Defining Space: Selections from the Karen Rifas Papers

May 11 - September 4, 2019

Defining Space: Selections from the Karen Rifas papers includes exhibition cards, brochures, catalogs, ephemera, maquettes and other materials from Rifas’ work and life in the South Florida area that span over thirty years. The selections provide an insight both into the artists prolific experimentation with materiality and process but also offers a vital glimpse into the early art activity of Miami's private and public art institutions.

This inaugural exhibition presents critical archival material from Karen Rifas' studio archives that showcase her work as an educator and prolific artist.  

Karen Rifas has exhibited nationally and internationally since the 1980s. She is the recipient of the prestigious Michael Richards Award. Public and private collections: the Museo de Arte de Ponce, PR, The Bass Museum of Art, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Oolite Arts, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Miami-Dade Art in Public Places Trust, and the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). Solo exhibitions: The Bass Museum of Art (2018), Emerson Dorsch (2017, 2020, 2022), MDC Museum of Art + Design (2015), De La Cruz Collection (2010), Pinnacle Gallery at Savannah College of Art and Design (2007), Polk Museum of Art (2004), Art Center South Florida (Oolite Arts) (1997), and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Panama City (1993). Karen Rifas has taught at the New World School of the Arts, the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College and the University of Miami.