MIA Magazine Art of Black Miami December 2016 | Page 17

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH, 2016

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD

17

NEIL HALL: HUMANITARIAN AND PATRON
of Miami’s Black art scene By Zach Rinkins

When others saw under-resourced and unattractive communities,
Neil Hall saw areas teeming with untapped human potential.
While others talked, Hall and other influencers quietly went about
the business of creating the Art Africa, an authentically Black
humanitarian experience that runs with the Art Basel festival
scheduled for December 1 – 4, 2016.

Culture is currency! “We cannot support ourselves by ourselves. It
takes a lot of other people. We live in a tourist mecca. We have to
look at ways to participate in those opportunities. We want to give
tourists our cultural experience. That experience must resonate
within their sphere of cultural sophistication. That is the premise we
started to move this idea forward as it pertains to arts and culture. It
elevates the way people think of us in a more sophisticated way.”
Expect new attractions! “We are excited about the 44 busts of
President Barack Obama placed at the Historic Lyric Theater. Artists
of the African diaspora created the busts. We are also taking over
the former Clyde Killens Pool hall. There will also be intellectuals
conversing about our contributions under the name Afrotopia.
We want to bring excitement and create spaces for the
imagination to flow.”

“In the beginning, we noticed that there was not a place for us during
Art Basel Miami. So, we created a space for ourselves and our people,”
declares Hall, an Art of Black visionary.
He adds, “A significant obstacle is that we don’t see ourselves as
entrepreneurs. We always look for others to invest in our community.
Then, when they invest, we scream gentrification. It takes us to save
ourselves. We have to take risks and support ourselves.” The licensed
architect shared these insights during an exclusive interview with MIA.
We are creative! “The mainstream looks at us as not within the
traditional ideas of galleries and things of that nature. We must
adhere to those principles that govern the art world if we want to be
Hall concludes, “Excellence always trumps race!”
taken seriously. At the same time, we have an exciting culture and are
uniquely endowed with creativity. It’s important that we engage and
Discover more at www.theurbancollective.co
put our flavor into it.”.