Miami
Art
Central
Founded
by Ella Fontanals Cisneros
In December 2003, Miami Art Central (MAC) quickly emerged as a pioneering not-for-profit institution dedicated to the presentation of cutting-edge exhibitions and multidisciplinary programs in contemporary art and culture. Supported by the Cisneros Fontanals Arts Foundation, with additional funding from local government agencies, private foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors, MAC served as a vital experimental platform for the visual and interdisciplinary arts in South Florida.
Conceived as a space for innovation, critical inquiry, and cultural dialogue, MAC advanced a bold curatorial agenda that integrated the visual arts with music, film, literature, and performance. With a mission to engage South Florida’s diverse communities and promote cross-cultural exchange, the institution presented both monographic and group exhibitions featuring leading and emerging artists from around the world.
MAC established collaborative partnerships with leading national and international institutions,
including the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona; the Secession, Vienna; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo; and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, among others. These strategic alliances enabled MAC to co-produce and present ambitious, globally relevant exhibitions, helping to position Miami as a dynamic and influential center for contemporary art.
Rina Carvajal served as Executive Director and Chief Curator of Miami Art Central from 2004 to 2007, providing visionary leadership and artistic direction. She was instrumental in shaping the institution’s curatorial identity and oversaw an acclaimed slate of exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives. Following the strategic alliance between MAC and the Miami Art Museum (now Pérez Art Museum Miami, PAMM), Carvajal continued her work as Adjunct Curator, ensuring continuity and honoring MAC’s curatorial legacy within the expanded institutional framework of MAM.
Rina Carvajal served as Executive Director and Chief Curator of Miami Art Central from 2004 to 2007, providing visionary leadership and artistic direction. She was instrumental in shaping the institution’s curatorial identity and oversaw an acclaimed slate of exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives. Following the strategic alliance between MAC and the Miami Art Museum (MAM), Carvajal continued her work as Adjunct Curator, ensuring continuity and honoring MAC’s curatorial legacy within the expanded institutional framework of MAM.
MAC Advisory Board
From 2004 until 2007, Miami Art Central’s Advisory Board was comprised of a distinguished group of international art professionals. Their CVs at the time they served on the MAC board were as follows
THE BUILDING
Miami Art Central (MAC) was housed in a repurposed 1940s industrial building originally constructed for the Southern Bell Company. The Italian architect Alessandro Fiorentino led its transformation, converting the space into a striking 20,000-square-foot cultural facility while preserving key elements of its original architectural character. The two-story venue hosted four to five major exhibitions annually, along with a dynamic roster of public programs and special events.
MAC STAFF
Rina Carvajal, Executive Director and Chief Curator
Patricia García Vélez, Exhibitions Manager
Konstantia Kontaxis, Adjunct Film Curator
Brooke Minto, Curator of Programs
Andrea Navarro, Communications Manager
Susette Prada, Executive Assistant to the Director
Natalia Zuluaga, Assistant Curator
A Strategic Alliance in Contemporary Art
On December 15, 2006, Ella Fontanals-Cisneros and Aaron Podhurst, Chairs of Miami Art Central and the Miami Art Museum respectively, announced a strategic alliance under the banner MAC@MAM. This collaborative initiative brought together MAC’s internationally oriented programming and original exhibitions with MAM’s institutional infrastructure and educational mission, marking a bold step toward greater visibility and cultural impact.
The partnership anticipated MAM’s transformation into a major new waterfront facility designed by Herzog & de Meuron, which would open in 2013 as Pérez Art Museum Miami. Fontanals-Cisneros, a long-time MAM trustee, described the merger as a natural evolution of shared institutional goals. “By uniting our resources,” she noted, “we will amplify our impact—supporting contemporary artists, fostering new scholarship, and offering Miami’s growing public access to innovative and meaningful cultural experiences.”
From October 2007 through January 2009, MAC produced a series of high-profile exhibitions and programs at MAM, deepening engagement with both local and international audiences and positioning Miami as a key node in the global contemporary art network.
Bookstore
Books
No Black / No White (no and): On Latin American Art in the 21st Century
A selection of over 200 images of artwork created for CIFO's Grants & Commissions Program throughout the last 15 years allows the reader to join the authors in interrogating the systems at play in our complex and at times perplexing contemporary environment.
Board of Trustees
Mrs. Ella Fontanals Cisneros - President
Mariela Cisneros – Mestre · Marissa Cisneros – Rizzon · Cota Cohen · Diane de Olazarra · Franco D’Agostino · Maria Cristina Lopez · Javier Mora · Gonzalo Parodi · Fernando Valverde · Patricia Wallace
