mtn space gallery is pleased to present Smile for Me: The Flea, a solo exhibition by artist and architect Sydney Rose Maubert.
“The exhibition presents work that considers layered explorations of Southern flea markets, as a point of Black and Indigenous exchange. This work specifically reflects on the flea market as a site of cultural production, through the fashion and musical expression of Miami and Atlanta Bass culture. Flea markets are emblematic of Bass culture, a sub-genre of Southern hip hop and its attending visual culture, a material residue of Black and Indigenous intersectionality from the Saltwater Railroad. Debuting new paintings, metalwork sculptures, and site-specific installation — the works document movement between people, objects, and space witnessed in Miami and in recent travels to Decatur and Sapelo Island, Georgia.
One of the most vulnerable sites of erasure in Miami, in the wake of climate gentrification and the vulnerable American economy, is marketplaces. Miami’s flea markets provided a site of exchange for Black and brown communities, providing a unique material index, ranging from grillz, gold jewelry, airbrushed clothing or nails, and Brazilian jeans, to more basic amenities. The items found in the flea market allude to a broader cultural geography, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba, Georgia and the Carolinas. Marketplaces make legible Miami’s Bahamian history and its unique ties to a larger cultural geography of Caribbean and Southern Black aesthetics. This work argues for the importance of flea markets as sites of cultural exchange and the maintenance of care, construction of self, and racialized gender in the built environment.
One of the unique phenomena that emerges in the flea market, specifically in Miami, is the spatialization of gender. Flea market booths were gendered spaces with programs such as nail salons, grillz, jewelry stands, and more. Through constructing a single 1:1 installation that explores media in the language of these lost flea markets, I explore gender construction and fungibility by creating sculptures and furniture that make clear the swift movement of gender, by dismantling gender through signification. I intend for this work to specifically honor Black femmes and queer folks who share heritage with flea market spaces or Black culture at large. This work is urgent and timely because of the lack of public discourse surrounding the historicity or ramifications of displacing Black and brown Indigenous people from the South. Situating our contemporary culture within the history of this land also contextualizes our practices as part of a unique liberating fugitive story, while also expanding our visual and architectural repository.”
Sydney Rose Maubert (b. 1996) is a Haitian-Cuban artist and architect based in Miami and Chicago. She holds degrees in architecture from Yale University and the University of Miami, with double minors in writing and art. She is the founder of Sydney R. Maubert LLC., her art and mural practice, which has been awarded by the Graham Foundation, Oolite Ellies Creator Award, NALAC Foundation, GreenSpace Initiative Grant, Miami-Dade Individual Artist Grant, Cornell Council for the Arts Award, Yale Moulton Andros Award, and University of Miami Alpha Rho Chi Award. Her work has been exhibited at TenBerke Architects, Augusta Savage Gallery, Artist in Residence in the Everglades, GreenSpace Miami in Miami ArtWeek 2023, and Cornell Hartell Gallery, and most notably in 21C Museum’s permanent collection. Currently, she is the Jeanne and John Rowe Fellow at the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture. She was the Strauch Fellow at Cornell College of Architecture (2022- 2024). She sits on the board of the Center for Architecture’s Scholarship Committee (2023- ). She has assisted in teaching courses at Yale University, Morgan State University, City College of New York, and the University of Miami. Her work has been published in Log, Drawing Matter, and Yale Retrospecta. She was listed as a New Progressive in Architect Magazine.
About mtn space gallery — Founded in 2020 by Melissa Delprete, mtn space is a contemporary art space located within a carefully renovated 1951 art deco cornerstone of Lake Worth Beach. Melissa and Gallery Director Tina Caso are committed to exhibiting emerging and established artists who are deeply rooted in their practice and whose work is informed by the greater global arts community. For information, updates, and to stay current on events, please join our mailing list at mtnspace.com/gallery or follow us on Instagram: @mtnspacegallery
Free Art Deco Lecture Series celebrating Art & Architecture of the Jazz Age celebrating 100 Years 1925-2025! ArtDecoPB.org
Open: Nov 16, 2024 – January 15th, 2025
Hours: Thursdays 4-8pm, Friday-Sunday 11-5pm, Mon-Wed By Private Appointment
Location: Camilla Webster Studio and Gallery, 500 Palm Street, Unit 11, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
This fall, the art world will converge on West Palm Beach as globally celebrated artists Camilla Webster and Karen Bystedt debut their highly anticipated collaborative exhibition, Warhols: Lost and Found. Taking place at Webster’s new gallery space in Flamingo Park Plaza, across from The Norton Museum of Art, this unique show offers an intimate exploration of their direct relationships with the legendary Andy Warhol.
Camilla Webster, known for her acclaimed American Flag paintings, and Karen Bystedt, celebrated for her iconic photographs of Warhol share the stage in this exhibition. Warhol granted Bystedt a sitting in the conference room of “The Factory” in 1982 for a book, NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE: America’s Top Male Models (NAL). Andy Warhol was Webster’s neighbour as a girl in New York City, and a lifelong inspiration. Webster created the flag painting used in collaboration with Karen Bystedt’s photograph of Warhol holding the American flag at the esteemed Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, Colorado.
Webster’s work, which delves into themes of Americana, idyllic memory, and cultural identity, is paired with Bystedt’s photographic exploration of Warhol’s persona, creating a powerful visual dialogue that honors Warhol’s influence while pushing the boundaries of
contemporary art.
“The memory of this unique creative environment that Andy fostered drew us together,” says Webster. “It was a time when the great melting pot of New York City generated a daring magic in the air. Karen and I were there. All was possible. There was hubris, rebellion, innovation in ideas, materials, Americana, and optimism. West Palm Beach is experiencing a similar bombastic chapter in arts, culture, and real estate, making it the perfect fresh location for this exhibit.”
Warhols: Lost and Found was born from a shared vision between Webster and Bystedt, inspired by Webster’s acclaimed American Flag series and Bystedt’s iconic photograph of Warhol holding the American flag. The exhibition features new original paintings on canvas by Webster, alongside a collaboration of American flag prints, collectible t-shirts, the Lost Warhols custom Linen box set which holds 10 of Bystedt’sphotographs of Warhol by Bystedt with a bonus contact sheet, white gloves and original quotes given to Bystedt by Andy offering visitors a comprehensive and immersive experience.
The exhibition will open on Friday November 15th and runs through the holiday season in Palm Beach.
West Palm Beach, a city with a rich history of Warhol collectors and muses, including Jane Holzer, provides the perfect backdrop for this show. The exhibition is expected to draw significant interest from the art community and beyond, making it a landmark event of the season.
For more information, please visit info@camillawebster.com
About Karen Bystedt:
Karen Bystedt is an internationally acclaimed photographer and mixed media artist based in Miami. Known for her iconic collection, *The Lost Warhols*, Bystedt captured a unique moment with Andy Warhol, who granted her the rights to his image. This collection honors Warhol’s legacy by inviting artists to reinterpret his image through various mediums. Bystedt has published four photography books and photographed stars like Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and Drew Barrymore. Her work is exhibited globally, including at The Andy Warhol Museum, and featured in publications such as Italian Vogue, Vanity Fair, and InStyle.
About Camilla Webster:
Camilla Webster is one of Florida’s leading museum collected artists and designers Her American flag and South Florida inspired paintings are in multiple important private collections. In 2024, Webster’s paintings have graced the covers of Dan’s Papers, Elevated Art Magazine, and Palm Beach City Life. Her work was recently featured at The Hamptons Fine Art Fair, in Whitehot Magazine, Modern Luxury Palm Beach, at The Southampton Arts Center and in a sixty painting survey exhibit at The Coral Springs Museum of Art. Webster’s Love From Palm Beach studio collections which launched in 2023 have been a runaway success at The Breakers.
Since RIVERDANCE first emerged onto the world stage, its fusion of Irish and international dance and music has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. The Grammy Award ®-winning music and the infectious energy of its mesmerizing choreography and breathtaking performances has left audiences in awe and established it as a global cultural sensation.
Show Times
Fri, Feb 7 2025 @ 8:00pm
Sat, Feb 8 2025 @ 2:00pm
Sat, Feb 8 2025 @ 8:00pm
Sun, Feb 9 2025 @ 2:00pm
Tickets start at $35.00
Sunrises are beautiful anywhere, but there’s something special about seeing them over the ocean at a beach I can reach 10 minutes by bike.
Lake Worth Beach Pier
Growing up in Pittsburgh, I did not like the winters. I moved to South Florida in 1988 after graduating from journalism school and taking a newspaper job. Eventually, I found my way to Lake Worth Beach, a funky little town with a whimsical motto that spoke to me: “Keep Lake Worth Weird.’’ I fit right in.
And it wasn’t long before I discovered and embraced its many wonderful and quirky treasures, from the natural to the cultural to the culinary.
After watching the sun rise at the Lake Worth Beach Casino Complex, I’m ready for coffee and eggs at a table above the ocean — literally — at Benny’s on the Beach, a popular eatery on the Lake Worth Pier.
If the waves are big, I’ll pay $1 to walk out on the 1,000-foot pier east of Benny’s and watch the surfers. There’s action on the pier, too, where large pelicans gather on the railings in hopes of stealing the catches from morning anglers.
Nothing beats the scenery at the pier, but my two favorite breakfast spots are across the Lake Worth Bridge: The Pelican Restaurant on Lake Avenue, known for Indian fusion, and Farmer Girl Restaurant, an old-school eatery on U.S. 1 in my College Park neighborhood.
Snook Islands Natural Area
After breakfast, I explore the Snook Islands Natural Area, with its boardwalk winding around mangroves and wading birds at the northwest end of the Lake Worth Bridge. If the wind is calm, I’ll head north to the Lake Worth Beach Golf Club to rent a kayak and paddle south in the Lake Worth Lagoon.
For an added treat, I paddle under the bridge for an up-close view of a breathtaking mural, on the wall of the bridge’s main support, of a woman rising from the Intracoastal Waterway. Painted in 2017 by the artist Hula during Canvas Art Festival, the lady in the mural always turns heads whether you’re on water or on land strolling the walkways to the southeast in Bryant Park.
Lake Worth Beach is known around South Florida for hosting large annual events – the Street Painting Festival each February; the Palm Beach Pride festival and parade in March; the Midnight Sun Festival paying homage to the town’s century-old Finnish heritage with music, food and the amusing Wife Carrying Contest; and Dia de Los Muertos in October.
Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts
But there are plenty of year-round options, like the city’s vibrant arts offerings. I always enjoy the galleries on the ground floor of the beautiful art deco Cultural Council of Palm Beach County building, which spotlights the work of local artists like painter Serge Strosberg and ceramic artist Heather Couch. Admission is free. Be sure to walk outside and check out the larger-than-life Martin Luther King Jr. mural on the building’s south wall.
I always find something inspiring on the walls of mtn space gallery on Lake Avenue and at the funky Flamingo Clay Studio artists’ coop on South J Street.
An even more eclectic treat can be found just west of U.S. 1 at the Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts. The transformed historic FEC train depot houses working spaces for emerging and established artists and offers workshops in glassblowing, welding and jewelry.
Café Tecun
By now, I’m ready for lunch. If it’s Wednesday, I’ll stop by L-Dub Subs (slang for the city’s initials) on South J Street for their weekly special — the Mama Gizza Meatball Sub, made by a local gourmet pasta maker. Other days, I’ll grab a burrito and a cold Corona at Cafe Tecun, where the only thing better than the food is the friendly staff.
In the afternoon, I’ll take Lucy and Ginger, my friendly dogs, to Bryant Park or Spillway Park on the city’s north end and watch them chase squirrels.
During football season, there’s no better place for transplanted Pittsburghers to watch their Steelers than Dave’s Last Resort and Raw Bar in the heart of downtown. If the place is too packed, I’ll walk across the street to the roomier Irish Brigade with its multiple screens.
Lake Worth Playhouse
One recent Saturday afternoon I caught a matinee of “Oklahoma!” at the Lake Worth Playhouse, celebrating its 100th birthday this year in the heart of downtown. A few weeks before that, my wife and I stopped at the playhouse’s Stonzek Theater, home to great independent movies, and watched a music documentary called “The Stones and Brian Jones.’’
By the time the movie ended, we were primed for live music. But first, dinner at our favorite restaurant, Lilo’s Streetfood and Bar. The sidewalk tables were all taken — a testament to the great food — so we sidled up to the bar and ordered our usual yummy shrimp tacos.
Harry’s Banana Farm
By 8 p.m., we grabbed a table at Rudy’s Pub on South J Street and watched the Cedric Talton Experience. “No grouchy people allowed,’’ says the sign inside Rudy’s, where great live music can be seen all week, often with no cover charge.
On certain Friday nights during the year, weather permitting, we head back to the beach to meet up with friends and neighbors at the city-sponsored beach bonfires, featuring live music from bands like The Killbillies and The People Upstairs.
My day isn’t complete without a nightcap at Harry’s Banana Farm, a bar known for cheap cold beer and a rich sense of humor: Whimsical messages on the bar’s marquee – such as “Retirement: it’s like high school but your parents r never home” – have been stopping traffic on U.S. 1 for years.
Finally, I’m off to bed, dreaming of another beach sunrise.
For more to do and see in Lake Worth Beach and across Florida’s Cultural Capital, visit our events calendar.