In nearly every city, the art world is feeling the pinch from rising rents and a dwindling supply of large, affordable spaces for making or exhibiting work. But in Miami, a growing number of gallerists are opting to buy their own real estate—putting the breaks on a cycle of gentrification and the instability that comes with renting.
And they’re leaving Wynwood—until recently the undisputed center of Miami’s gallery scene—in droves. Many gallerists, studios, and artists are looking north to Little Haiti to rent or buy. I sat down with Brook Dorsch (of gallery Emmerson Dorsch), Nina Johnson-Milewski (of Gallery Diet), and the couple Annie Berkowitz and Jordan Trachtenberg, who recently opened the new &gallery in a building they bought for their own design and real estate offices. Collectively, they’re transforming a suburban-looking stretch of NW 2nd Ave into Miami’s latest—and permanent—arts neighborhood. We discussed the merits of property ownership and strategies for making it more accessible to Miami’s art community.