Expanding horizons: with the Miami art world in the throes of rapid change, the author examines the impact of growth, spurred by the arrival of Art Basel, on public institutions, galleries and artists - Report From Miami

Another university-affiliated institution, the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, in Coral Gables, is an educational facility that presents a broad range of art and artifacts. The director is Brian Dursum. On view this month are permanent-collection shows devoted to Mexican saints, Chinese painting and 5,000 years of the human form in art, as well as "Red Grooms: Selections from the Graphic Work," a touring show.

For the past several years, Miami has had six major art institutions. In December 2002, following months of rumors, Maxwell Anderson, then director of the Whitney Museum, publicly announced that the Whitney was considering opening a satellite operation in a 15,000-square-foot former shoe factory in downtown Miami, offered rent-free by the property owner. Then Anderson left the Whitney, Adam Weinberg took Over, and the museum's current official position is that the project is "at this point uncertain."

On Dec. 2, 2003, a seventh major art institution, known as Miami Art Central (or MAC), did make its appearance. A nonprofit institution, it was founded, and is funded, by the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CFAF), headed by Venezuelan collector and philanthropist Ella Cisneros; she is also chairman of the board of MAC. MAC's first exhibition was organized under the direction of Manuel Gonzalez, head of Art Advisory Services for J.P. Morgan Private Bank, New York. Located in a revamped office building once belonging to Southern Bell near the University of Miami campus, the art center, comprising about 30,000 square feet, will serve as a space for changing exhibitions as well as for performances and film and video screenings.

MAC's stated aim is to emphasize "contemporary artists of Latin American and Hispanic descent and the vital role their work plays in the arts globally." The inaugural presentation, "Ten Floridians," includes artists from a variety of backgrounds. Nine curators or art professionals were each invited to select a single South Floridian artist for presentation (one curator chose two). The artists are Luis Gispert (selected by Rina Carvajal), Dara Friedman (Clarissa Dalrymple), Adler Guerrier (Thelma Golden), Robert Chambers (Paula Harper), Sergio Vega (Rosa Martinez), Jacin Giordano and Gean Moreno (Ivo Mesquita), Glexis Novoa (Marcelo Pacheco), Mark Handforth (David Rimanelli) and Jose Bedia (Victor Zamudio-Taylor). Small solo shows make up the exhibition, which is accompanied by an illustrated, bilingual catalogue. MAC's next exhibition opens in May with work by the visual arts and architecture finalists for the Cintas Foundation awards, given to help Latin American artists in exile.

MAC also plans to initiate an artist-in-residence program for Latin American artists; two nearby buildings are being transformed into studios and apartments for this purpose. The residency program, as well as the operations of MAC, will be managed by the CFAF board, which includes, among others, Gonzalez, artist Guillermo Kuitca, Lisa Phillips, director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, and Mariella Cisneros (Ella's daughter). Additional sources of finding beyond CFAF are being sought.