Dimensions Variable

Address: 100 NE 11th Street, Miami, FL 33132, United States
Contact: Frances Trombly or Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova
Email: dv@dimensionsvariable.net
Website: dimensionsvariable.net
Phone: DV: +1 305 615 3532, Leyden: +1 305 607 5527
Open Hours: By appointment

How is the project operated?
Artist-run non-profit. We currently have a fiscal sponsor.

How long has it been in existence?
DV has been in existence since September 2009. We are currently celebrating our 5th year anniversary. 

What was your motivation?
Frances and I founded DV for several different reasons. The first was to add to the contemporary art discourse in Miami and offer a different place from the Galleries and Museums. The second was to inform our own practice with the work of the artist we were inviting to produce shows and more intimately get to know their practice. The third was to empower ourselves as artists to build communities and negotiate space with developers for our own studios and to bring and keep the arts within a neighborhood—it was about survival. Today, we have a free space for DV and our studios which our hard work running DV gives us. It’s a support ecosystem around presenting art to the city and supporting our own practice. 

Number of organizers/responsible persons of the project.
DV currently is Frances Trombly and myself (Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova) the founders and Adler Guerrier who co-directs with us. We are currently talking with another artist that may possibly join us.

How are programs funded?
We fund the space through many different channels. We have the space donated since the first day, so that’s the most important. We work with local residencies to house artists when they come to Miami. Since 2011, we have been funding the space with a Knight Arts Challenge grant from the Knight Foundation. We had a fundraising dinner and silent auction last year that was successful. This year we are planning our fundraiser in a similar way, but making it more like a party/concert with an art silent auction again. We have also teamed up with other organizations internationally that can raise national funds to send artists over seas. These grants have helped pay for artists’ travel expenses and so on. 

Who is responsible for the programming?
Most of the programming is decided and organized by us. We have worked with curators as well. But we mostly invite artists we respect or think have potential and need an opportunity.

 Number and average duration of exhibitions/events per year.
DV has about 6 exhibitions a year and each one lasts about 5 to 6 weeks. We have discussed possibly slowing down to 4 exhibitions per year in order to put more resources into each project, but that is still being discussed. 

What kind of events are usually organized?
Most of our projects are one person to two person projects with the occasional group exhibition. Around this, we organize discussions and performances. 

How is your programming determined?
The way we determine our programming is simply what we like. We invite artists we appreciate, or often get proposals that we think will work in our space. Our focus is on projects that will consider the space and distance themselves from anything too formal. However, sometimes the work is good and we ease up on that parameter. 

Do you accept proposals/submissions?
Yes, we are always open to proposals. I look at everything that comes to our email. 

What is your artistic/curatorial approach?
We definitely approach our curatorial through the lens of our own practices. We look for things that deconstruct the idea of things, places and alternate narratives. 

What’s working? What’s not working?
We are currently figuring this out. What is currently working is our donated space—we feel very lucky to have such an opportunity. We are now working on raising money for our very small budget since our Knight Foundation grant ended. This is something we are struggling with at the moment since we want to continue to give artists a stipend and pay their expenses. This is getting a bit harder for now. 

What kind of role do you hope to play in your local art scene or community?
We hope to continue to add to Miami’s artistic discourse. We want to continue to invite artists from all over to come to the city and connect with everyone in the city so that future relationships are fostered. All this especially in the summer months when things slow down. By doing this, we will help our community grow and hopefully have opportunities outside the city as well. We also want to be a place that takes chances. If a project is great, we want to take a chance. If someone is young or less know but has great ideas, we want to put it out there. 

What idea are you most excited about for the future?
We are excited about upcoming projects scheduled for next year. We are also excited about a membership program for supporting our space. If it goes well will with have a sustainable project for the next few years.