Vicario Will Bring Expertise in Latin American Art to the Culturally Diverse Miami-Dade Community
(MIAMI, FL — August 24, 2022) — Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Gilbert Vicario as Chief Curator. Vicario was selected for his vast experience and expertise in curating exhibitions and he shares PAMM’s mission in showcasing international modern and contemporary art, particularly from the U.S. Latino experience, the African diaspora, Latin America and the Caribbean.
“I am thrilled to join Pérez Art Museum Miami. As chief curator of the premier cultural institution of the southeastern United States, I am honored to continue the tradition of artistic excellence and curatorial innovation that distinguishes PAMM within our country’s larger cultural record,” said appointed PAMM Chief Curator Gilbert Vicario.
Vicario comes to PAMM from Phoenix Art Museum, where he served as The Selig Family Chief Curator for seven years. Throughout his tenure, he continually uplifted Latin American artists, committing to a more diversified program reflective of the Phoenix community. During his time, he oversaw a multitude of exhibitions; including Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context, which featured gifted works from the Nicholas Pardon collection in Irvine, CA; Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist and Desert Rider, an exhibition exploring the influence of car culture, particularly in the American Southwest.
Vicario will begin at PAMM on October 10. In his new position at PAMM, Vicario hopes to combine his curatorial expertise with educational innovation and new technologies to create dynamic exhibitions that break new ground in the fundamental redefinition of American art and art of the Americas. These exhibitions will be founded on new scholarship and diverse points of view.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Gilbert Vicario as Chief Curator of PAMM. With creativity and foresight, whether in Houston, Des Moines, or Phoenix, Gilbert has demonstrated a proven track record of engaging with varied audiences. As Miami continues to grow, we see the museum reflecting that growth and development culturally. With his expertise in presenting diverse American artists, and particularly his attention to Latinx artists, we are excited for Gilbert to help lead our curatorial team into the future. The continued expansion of the permanent collection, in a qualitative way, is a top priority as we seek to further develop and define PAMM as the preeminent museum for new and exciting art in America,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans.
Prior to joining Phoenix Art Museum, he was senior curator and division head for curatorial affairs at the Des Moines Art Center from 2009-2015. In 2006, Vicario was named U.S. Commissioner for the International Biennale of Cairo by the U.S. Department of State for the exhibition Daniel Joseph Martinez: The Fully Enlightened Earth Radiates Disaster Triumphant; and he was a participating curator in the 2007 Lyon Biennial: The History of a Decade That Has Not Yet Been Named.
Pérez Art Museum Miami is Miami’s flagship modern and contemporary art museum dedicated to catering to the culturally unique population of Miami-Dade County. The museum’s home at the crossroads of Latin America and the United States positions them to be a consistent leader in the presentation of Latin American art. Through its exhibitions and programs, the museum aims to encourage everyone to see art as an incentive for genuine human interaction, communication, and exchange.
ABOUT GILBERT VICARIO
Gilbert Vicario joined Phoenix Art Museum in 2015 as The Selig Family Chief Curator. Prior to joining Phoenix Art Museum, he was senior curator and division head for curatorial affairs at the Des Moines Art Center from 2009-2015. Recent exhibitions include Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context, which featured gifted works from the Nicolas Pardon collection in Irvine, CA; along with Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist (traveled from Phoenix Art Museum to New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and Palm Springs Art Museum, California). In 2017, he organized the first mid-career survey and publication of the American artist Sheila Pepe titled Hot Mess Formalism (traveled from Phoenix Art Museum to the Everson Museum of Art at Syracuse University, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts). Upcoming exhibitions include Xican-a.o.x.-Body co-curated with Cecilia Fajardo-Hill and Marissa Del Toro for American Federation for the Arts in New York and the California Biennial 2022 at Orange County Museum of Art opening October 8, 2022.
In 2006, Vicario was named U.S. Commissioner for the International Biennale of Cairo by the U.S. Department of State for the exhibition Daniel Joseph Martinez: The Fully Enlightened Earth Radiates Disaster Triumphant; and he was a participating curator in the 2007 Lyon Biennial: The History of a Decade That Has Not Yet Been Named.
Vicario graduated from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and started his career at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where he established his passion for organizing exhibitions. He subsequently worked at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
ABOUT PAMM
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), led by Director Franklin Sirmans, promotes artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, and design, and reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. The nearly 40-year-old South Florida institution, formerly known as Miami Art Museum (MAM), opened a new building, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, on December 4, 2013 in Downtown Miami’s Maurice A. Ferré Park. The facility is a state-of-the-art model for sustainable museum design and progressive programming and features 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space with flexible galleries; shaded outdoor verandas; a waterfront restaurant and bar; a museum shop; and an education center with a library, media lab, and classroom spaces.
