The Wynwood Arts District in Miami is like no other I’ve visited. Brash, dazzling, and completely inspiring—it’s a must-see for any art lover or armchair urbanist interested in neighbourhood revitalization.
Wynwood, Miami: A Neighbourhood Saved By Street Art
When planning a weekend getaway to Miami Beach this summer, the Wynwood Arts District was not even on my radar. But someone mentioned it in a #CultureTrav Twitter chat about street art and the tweeter’s photos of the place looked incredible. Steve and I decided to spend a few hot and steamy hours there earlier this month. We were blown away by it.
The Wynwood Backstory
The Wynwood neighbourhood in Miami has had many incarnations over the years. It started as a working class residential and commercial area that later connected to a garment manufacturing district. It became a mix of Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants in the 40s and 50s and was second only to New York City in fashion production. By the 80s, economic factors propelled businesses to move out of the area as rents surged. This started the neighbourhood’s decline.
Wynwood became a desolate collection of aging warehouses plagued by drug dealers and related crime. Residents complained the neighbourhood was an unsafe place neglected by city leaders.
Wynwood Revitalization
It’s often the creative class that moves into depressed areas lured by available work space with cheap rents, thus sparking gentrification. So too with Wynwood. As artists moved into Wynwood, the area began to change. In the mid-2000s developer and urban placemaker, Tony Goldman saw the potential of the district. His vision was to turn the vast and stark warehouse walls into canvases for street art. In addition to buying up a number of warehouse properties, Goldman and his children developed Wynwood Walls, an open-air (free) gallery featuring street artists from around the world. The gallery acted as a catalyst for other galleries, restaurants, bars and boutiques. It’s been a massive success.
Wynwood Today
Today, the Wynwood Arts District is a kaleidoscope of brightly coloured displays of provocative street art. The sheer size of many of the murals is thrilling. Everywhere you look, whichever direction you walk, there is art to discover.
If You Visit
Dedicate more time than we did. We had a little more than two hours to spend visiting Wynwood and could easily have spent the whole day. We would have loved to stay for lunch, and on the Saturday we visited there was a large market setting up just as we were heading out. Visit the Wynwood District website for information on tours, events, and businesses in the area.
Also, I think we would have had an even better time if we had not visited in the heat of summer. The August sun and humidity had us sweating and guzzling water the entire visit – although there are many coffee shops and bars to dip into for cooling off.
Iced coffee at Panther Cafe saved us from perishing in the Miami heat.
Even the sidewalk is covered in art.
Steve couldn’t resist these artful statement socks at men’s boutique OFY
Our souvenir – these stylized superhero prints from Wynwood Shop
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I wanted to visit Wynwood where we were in Miami, but with a short time there it kind of fell off the list.It will definitely be a priority for any future visit.
It’s definitely worth it. I was sorry we didn’t give it enough time.