Michael Loveland

Social Sculpture (2022), organized by José Carlos Diaz, is the second commission in the museum’s public art program and the most recent addition to The Pop District. The sculpture, sited in a green space adjacent to the museum, is inspired by Warhol’s art practice.

“I have always had a fascination with Andy Warhol’s work in regard to the subject matter that he was glorifying and championing through repetition and placement,” says Loveland. “This new commission, Social Sculpture, reflects that legacy but also that of his contemporaries. The term ‘social sculpture’ was created by artist Joseph Beuys in the 1960s to embody and define arts potential to transform society.”

The project, which features transparent banners designed with elements from Loveland’s recent studio practice mounted to large colorful poles, is intended to present an overlapping and layered visual conversation between subject and viewer. “In my practice I transform my surroundings from ordinary to extraordinary by altering a traditional narrative into a complex visual one through collage, assemblage, and transformation,” Loveland explains. “By placing these thirty different banners within a green space of native wild flower plantings, I hope to continue the conversation about the importance of place and its often unnoticed unique natural essence. After this work debuts, future artists will be invited by the museum to design flags and banners to create new narratives and programming that speak to the community.

About the Artist

Michael Loveland (b. 1973) lives and works in Miami, Florida. He graduated from New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida (1991) and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland (1994). Loveland repurposes commonplace objects to create dynamic, wall-mounted compositions. As someone who has seen the growth and drastic change of the city, transformation plays a large part in the effect of his work.

Social Sculpture is organized by José Carlos Diaz. Social Sculpture has been made possible with the generosity of the Richard King Mellon Foundation.