Clara Toro Unveils “Wynwood Norte: Un barrio de Miami”
Miami, FL, January 23, 2024 – Miami-based artist Clara Toro unveils the second iteration of her long-term project, Wynwood Norte: Un barrio de Miami, a captivating site-specific installation at Roberto Clemente Park presented in partnership with Bakehouse Art Complex. The photographic installation, on view from December 1, 2023, through February 29, 2024, captures the people and places of one of Miami’s historic urban neighborhoods. A community celebration is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at Roberto Clemente Park.
“Bakehouse is so proud to have been embedded in Wynwood Norte for almost four decades. The work of resident artist Clara Toro captures a neighborhood and its community in a moment in time, knowing that— like the rest of our city— it will undergo change. In this case, we are hopeful that the neighborhood-driven community vision plan, approved and codified by the City of Miami Commission, will ensure these changes serve the needs of current and future residents,” commented Bakehouse Executive Director Cathy Leff.
Nestled between Allapattah, Miami Design District, Midtown, and the Wynwood Arts District, Wynwood Norte was originally the residential community serving the housing, recreational, and educational needs of the labor force of the former industrial bakery that is now Bakehouse, and the garment industry, which became Wynwood Arts District. As the economy of the neighborhood changed, so did its inhabitants. In this way, Clara’s images bear witness to the evolving landscape of Miami.
The installation, located around the perimeter of Roberto Clemente Park along 2nd Avenue, between 34th and 35th streets, showcases a selection of thirty photographs from Clara's extensive body of work. These images, featuring the single-family homes and community of Wynwood Norte, provide an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of its residents.
“Photography is a beautiful art form to capture the soul, essence, and history of a neighborhood. Artist Clara Toro is doing that for Wynwood Norte with her latest installation” said City of Miami Chairwoman & District 5 Commissioner Christine King. “As one of District 5’s historical neighborhoods, it’s exciting to see it getting the attention it deserves.”
Clara’s work is a celebration of Miami's immigration story and the significant role immigrants have played in shaping the city. The photographs reveal intricate details, such as a rocking chair painted with the Puerto Rican flag and a statue of a virgin overseeing figures in tumultuous waters, that illustrate the community's rich cultural history.
“This exhibit is my way of honoring the residents of Wynwood and saying thank you to all of them for the warm welcome I received while working on this project. There are families who came from Latin America and the Caribbean during times of turmoil, and I have had the opportunity to create an audio-visual archive of their stories. This exhibit is just a chapter of a larger project that I will continue working on for years to come,” said Clara.
The installation encourages passersby to slow down and immerse themselves in the images. Clara's work serves as a poignant reminder of the impermanence of the present and the importance of documenting a place over time. This exhibition is not just an invitation to reflect on a particular neighborhood, but a celebration of the people that have made it their home.
This exhibition is also supported by Oolite Arts and Bank of America. We thank District 5 Commissioner Christine King and the City of Miami Art in Public Places Program for supporting this installation.
For further information, please contact:
Cathy Leff
Executive Director
Bakehouse Art Complex
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About Clara Toro
Clara Toro is a Colombian-born, Miami-based industrial designer and photographer. She holds a degree in Industrial Design from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (Colombia), with additional studies at the Université de Montreal and Pratt Institute in New York. She earned a degree in Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism from the International Center of Photography (ICP), where she received a Director's Fellowship. She also received an award at The Eddie Adams Workshop from The Wall Street Journal for her project about a neighborhood kitchen in Liberty City. Currently, she is enrolled in the PhotoEspaña master's program and is a member of Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA).
Clara has conducted photography workshops at Oolite Arts, served as a teaching assistant at the ICP, and done freelance work for Univision.com, the 19th.com, and volunteer work for several nonprofits. She has participated in group exhibitions at the Bakehouse Art Complex, Clandestina Art Fair, Coral Gables Museum, MIFA Gallery, the Mexican Consulate in Miami, and Pinecrest Gardens. She has had solo exhibitions at the Bakehouse Art Complex, the Tory Burch flagship store in Miami, and at the Colombian Consulate in Miami.
Clara received a 2022 Oolite Arts Ellies Creator Award for her project “Eight minutes,” about the historic Wynwood Norte neighborhood in Miami. She is currently developing a project about the Allapattah neighborhood in Miami, in which she is documenting the stories of its residents. Clara has been a resident artist at the Bakehouse Art Complex since 2018.
About Bakehouse Art Complex
Bakehouse Art Complex is a non-profit arts organization that stands at the heart of South Florida's bustling arts scene in Wynwood Norte, where it has been a beacon of creativity for nearly four decades. Founded in 1985 by artists and for artists in a former industrial Art Deco-era bakery, Bakehouse provides studio residencies, infrastructure, and community to enable the highest level of artistic creativity, development, and collaboration for promising talent. Bakehouse provides partially to fully subsidized work spaces to over 100 local artists, deriving from a rich diversity of backgrounds and working in a broad range of media–painting, sculpture, printmaking, metal and woodworking, photography, digital/interactive media, performance art, even history–that share their practices and work with each other and the broader community.
Over the past five years, Bakehouse has taken the initial steps to lay the groundwork to transform the organization, physically and programmatically, to create paths for sustainability and growth among the Miami creative community. Building on the founders’ vision to ensure affordability for Miami artists, the organization is planning to add affordable housing for artists, along with new cultural and community spaces. Bakehouse seeks to play an important role in the collective efforts to build a more robust and sustainable ecosystem in Miami where artists and the arts can thrive.
Bakehouse Art Complex is free and open to the public every day from 12 - 5 pm. For more information, access: bacfl.org.