Meet Tam Gryn | Art Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tam Gryn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tam, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I’m focused on finding new cultural economic models at the intersection of art and other industries. I want to see a world in which artists are the most desired people in society, taking industries one by one with their observations.

Artists are by definition, experts at observing. The same way they see a tree in a way that us mortals don’t see it anymore, that same phenomena can help innovate the rest of society. Artists researching any topic are aware of details we aren’t seeing, and it is their job to show us how to do better. A natural pairing for artists is to merge more deeply with the spaces they already research, observe and create work about. By showcasing art in a new industry context, artists will first disrupt entire industries, make them improve and open the minds that matter, those outside of the art world.

Artists should be hired when designing hospitals to improve the healing and aesthetic experience. Artists should be hired at congress meetings to provide bridging points of view. Artists should be hired at real estate and city planning meetings since they always seem to know the next best neighborhood to invest in. Artists should be hired at construction sites to improve the utilization of dead space (i.e parking lots in the wake of self-driving cars). I can go on and on and on with each and every industry. Let me be clear, I do not mean just putting paintings on a wall. I mean completely transforming the design, function, value and total experience of each of those fields.

In 2021, I think we are readier than ever for a direct attempt with deeper integration between art and other industries. The myth of the starving artist is dead. Artists are no longer outcasts but the most desired people in society. Everyone needs creativity in an economy that requires us to reinvent ourselves faster than you can say Q2. In a planet plagued by economic crises, social movements, technological changes, climate and healthcare catastrophes, we need artists more than ever to give us the out-of-the-box ideas we need to survive.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. When I graduated high school at 17 years old, the dictatorship was already established and I knew my future was not there. I decided to emigrate with a plan to learn as much as I could from different languages, cultures, countries and career options. Since then, I have lived and worked in Paris, Florence, Tel Aviv, Boston, New York, and now Miami. I have a Deug from La Sorbonne University on Art History and Literature, a BA in Political Science from IDC Herzeliya University and an MA in Negotiation from Tel Aviv University. I want to keep studying different languages and disciplines for as long as I live. I’m a firm believer in multi-disciplinary beings and learning as much as we can along the way. I am very inspired by the Camerata Fiorentina, uniting with other interdisciplinary creatives as a way to innovate at the intersection of industries. Therefore, I’ve had all kinds of different jobs in my journey including bartending, art gallery assistant, the personal assistant of a fashion designer, financial journalist, and of course, Curator.

I am currently the Head of SHOW at SHOWFIELDS. My intense love for all things culture was cultivated at home. My mother and grandmother were huge supporters of the arts. I grew up dancing classical ballet and spending all my weekends at art galleries, the philharmonic orchestra and the opera. Art was a magical escape in the middle of a decaying society. Dancing for the Caracas Metropolitan Ballet exposed me to all tiers of Venezuelan population. While holding the barre, we were all equal. Culture, for me, was the element of my life that paradoxically both elevated me from reality and also connected me to it. This is one of the most important aspects of my work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take any visitor to celebrate Miami’s rich culture and unequivocal nature. It is all about the context and celebrating the REAL Miami, not the places that pretend to be somewhere else. I would make it a point for guests to understand Miami’s balance between flexibility and limits. The integration of architecture, climate and water with ambiguous indoor/outdoor transitions from warm to cool, from humid to dry and from the street to nature to music and art.

The best way to start the day in Miami is with sunrise yoga or paddle boarding at the beach. First stop will be Showfields on Lincoln Road for The Most Interesting intersection of art, retail and sustainability. We would then continue for some fun plant research + drinks + music at the Center for Subtropical Affairs.

Local Museums have never been better: the Rubell, PAMM, BASS, and others. It is important to get a sense of history at Vizcaya and Downtown while keeping an eye to the future at the utopic Design District.

Nature lovers can immerse with a day trip to the Everglades.

For someone who has never been here before, it is important to see the uniqueness of Miami’s street art with a walk on Wynwood.

Local flavors and views at: Amara at Paraiso, Garcia’s, Versailles, KUSH, Casablanca, Azucar, Joe’s Stone Crab, Enriqueta’s, lot 6, the list is endless.

Fun evenings are spent dancing to live Lantin music at FAENA, Ball & Chain, or electronic music at Base Camp.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Showfields

Website: tamgryn.com

Instagram: @tamgryn

Linkedin: linkedin.com/tamgryn

Other: showfields.com @showfields

Image Credits
BFA World Red Eye Romina Hendlin