South Miami-Dade opens a new cultural arts center

The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center has opened in Cutler Bay, bringing a substantial new performance destination to the southern part of the county. Its October 1 opening introduced a multidisciplinary venue designed to serve audiences who have often had to travel farther north for major cultural programming.

The project’s importance is geographic as well as architectural. A performing arts center changes the practical question of where an evening out can happen. For nearby residents, a local venue can make attending a performance less dependent on a long drive across the county.

The opening program brought international and local artists into the same institutional frame, while public art by Robert Chambers formed part of the project. The challenge now is the continuing calendar: turning an impressive opening into a durable relationship with audiences. South Miami-Dade has gained a new platform on which to build that relationship.