Miami Beach Elects Nina Surel's "Allegory of Florida" for 2024 Legacy Purchase, Celebrates Public Participation in Art Selection

The City of Miami Beach has made its choice for the 2024 Legacy Purchase Program, selecting Nina Surel's "Allegory of Florida" as the newest addition to its public art collection, the city's residents participated in the decision-making process, casting their votes for Surel's work from a selection curated by the Art in Public Places Committee, which picked potential acquisitions from Art Basel Miami Beach's Positions and Nova sectors, and newcomers within the last four years, with a budget cap of $50,000, as per City of Miami Beach press release.

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner hailed the initiative, emphasizing how it enhances the city's cultural repertoire, "This year’s Legacy Purchase not only enriches our public art collection but reaffirms Miami Beach’s status as a global leader in artistic excellence," he said, with a statement acquired by the official City of Miami Beach website adding that "The public participation in this selection process underscores the deep connection our residents have to art’s power to inspire, tell stories, and enhance our cultural footprint."

Represented by Spinello Projects, Surel's "Allegory of Florida" is described as a monumental wall relief built from over 100 pieces of stoneware ceramic; it imagines Florida as a matriarchal figure rich with references to local flora and fauna with herons and coonties, among others, embedded within its composition, which Anthony Spinello stated, “This acquisition and recognition hits differently considering women artists are still underrepresented, undervalued, and especially at a time when women’s rights are being challenged,” as noted by the city's official website.

Argentinean-born, Miami-based, Nina Surel is known for her multidisciplinary approach that investigates connections between nature and humanity, specifically in the context of life's rituals, the earth, and the human form her work has been prominently featured in various galleries and esteemed institutions worldwide, including but not limited to the Museum of Latin American Art in California, and Miami International Airport, with "Allegory of Florida" joining other notable artworks by Juana Valdés, Sanford Biggers, and others in Miami's growing public art portfolio.

Launched in 2019, Miami Beach's Legacy Purchase Program aims to grow the city's public art collection with works reflective of the community's identity, fitting the existing collection's curatorial vision, and standing as valuable, culturally relevant investments within the Art in Public Places collection—a commitment that designates 2% of costs from eligible City and joint private/public projects toward the fund for public art and maintenance.