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 In December of last year I got the privilege to participate in the first ISWI (I Stand With Immigrant) first annual artist retreat program powered by FWD.us during Art Basel Miami Beach. It was my first time going to Miami and attending Art Basel which was an experience in and of itself! I got to participate in a powerful artist exchange experience centered around celebrating power in diversity and the immigrant identity which has revived my spirit leaving a lasting impression inside.

Through the ISWI retreat, I got to meet and learn from the stories of many empowered and inspiring immigrant artists from all over our nation from filmmakers to Disney artists. I was proud to see the amount of other fellow DACA recipients and artists working on the front range of immigration today. I have never felt so supported in my marginalized political identity especially with the type of work I do for my community. The experience has instigated a completely different outlook for me and the type of social engagement work I seek to continue doing in 2020 about and for immigrant rights to help promote civic equity for our nation.

The thriving and ever-changing gallery scene is part of what makes Miami such a dynamic destination for arts and culture with an emphasis on cutting edge contemporary art by both emerging and established local and international artists.

In 2019, Art Basel announced the 269 leading international galleries selected for its 2019 edition in September. As the premier art fair of the Americas, more than half of the exhibitors had exhibition spaces in North and South America, representing a unique overview of the art scenes within the region.

Twelve galleries from the Americas were participating in the fair for the first time: Barro Arte Contemporáneo from Buenos Aires; Document, moniquemeloche, and Mariane Ibrahim Gallery from Chicago and M+B and Parker Gallery from Los Angeles.

The list of exhibitors included galleries from 33 countries and territories spanning five continents, with a strong representation of galleries and artists from Asia.