The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) celebrated its 30th anniversary with a series of events honoring three decades of cultural leadership in South Florida. Founded in 1996, MOCA has been a cornerstone of the region’s contemporary art scene, bridging Miami’s Design District and Fort Lauderdale and championing both local and global artists.
To launch the anniversary, MOCA hosted its second annual A Night in Paradise gala. The event honored MOCA Trustees Christopher Carter and Tracey Robertson Carter for their advocacy and support of South Florida’s arts ecosystem. The gala also paid tribute to the influential Chicago-based collective AFRICOBRA, whose work has helped define the visual language of the Black Arts Movement.
“Over the past 30 years, MOCA has grown in parallel with Miami’s cultural ecosystem, championing emerging voices and fostering critical dialogue in both local and global contexts,” said Chana Sheldon, Executive Director of MOCA North Miami. “As the city’s artistic landscape continues to expand, MOCA remains guided by the founding principle that art is essential to fostering connection and community. This year marks a moment of reflection and celebration of three decades dedicated to providing a platform for meaningful connection and sustained engagement within our community and beyond, while reaffirming our commitment to shaping the future of contemporary art discourse.”
MOCA’s connection to AFRICOBRA was solidified in 2018 with the exhibition AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People, curated by Jeffreen M. Hayes, Ph.D. The show celebrated the collective’s 50th anniversary and reunited founding members Jeff Donaldson, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu, and Gerald Williams. It featured paintings, textiles, and sculptures centered on Black pride, liberation, and empowerment. The exhibition was later selected as an official collateral event of the Venice Biennale in 2019, making MOCA the first Florida institution ever featured in the historic international exhibition.
Community access has been central to MOCA’s mission. Located in North Miami, the museum translates wall texts and exhibition captions into Haitian Creole, reflecting the city’s large Haitian population. It offers free public programs, educational initiatives, original exhibition catalogs, and public art projects like Art on the Plaza, ensuring the arts remain inclusive and connected to its community.
MOCA grew from the Center of Contemporary Art, founded in 1981, and moved into its current building designed by Charles Gwathmey in 1996. Recent exhibitions include My Name is Maryan, which traveled to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and AFRICOBRA: Nation Time, a collateral event of Biennale Arte 2019 in Venice. Other original exhibitions include Andrea Chung: Between Too Late and Too Early (2024), Smita Sen: Embodied (2024), Manuel Mathieu: Dwelling on the Invisible (2024), and Jamea Richmond-Edwards: Ancient Future (2023).
As part of its 30th anniversary, MOCA plans new original exhibitions and expanded public programming to reflect both its legacy and future mission. More information on MOCA’s ongoing and upcoming programming is available at mocanomi.org.
