During a recent trip to Miami, I set aside an afternoon to visit the renowned Wynwood Walls gallery, a free outdoor exhibit showcasing original works from some of the world's top street artists. Founded in 2009, Wynwood Walls comprises an enclosed collection of stand-alone hand-painted, stencil, and mixed-media canvases placed amongst a tangled trail of tattooed architecture housing art galleries, cafes and social spaces.
Wynwood Walls museum on its own is a site to see – more impressive, however, are the surrounding neighborhoods it inspired. In the few years since the gallery exploded onto the local art scene, a massive street art revolution has settled over the surrounding commercial neighborhoods of Wynwood. The fallout is vast: I would estimate that seven in every ten buildings around Wywood Walls features a commissioned graffiti canvas, unfolding for miles. Even after three hourse of walking, I maybe covered a quarter of the area's creative terrain. Driving home, many more concrete compositions could be seen from the interstate several blocks from where I trekked.
The outdoor artwork has also sparked a growing number of creative shops and industries to open in the area. As you amble through the Wynwood district, you will find a number of new galleries, fashion stores, cafes and artistic accessory outlets.
Below, you can check out several of the street art murals I photographed during my visit to Wynwood. Graffiti art is temporary, often soon to be replaced by the next incoming artist, thus some of these pieces may be missing should you chose to visit in the future. Enjoy.
