City of Miami Beach Announces Elevate Española: Sundial Spectrum by Jen Stark

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach is pleased to announce Sundial Spectrum, a site-specific art installation and mural by Miami-born artist Jen Stark, opening on Tuesday, December 3 at 1 p.m. between Washington and Collins avenues. Sundial Spectrum is the seventh iteration of Elevate Española, the city’s public art program featuring commissioned works installed over Española Way.

Sundial Spectrum consists of 13 sculptural hanging panels showcasing Stark’s signature bold colors on vinyl laminated polycarbonate along with large-scale murals framing the walkway.  Inspired by geometry and natural forms, the hypnotic patterns will shift throughout the day. As light filters through, viewers will find themselves surrounded by rainbow shadows along Española Way.

“This immersive artwork is inspired by the passage of time and the beauty of natural forms. I’m excited to see these colored shadows projected into the surrounding environment, transforming Española Way into a vibrant canvas. As a Miami native, I am thrilled to return to the place where my artistic journey began and to share this captivating experience with the community.” said Jen Stark.

For Sundial Spectrum, Stark chose an arrangement of colors that directly reflect and speak to the natural world: the alluring tones utilized by flowers to attract pollinators, the prisms of light found in crystals, and the luminescent qualities of phosphorescent sea creatures. Employing color theory in her practice, Stark harnesses the stimulating effects bright colors have on human emotions and moods — further heightening and enriching the immersive experience of Sundial Spectrum.

A major homecoming moment for the Miami-born and Los Angeles-based artist, Elevate Española marks Jen Stark’s first official collaboration with the City of Miami Beach. Stark has exhibited across the world, bringing her iconic, vividly-colored abstractions to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Thailand, Canada, and beyond. Her work is in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the West Collection, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, NSU Art Museum and MOCA Miami, and she has collaborated with major brands, such as Shiseido and Skechers.

Past installations of Elevate Española have included works by art collaboration FriendsWithYou, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Jillian Mayer, and assume vivid astro focus.

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About Jen Stark

Stark was born in Miami, Florida in 1983, and studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, graduating in 2005.

Jen Stark’s art is driven by her interest in conceptualizing visual systems to simulate plant growth, evolution, infinity, fractals, mimetic topographies, and sacred geometries. Using available materials—paper, wood, metal, paint—Stark strives to make work that balances on a razor’s edge of optical seduction and perceptual engagement. In recent years, Stark has introduced new technologies into her diverse practice, delving into the digital realm of interactive projections and distinctive NFTs.

About the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Program

Art in Public Places is a city board responsible for the commission and purchase of artwork by contemporary artists in all media. The program allocates funds totaling 2% of hard costs for city projects and joint private/public projects. Funds from construction projects may be aggregated into the Art in Public Places Fund and allocated for artwork at public sites and for collection maintenance. The fund is administered by a City Commission-appointed citizen’s board of seven members, the Art in Public Places Committee.

About the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council

The Cultural Arts Council (CAC) is an 11-member council created in 1997 for the purpose of developing, coordinating and promoting the performing and visual arts in the City of Miami Beach. The CAC serves as arts advocates before governmental bodies, coordinates collective marketing initiatives for the local arts community and funds not-for-profit arts organizations. Since the program’s inception, the CAC has awarded approximately $18 million in cultural arts grants, supporting thousands of performances, exhibits and other cultural activities in Miami Beach.

Press Contact

cityofmiamibeach@culturalcounsel.com

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