Director and Chief Curator, The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach

SILVIA KARMAN CUBIÑÁ is the Executive Director and Chief Curator, Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach in 2008. Previously, she was the Director of The Moore Space, Miami, from 2002-2008. In the past, she held the position of Adjunct Curator at inova, the Institute of Visual Arts; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and at The Mexican Museum in San Francisco and the Cuban Museum of Art in Miami. She was the Puerto Rico commissioner to the 1997 Bienal de Sao Paolo. She has curated numerous exhibitions, lectured extensively and participated in grant panels and award selection committees, including serving as a juror for the Guggenheim Museum’s Hugo Boss Award for 2006 and juror at the Bienal de Lyon in 2008. In 2007, she was a finalist for the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement and was a fellow in the Center for Curatorial Leadership (CCL) fellowship program. Ms. Cubiñá currently serves on the Knight Foundation National Arts Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors of the AAMD American Alliance of Art Museum Directors. In 2012, Ms. Cubiñá was awarded the distinction of Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

“My CCL experience gave me more than managerial and administrative skills, it allowed me access to successful museum professionals and board members and their experiences. Ultimately, it enabled me to own the idea of being a museum director.”

Who is The Bass Museum of Art

MISSION STATEMENT

The Bass, Miami Beach’s contemporary art museum, creates connections between international contemporary art and the museum’s diverse audiences. The Bass shares the power of contemporary art through experiences that excite, challenge and educate.

ABOUT THE BASS

The Bass is Miami Beach’s contemporary art museum. Focusing on exhibitions of international contemporary art, The Bass presents mid-career and established artists reflecting the spirit and international character of Miami Beach. The Bass seeks to expand the interpretation of contemporary art by incorporating disciplines of contemporary culture, such as design, fashion and architecture, into the exhibition program.  The exhibition program encompasses a wide range of media and artistic points of view that bring new thought to the diverse cultural context of Miami Beach.

Central to the museum’s mission, The Bass maintains a vigorous education program for lifelong learning and visitors of all ages. The Bass IDEAS education initiative uses art as a catalyst for creativity and positive growth, especially in the area of early childhood education. The active school program led by the City of Miami Beach called STEAM+, takes The Bass IDEAS off-site by engaging children in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and integrating arts education into the curriculum.

HISTORY

The Bass Museum of Art opened in 1964 through the donation of a private collection by John and Johanna Bass to the City of Miami Beach. The museum opened in what was formerly the Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center, a 1930s Art Deco building designed by Russell Pancoast, grandson of Miami Beach pioneer John Collins. The building itself already had a rich history on Miami Beach as the first public exhibition space for art in South Florida, and was placed on the National Register in 1978.

In 2001, the original museum building was renovated, and a new wing, designed by renowned architect Arata Isozaki, was added to house galleries, offices and a museum shop. The new galleries gave the museum a total of 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, essential for the presentation of temporary exhibitions and continued growth.

In 2009, The Bass experienced another wave of institutional growth as it consolidated its governance in a 501c3 non-profit corporation, hired a new director and developed a new board. The museum re-focused its mission and programming to reflect the new development of Miami Beach as an art destination, catering to the evolving and diverse nature of Miami Beach residents and tourists.

By 2017, The Bass concluded a comprehensive transformation and reopened to the public on October 29, 2017. Again working with architects Arata Isozaki and David Gauld, the renovation expanded the internal structure to create an almost 50 percent increase in programmable space, including four new galleries, a museum store and cafe, and a designated education facility to better serve expanded programs and increased attendance.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • CHAIRMAN George Lindemann
  • TREASURER Clara Bullrich
  • SECRETARY Laura Paresky Gould
  • MEMBERS
  • Adriana Abascal
  • Barbara Becker
  • Olga Blavatnik
  • Criselda Breene
  • Trudy Cejas
  • Michael Collins
  • Brian Ehrlich
  • Christina Getty
  • José Ramón González
  • Lisa Heiden-Koffler
  • Alina T. Hudak
  • Doug Kimmelman
  • Diane Lieberman
  • Pamela Liebman
  • David Martin
  • Ariel Penzer Milgroom
  • Tracy Wilson Mourning
  • Thomas C. Murphy
  • Dan Och
  • Inés Rivero
  • Alisa Romano
  • Ali Scharf-Matlick
  • Oscar Seikaly
  • Tatyana Silva
  • Cathy Vedovi
The Bass Museum of Art

2100 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305. 673. 7530

MEDIA CONTACT
Sabrina Anico, Communications Director
sanico@thebass.org

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