Event Details

Locust Projects is proud to present LAB (Locust Art Builders). Now in its eighth year, LAB brings together a diverse group of twenty high school-aged artists from throughout South Florida. Working in collaboration with their peers, the students will mount a public exhibition, from beginning to end, during a month-long intensive at Locust Projects from June 21 to July 15. This year’s exhibition, gen Z, explores the ascendance of a new generation born post-2000. Visitors are welcome to stop by during the conception and construction phase and watch the creative process of the exhibition unfold.

Participating Artists: Gabriela Akel, New World School of the Arts; Jessica Aliano, Design and Architecture Senior High; Amanda Blanca, Design and Architecture Senior High; Marcela Cancino, Terra Environmental Research Institute; Balthazar Cordova, Miami Beach Senior High; Creneesha Davis, Miami Beach Senior High; Andreina De La Blanca, Gullivery Preparatory School; Lourdes Greco, Design and Architecture Senior High; Noa Lesche, Design and Architecture Senior High; Annette Levin, Design and Architecture Senior High; Carolina Quiñones, Design and Architecture Senior High; Lianne Ramirez, Design and Architecture Senior High; Farah Ritter, Design and Architecture Senior High; Cristy Rodriguez, New World School of the Arts; William Sancho, Design and Architecture Senior High; Kimberly Tran, Design and Architecture Senior High; Loli Vaccaro, Design and Architecture Senior High; and Melanie Wu, Coral Gables Senior High.

Under the direction of Miami-based contemporary visual artists Monica Lopez de Victoria (of Miami-based artist duo TM Sisters) and Francesco Locastro, students manage all aspects of the exhibition’s conception, planning and realization. LAB is a unique, hands-on opportunity that allows student artists to widen their perspectives, gain new skills, connect with their peers, and meet local artists, collectors and arts professionals from throughout South Florida. The artist-led instruction at Locust Projects is complemented by guided field trips to local arts institutions and artist studios, as well as a series of talks by invited speakers from the Miami art community and a special Mentor Brunch where students get to meet and greet area arts professionals.

Established in 2010, LAB extends Locust Projects’ longstanding commitment to experimentation and innovation in artistic practice to the next generation of South Florida artists. LAB is a unique initiative that promotes contemporary art as a tool of project-based learning, introducing young artists with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the practical aspects and experiences of art and its potentials.

LAB culminates with a public opening reception for the student-created exhibition, where students’ parents, teachers and friends are invited to celebrate alongside the students and Miami’s art community.