MOCA North Miami Receives $880,000 From Mellon Foundation

 

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) is honored to be a recipient of a generous $880,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the preservation and activation of its permanent collection. This significant support comes as MOCA approaches its 30th anniversary in 2026 and marks an essential step in the museum’s mission to expand public access, deepen community engagement, and sustain its legacy of artistic excellence in South Florida.

“This recognition and support from the Mellon Foundation is monumental for MOCA both as we approach a major milestone, celebrating three decades of this institution, and as we continue to work toward providing access to arts and education for our local community and beyond,” said Chana Sheldon, MOCA Executive Director. “We are proud of the depth and history of our permanent collection, especially its reflection of South Florida’s artistic legacy, and this grant will help ensure its preservation for generations to come.”

Since being established as a collecting institution in 1996, MOCA has served the North Miami community with free admission for more than 62,000 residents annually and a robust slate of free educational programs. The museum fosters a space where new ideas and perspectives can thrive, activating civic spaces while connecting local and global art conversations.

Renowned for its innovative curatorial scholarship, MOCA has long championed the South Florida art scene—mounting first-time solo exhibitions, retrospectives, and group shows that spotlight both emerging and established artists. Its collection reflects major developments in contemporary art, with a strong emphasis on South Florida voices and works exploring themes of identity, history, and culture.

With this new support from the Mellon Foundation, MOCA will build on this legacy, expanding access to its collection, deepening community engagement, and enhancing long-term institutional sustainability. The grant will support vital efforts to conserve, digitize, and grow the collection, ensuring its continued relevance for future generations.

This investment also strengthens MOCA’s ongoing commitment to presenting its collection in new and engaging ways. In 2024, the museum debuted Collection Focus: Light Play, an exhibition that invited audiences to experience rarely seen works from its permanent collection through an immersive format, reimagining the presentation of pieces by artists such as Petah Coyne, Dennis Oppenheim, and Sarah Seager. Showcasing these works in fresh dialogue with one another, the exhibition exemplified MOCA’s dedication to curatorial innovation and rethinking how art is preserved, interpreted, and shared with the public.

That same spirit of innovation and access carries through to MOCA’s current and upcoming programming. This spring, the museum continues its commitment to showcasing Miami-based artists with the opening of two new solo exhibitions, Philip Smith: Magnetic Fields and Vickie Pierre: The Maiden is The Warrior, both debuting on April 30. Each explores themes of memory, resilience, and spiritual transformation, offering deeply personal yet universally resonant narratives that align with MOCA’s curatorial focus.

Also on view this spring is Avi Young: Bearing Bonds, the first installation in MOCA’s 2025 Art on the Plaza series. This annual public art initiative brings contemporary art into the public realm, offering local artists the opportunity to activate MOCA’s plaza with site-specific, temporary installations. Through these efforts—both inside the museum and beyond—MOCA continues to build on its mission, offering accessible, thought-provoking experiences that invite all audiences to connect with contemporary art in meaningful ways.

 

Photo Courtesy of Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA)

Story Courtesy of Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA)

Date Posted: May 2, 2025