Behind The Miami Art Week Exhibit Created To Elevate Diverse Artists

While U.S. are museums are still sorely lacking in representation by women and people of color, art fans flocking to Miami Art Week will have the opportunity to engage with an activation specifically designed to shine a light on works by underrepresented artists.

Art Seen, sponsored by SunChips and curated by Mashonda Tifrere, the founder of ArtLeadHER and Art Genesis, features 12 works by women and people of color. On display from November 30-December 2, the pop-up exhibit is housed at Miami’s House of Pod, a series of experiential activation houses launched by multicultural podcast agency network Pod Digital Media.

The exhibit is going live at a pivotal time in the art world. According to research published in the scientific journal PLOS One, fewer than 15 percent of art in permanent collections in the U.S. is created by women and people of color. The recent study found that 85 percent of artists are white and 87 percent are men, and that the relationship between museum collection mission and artist diversity is weak, suggesting that a museum wishing to increase diversity might do so without changing its emphases on specific time periods and regions.

Additionally, a 2022 analysis of major U.S. art museums by researchers at Williams
WMB
College found that women comprised just 13 percent of artists featured in those collections, but close to 55 percent of working artists are women, per data from the career platform Zippia.

The news isn’t particularly new to Tifrere, an art curator and collector, singer and diversity advocate who started collecting art at a young age and immediately noticed the disparities across galleries and museums. Since 2016, she’s shown more than 250 women artists worldwide and says reception to her work has been encouraging.

“I feel like people now more than ever are more willing to have the conversation, first of all, and then create the opportunity. And they’re figuring out ways to incorporate their brands. It’s just about doing the work consistently and making sure the art is seen.”

Which brings her to the partnership with SunChips and House of Pod for Art Seen. “Art Seen is a program to drive more diversity and create a stage for emerging artists,” Tifrere says. “Over the next three days we’ll have a physical exhibition in a space where we’ll have live art being created, panel discussions, live performances and exhibitions.”

Tifrere says she put forth the artists whose work best suited the exhibit theme, which she describes as “colorful, vibrant, good vibes, Miami and of course SunChips.”

Aside from elevating visibility for the artists during Art Week, the activation carries an even more significant opportunity: The chance for three artists to have their original works displayed on more than 20 million bags of SunChips bags and in SunChips advertising in 2023.

Fans attending the show in person will be able to cast a vote for their favorite artist, and those who won’t be in Miami can visit the digital Art Seen gallery that opens at SunChipsArtSeen.com November 30 and is accessible through December 18 to cast their votes. SunChips will then commission the three artists who receive the most votes to create exclusive artwork for SunChips bags and other brand platforms.

“Sharing diverse viewpoints is essential to creating a world in which we all feel seen,” says Rhasheda Boyd, vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay. “Art is an incredible way to express unique perspectives. As a brand that encourages people everywhere to embrace their one-of-a-kindness, we’re leveraging this important cultural moment in Miami and our brand platform to highlight these talented artists and share their work with art fans across the country.”

The Miami show is the second iteration of Art Seen. SunChips debuted the program in 2021 via a campaign that provided a way for select underrepresented artists’ works to showcase via out-of-home installations.