, wherever art is happening, Jada founder Jônatas Chime said. “After Basel was canceled, we said: okay, do we give up? No way. We’re local artists and we have to be a presence. We wrote a declaration saying as locals, we take the responsibility of Miami Art Week onto ourselves.”

JADA Art Fair’s art map for Miami Art Week.

For Chimen, Jada is a collective of “metamodernist” artists focused on social issues, creating community connections, and making artists’ careers viable. “We can’t just be utopian, we need to be practical,” Chimen said. (You can read Jada’s manifesto on its website).

This will be Jada’s second year participating in Miami Art Week, after the Jada Art Fair debuted last year with an 8-day program that included residencies, conference panels, and community-focused events. The event saw over 2,000 guests during its run. 

Jada has upped its virtual presence for this year’s edition, but will also have widely spaced in-person events and exhibitions throughout North Beach, including site-specific installations, a sculpture garden, and conference panels.

One Jada participating artist, Jamie Moshe Straz captured the quarantine vibes of the year with Dwelling (2020). Courtesy of the artist.

Among the panels will be: “Navigating Museums in Turbulent Times,” “Art’s Influence on Fashion,” and “The End of Irony and the Birth of New Sincerity.” All in-person events will follow strict social-distancing protocols, with mask use required and capacity limits in place. 

Artists, both local and international, will also be setting up their own artworks across the newly proclaimed “Normandy Isle Arts District,” which encompasses the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, and the Miami Orchestra Symphony.

“We are claiming spaces within the creative community, within the business community,” Chimen said. “This is an international and historical area and this is an arts district being created by the locals, not gentrification. We’re a part of this community.”

Jada Art Fair will take place in various locations in Miami, December 3–6, 2020.