The City of Miami Beach has announced the finalists for its 2025 Legacy Purchase Program, highlighting three emerging artists whose works are under consideration for addition to the Miami Beach Convention Center’s collection. The selections, made by the city’s Art in Public Places Committee, will be showcased during this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach, underscoring the city’s continued commitment to supporting public art and new talent, as per the city's announcement.
Running from today at 9 a.m. EST until November 24 at 5 p.m. EST, the public has the opportunity to help decide which piece gets to become a permanent fixture of Miami Beach's art scene. This year’s contenders are works by artists Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Patrick Dean Hubbell, and Ken Tisa, presented by Livia Benavides Gallery, Nina Johnson, and Kate Werble Gallery, respectively. Voters can make their voices heard by visiting the city's website and casting their votes.
Peru's industrial predicament gets a thoughtful examination in Ximena Garrido-Lecca's "Modulations - Sequence XXIX." Through a series of woven abstract symbols reminiscent of corporate logos, she queries "the relation between these modern images, tied to the engines of modernization and the global economy, and their links to pre-Columbian abstraction," according to the City of Miami Beach description of the work.
Crossing the realms of painting and sculpture, Patrick Dean Hubbell's work "You Guided Our Prayers For Generations, We Will Continue To Persevere" is brimming with personal and cultural contexts. The piece brings together natural materials with modern artistic techniques to "considers ideas of reclamation, topography, sense of place, language, and the dialogue between Indigenous art forms and contemporary art," noted the City of Miami Beach. Hubbell's indigenous roots from the Diné Nation are deeply woven into the fibers of his artistry, a fact that is surely not lost on the local art community.
Completing the trifecta of contenders, Ken Tisa's "Heaven" is a throwback to both his roots and his evolution as an artist. This beaded landscape draws inspiration from his paint-by-numbers childhood hobby, albeit with a personalized twist due to his dyslexia. The piece is described as "wanting to make a beautiful landscape in beads," Tisa reveals, with the info provided by the City of Miami Beach. The piece nods to an era in New York art that Tisa helped to define, and in this work, his penchant for colors and patterns sings in hues of nostalgia and craftsmanship.
The annual selection process reflects Miami Beach’s ongoing commitment to acquiring artwork that connects with the community and demonstrates long-term cultural value. With past purchases from notable artists such as Juana Valdés and Sanford Biggers, the program aims to maintain its reputation for balancing artistic significance with thoughtful investment. This year’s winner—chosen in part through public input—will be announced on December 3 during the Art Basel Miami Beach Prelude Opening. Attendees and residents are encouraged to cast their votes, as the chosen piece may become a permanent part of the city’s artistic legacy.
