Wynwood Walls is finally reopening, but soon you’ll have to pay to get in
Wynwood Walls, the heart and soul of Miami’s most colorful neighborhood, is finally reopening this week.
When it does, it will not be the Wynwood Walls you remember. First, you’ll need to reserve a time and ticket online to stroll the mural-lined path. Starting in 2021, you will need to pay for that ticket.
The popular outdoor destination, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019 and welcomed an estimated three million visitors that year, has been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The months during which the attraction sat empty offered an unexpected opportunity for evaluating the property’s future, said Jessica Goldman Srebnick, CEO of Goldman Properties and curator of the Wynwood Walls.
“It gave us the opportunity to dream,” said Srebnick, whose father was Tony Goldman, a developer and preservationist whose unique vision gave life to Wynwood Walls. “If you recognize the world has changed, and behavior has changed, you need to recognize we must change, too, grow and struggle and hope we come out stronger on the other side.”
Charged with reimagining the future, Srebnick and her family dreamed. The result is a Wynwood Walls that operates more like a traditional museum than a passive experience. No more walking through and taking a few selfies amid hordes of other visitors. A timed ticketing process, accessed via a new mobile app, will enforce social distancing, and masks will be required. You won’t necessarily be able to show up at the last minute, but fewer people will be breathing down your neck.
Instead of changing once a year for Miami Art Week and Art Basel, new murals will be painted three, maybe even four, times a year, giving more artists the chance to showcase their talents. Visitors will be able to watch the artists as they work, and the artists will be eligible to apply for grants.
Programming will be expanded. Imagine taking a yoga class amid the murals. Or learning to draw or paint with visual inspiration right in front of you. Maybe even watching a ballet performance with a street-art backdrop.
Visitors can buy membership packages that include special events. They’ll be able to take guided tours of the Walls and hear from artists in person or via a new online platform, which opens the destination to international visitors not yet ready to travel to Miami.
“You will be able to watch the experience if you’re sitting in Paris or Berlin or Brazil,” Srebnick said. “It gives the artists an even bigger platform. One of the things so important to us, that inspires us as a family, is that art rises to meet the moment. Artists contribute to the global dialogue . . . . and if art really translates into being the voice of our time, look at the time we’re living in. There is no better time than now. We need art, and we need expression and creativity. It’s an incredible canvas we have.”
Wynwood Walls plans to ease into the new world order. The murals from late 2019 will remain for a few months; Srebnick estimates new ones will be painted sometime next spring. From Dec. 18-Jan. 18, tickets will be free, thanks to an agreement with the Wynwood Business
Improvement District. Starting Jan. 19, tickets will cost $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and military, with 17 and under free.
Albert Garcia of the Business Improvement District said the neighborhood needs Wynwood Walls to reopen because it’s “the nucleus, our North Star, for the artistic DNA of this neighborhood.” As for charging admission, he approves of the plan.
“There’s a hunger and a demand for more content and a more engaged experience,” he said. “People want to know about these artists and enrich themselves. [The changes] will enable the Walls to elevate the programming and offerings and provide support to artists. Look at PAMM or the ICA. For us, Wynwood Walls is that institution. It’s important to ensure this facility continues to thrive. It’s a vital part of our community.”
Srebnick is hopeful the community will respond positively to the new Wynwood Walls and its diversity.
“What I love is hearing ‘I bring my grandmother here — she’s 85 and loves it.’ Or ‘I bring my 6-year-old, and he comes with his coloring books.’ That’s beautiful,” she said. “The best places in the world are the places that create memories and create joy. That’s Wynwood Walls.”
WYNWOOD WALLS
Where: 2520 NW Second Ave., Miami,
Reopens: Dec. 18
Tickets: Required but free through Jan. 18; more information at thewynwoodwalls.com