Introduction to Elisa Turner. 1:50 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Post-Production: Lee Skye. Music: Camen Cicnero. Recorded via Zoom, 10/16/2025, Miami.
ELISA TURNER is an award-winning art critic and journalist based in Miami. She was inducted into the 2025 Miami-Dade County Arts Hall of Fame. In October 2025 her book, “Miami’s Art Boom: From Local Vision to International Presence,” was published by the University Press of Florida. It chronicles the city’s art scene from 1987 to 2007, with updated material. A former primary art critic for the Miami Herald (1995–2007), she has covered international events like the Havana and Venice Biennials and Art Basel. Her accolades include the Rabkin Prize, multiple awards from the South Florida Society of Professional Journalists, and grants from Oolite Arts and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Turner has written for numerous art publications, taught at Miami Dade College, and regularly participates in panels and lectures. She is a member of the International Association of Art Critics and ArtTable.
https://www.elisaturner.com/
The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
COLLABORATION: 1:57 min.
You moved to Miami in the 1980s when the seeds of the current art communities were being planted. What was it like to watch them grow and blossom?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 2:08 min.
Who were some of the artists who put Miami on the international map before Art Basel came to town?
CRITICAL THINKING: 0:53 sec.
I have long admired your talent as an art critic. You are very direct, insightful, and you avoid art jargon. How did you develop those skills?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 2:58 min.
People have long said that Miami reinvents itself every ten years. That is certainly true for the visual art community. Does your book make sense of that?
CRITICAL THINKING: 3:03 min.
Michael Spring had an extraordinary impact on Miami-Dade Country through his leadership at the Department of Cultural Affairs. Do you address his initiatives in your book?
OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED: 1:06 min.
It must have been very depressing when art departments across the nation, including the Miami Herald, started terminating arts journalists.
CRITICAL THINKING: 0:37 sec.
Have you thought about how your book could be used by universities and high schools?
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:27 min.
In my ArtSpeak video interview with M-DCPS Superintendent Alberto Carvalho he said, “Education without arts education is malpractice.” Meaning that arts education should be for everyone.
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 0:26 sec.
You once said to me that Miami is a tidal place. People come here from all over the world, bringing some of their culture; and when they leave, they take some of Miami’s culture back home.
UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE: 1:54 min
One of Miami’s problems is the far flung nature of its galleries and museums. People have to fight terrible traffic during Art Week to get from one opening to another.
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:50 min
Do you think that Latin American and Caribbean artists are central to the continued growth of the Miami visual art community?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 2:03 min.
Given the size of Haiti, Haitian artists have a huge disproportionate influence on the Miami art community.
COMMUNITY VALUES: 1:04 min.
What are some of the lessons that people can derive from your book, “Miami’s Art Boom”?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 2:10 min
What was it like to work with artist Carlos Betancourt on the cover of your book?
