Bernice Steinbaum Gallery

2101 Tigertail Avenue | Miami | Art Region: Miami

Founded in New York in 1977. Feminism and the Civil Rights Movement had effected change, but there was still a long way to go. Women and people of color were still underrepresented and undervalued in every area of the art world. Refusing a “separate but equal” model of representation, Steinbaum’s mission was to exhibit artists working with narrative, while maintaining a roster of 50% women and 40% artists of color. The gallery opened on Madison Avenue, and later moved to 132 Green St. in SoHo.

In 2000, Steinbaum moved the gallery to Miami, Florida. Hers was the first commercial gallery in the yet-undeveloped area of Wynwood. With its new location, the gallery’s mission shifted. In New York, the indoor spaces of galleries had been welcome oasis from the weather and bustle outside. In Miami, Steinbaum was impressed by the fact that the city competed with nature for the public’s attention. Her attention turned to the future of the natural world, and the many threats to it that human endeavors pose. She sought out artists engaging with environmental themes and working with found or repurposed materials. Given the role of technology and globalization in both causing and countering environmental issues, she also developed an interest in artists pursuing similar themes in their work.