A tour of home-grown and world class graffiti in Wynwood, including Primary Flight’s diverse urban art and the Wynwood Walls, many of which are only dry since December. The tour will include information on the artists and crews, and the rules by which they respect tags, bombs, throw-ups and pieces. We will trace a route through Wynwood, following the artistic development of tags to commissioned public work. Check out the preview in the Miami Herald. Make sure to bring sunblock and plenty of water.
The After-After Party
Don’t forget to join us in the evening after the Graffiti Ride on May 22nd for a night of Art and Music.
What: Live music as well as a gallery event featuring various local artists
Press from Lake Worth to be posted soon. We’re looking for rapid response from as many folks as possible before Thursday!
Please call your senators before Thursday of this week. The senate is voting on the Murkowski amendment- we’re expecting Thursday- and we need masses to call and say “VOTE NO!” If passed, it would undo the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases from coal power plants under the Clean Air Act- our only federal regulation currently in place to limit emissions and curb climate change. Call with the tool on our website- let the computer call you so we can keep track of how many calls are made: http://www.facebook.com/l/6bc68;tools.advomatic.com/13/calls
“The ride will be starting at Government Center 111 NW 1st Ave, we will be doing the A-B-C quick check to make sure bikes are road ready. We’ll be riding from Government Center, north through Overtown, Wynwood and Little Haiti. We’ll stop up at Hadley Park and return. This will be a great ride lots, and a good opportunity to improve your riding skills. A map will be provided prior to the ride.
Bike Miami Rides are a great way to build cycling confidence while riding on road, they are a fun great way to explore the city in a different way. For more information please email Collin Worth at cworth@miamigov.com (305) 416-1022″
Wow! Firstly, Emerge would like to thank everybody who came out to our Graffiti Bike Tour over the weekend, the feedback has been some of the best we’ve gotten from any of the rides that we’ve hosted. Dario Gonzalez & Olga Cano were very knowledgeable about the names and stories of our local street art talent, lending a high brow air to the spectacle. Don’t take my word for it, though, check out the pics for yourself:
March is Bike Month after all, so it was a great way to kick off the rest of the festivities we have planned for this month. Head on over to the Critical Mass Meetup Page to RSVP!
And now, a message from Olga Cano of Miami Open Streets Team:
Dear All,
This is a heartfelt thank you from the Miami Open Streets Team, Olga Cano and Dario Gonzalez for your help and general support of efforts leading to Streets . Art . Cycles; Graffiti by Bike. You helped grow a simple idea to a very successful, free, public event.
This success reintroduced bicycling as a viable activity to a few people who normally wouldn’t dare cycle through city streets. When we were children, getting on a bike opened a new world to us; we could suddenly travel two or three blocks from home and we felt like Columbus riding the Santa Maria through the Atlantic to the ‘Indies’. Were we much braver then? With our want for comfort and convenience at nearly any cost, poorly designed streets / intersections and, crazed motorists, it does takes a certain amount of confidence to get on a bike in the city. However, by presenting cycling to the public as an activity for everyone we are showing people that bicycling is neither crazy nor impossible but rather, lots of fun and fantastically practical. Our group of 45-55 people ranged from 10 to 60 years of age and was compose of nearly equal parts males and females, all of which are now street-art lovers who prefer tours by bike. Robert Noval, Gary Mendenhall (Green Mobility Network), Colin Worth, Dieter and, others kept us all safe.
Our tour explored parts of the City ‘around the corner’. Rather than disappearing into our cars at the beginning of the tour and reappearing at stops, we rode through Wynwood at a slow pace. We were able to say hello to residents making their streets part of living room-life and wave at others who courteously allowed us to pass as they remained stopped in their cars. The tour attempted to bridge a social gap that is too easy to understand and too difficult to talk about. The slow cycling route through Allapattah and Wynwood helped cross some of the boundaries between richer and poorer. Wynwood is everyone’s neighborhood and we hope this introduction encourages further and even regular exploration. We’d like to thank Emerge Miami for making this City a little better every day. We’d also like to thank Ken Bercel of the Lost & Found Saloon, for investing in Wynwood and projects like ours, the Biscayne Times and the Miami Herald for interest and reporting on things local and, Karla and James Murray.
Streets . Art . Cycles explored connections between Street and Fine Art. From the bombers tagging without respect to international artists invited by Primary Flight and other artists displaying their work on the Wynwood Walls, the choice of media, selection of the subject and the speed of the process makes for a strong argument of similarities between the two types of public art. What makes for respect among artists? Why collaborate with a crew? What is the audience and how do artists strive for fame? All of these questions were informed due to the help of Typoe, Books, Claudio Picasso, Joe (of Goldman Properties) and, Susan (of Deitch Projects).
Thanks to everybody who came out to Critical mass last Saturday, as we celebrated Adam’s birthday in Peacock Park. Check out the pictures over at our Meetup page!
The piñata-bashing festivities
Next up’s a hyper, fast-forward montage of the first half of the ride, courtesy of Rydel High & the Miami Bike Scene blog:
Finally, this video is a series of clips from September’s Bike Miami Ride, thanks to Debbie D for putting it together! The full story can be found over at the Youth Noise blog.
We look forward to seeing you all at the MASSIVE 1Sky, Repower America, & Emerge Miami hosted Day Of Action on October 24th. Join us at Vizcaya Metrorail station for our bike rally to urge senators to take action on the climate bill. More details soon!
I want to let you know that the city of Miami BicycleMasterPlanhas gone to commission and has passed. Theplanwhich you can read is available atwww.miamigov.com/bikes
I’m very proud that we were able to get thisplanpassed. It is an ambitious 20 year bikeplanthat provides over 285 miles of bike facilities. It also deals with parking, education, enforcement, and evaluation.
Thank you all for coming out to our summits and providing good input.
On Monday, June 15th, the City of Miami invites you to the first Miami Bike Summit at Jose Marti Community Center to discuss Miami’s Bicycle Master Plan. Meet city leaders, planners, cyclists and neighbors and learn about some of the ways Miami is becoming a more bicycle-friendly city.
From 6pm-9pm, learn about Sharrows, the benefits of bicycle parking, and what a central bicycle facility might mean for the City of Miami. To get a better idea of what the City is already doing, you can read the Bicycle Action Plan or email the Bicycle Coordinator, Collin Worth at cworth@miamigov.com
SAVE THE DATE:
Monday, June 15th.
6:00-9:00pm Jose Marti Community Center (351 SW 4th St- Downtown Miami)
There will be maps of the city and markers so you can mark exactly where you think our city needs bike lanes, parking, signage… Note: this is the first of two public meetings that will take place to help guide the development of Miami’s Bicycle Master Plan. Also, please consider taking the City of Miami Bicycle Master Plan survey here, put together by planning group, the Street Plans Collaborative. Also, if you can’t make the Summit, you are encouraged to contact Collin Worth with your ideas and stay tuned for when they schedule the next one.
Thanks to those of you who joined us for April’s Bike Miami Day! The event was spectacular and would not have been nearly as remarkable without your help! We had a ginormous turnout! Nothing could be more inspiring for bicycle advocates in Miami than to see a sea of orange-clad riders literally filling the streets of Coconut Grove!
The response was inspiring, with an increase in volunteer registry, evoked interest among bicycle enthusiasts, and major love from the Dutch Consulate- bonus love for those of you who nabbed tasty snacks from the Dutch Treats desert cart!
Now then, those of you who are interested in getting involved for the next Bike Miami Day, mark your calendar! We’re headed Downtown again, for Sunday, May 17! This will be the last BMD of the season involving street closures and sidewalk chalk and all of our standard excitements. I’ll keep you posted over the summer regarding organized rides and community service opportunities, but we won’t be closing the streets again until after the summer! So if you are a frequent participant, or if you have been meaning to join but haven’t had the chance, SAVE THE DATE! See below for the details on the ride, and be certain to spread the word to everyone!
Contact me if you are interested in participating, and I will be certain to send updates as they develop!
Thanks again for your help with BMD! You are all awesome!
From 9:00 to 2:00pm, explore your city in a new way – walking, cycling, skating the streets of Downtown from Flagler Street to Mary Brickell Village andeverywhere in between.
Family-Friendly * No Bike Required
NO START or END, JUST OPEN STREET
ALL FREE
Hands On Miami Volunteer Fair * Bike Clinics
Kid’s Corner * Dutch Orange Parade
Live Music * Green Art & Demos
Buddy Bike Rentals
and so much more!
CAR PARKING will be available at the Expo Center (access from 27th Avenue) and at the Coconut Grove Playhouse (access from Main Highway or off Grand), at CocoWalk(Virginia Street access only), Oak Street Parking Garage and the Mayfair, as well as all locations marked at their access point on the map.
We will also be hosting free bike valets at CocoWalk (access on Grand & McFarlane) and at Peacock Park (see the bicycle symbol on the map). Be sure to check out the participating Grove businesses.
