Miguel Rodez

Miguel Rodez (born November 12, 1956) is a Cuban born contemporary visual artist, curator, and former attorney who has resided in the United States since 1969. Artistically, Rodez is known for his textured luminescent paintings and his Minimalist-Dadaist sculptures. Among his most displayed works are ''Custom-made Paradise'', his round portrait of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí from Rodez’s ''XX Century Masters'' series, and the sensual kinetic giant inflatable sculpture ''Lucky Link'' from his ''Imagine Liberation'' series. He has written several published articles on art, law, and community issues and has been an Editor in Chief for law magazines and publications.

Biography

Miguel Rodez was born in 1956 in the Casablanca area of Havana, Cuba as the first of four children, with one brother and two sisters. From the age of four, Rodez showed an early inclination toward the arts and was supported by his parents as he regularly spent hours drawing and painting. On the eve of Thanksgiving Day 1969 Rodez and his family relocated to New York City under the Freedom Flights refugee program. In New York City, Rodez sought to attend an art school and pursue a career as a visual artist and architect. He was subsequently accepted and briefly attended the High School of Art and Design in close proximity to the Museum of Modern Art. However, family circumstances kept him from remaining enrolled and, as a result, Rodez is an autodidactic artist.

In 1972, his family moved briefly to Union City, New Jersey. In Miami, Rodez graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1975 and weighed whether to pursue art or a legal career. He ultimately settled on a legal career, as this would not prevent him from creating art. He subsequently pursued several degrees in higher education, first enrolling at Miami-Dade Community College, where he obtained an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration, ''summa cum laude'' in 1979. He then attended the University of Miami where he majored in History, with minors in English and Philosophy and graduated with honors in 1981. While at the University of Miami, Rodez also took Art History Courses and a figure drawing class. Rodez went on to obtain a Doctor of Jurisprudence at Indiana University in 1985.  

Rodez subsequently became an attorney in 1986 and opened his law practice devoted to representing mostly underprivileged clients. Rodez also engaged in various forms of public service, often related to the arts, such as serving on multiple community boards.

In November 1994, Miguel Rodez obtained a quasi-judicial position in the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (later known as the Citizenship and Immigration Services). In 1996, he ran for Circuit Court Judge, an election he narrowly lost. Therefore, he continued his career with the Federal Government. In 1997, Rodez founded ''CABA Briefs'' magazine for the Cuban American Bar Association. In 2007, he began producing artwork professionally and by 2010, he had two careers simultaneously. During this period, Rodez worked at his CIS post, participated in a multitude of art exhibitions, and also curated over two dozen art shows. In 2018, he retired early from his position with the CIS to pursue his art career full time. Since then, Rodez has developed an extensive art record that has been covered by media and analyzed by art critics.

Art career overview

Rodez showed artistic inclinations from an early age. After leaving Cuba for the United States with his family in 1969, Rodez briefly attended New York City’s High School of Art and Design. However, his attendance at that school was cut short, as his family had moved to Union City, New Jersey and later to Miami. Consequently, Rodez never received specialized art training with the exception of a figure drawing course at the University of Miami while majoring in History.

Following his graduation from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1975, Rodez returned to New York City for two years yet struggled to support himself as an artist, leading him to instead to pursue his other interest of becoming an attorney in South Florida. During his legal career Rodez continued painting and supporting the arts. While working as a lawyer and later in as civil servant, Rodez supported non-profit cultural and legal organizations. He served as the Chairperson of the Miami Symphony Orchestra while it was directed by Manuel Ochoa. In 1994, Miguel Rodez and Alberto Bustamante co-founded ''Herencia Magazine'' for the Cuban Heritage Foundation. He also served as the editor, designer, and illustrator for ''CABA Briefs'' magazine for the Cuban American Bar Association.

From 1994 to 2000, Rodez served on the Board of Trustees for Art in Public Places at Miami Dade County, where he was elected the Board’s Chairperson in 1997. During his tenure at Art in Public Places, Rodez participated in selecting artists to be commissioned to create major public art projects for Miami Dade County. Most notable among the projects are: Jose Bedia, Cundo Bermudez, Gary Moore, Anna Valentina Murch, and Robert Rahway Zakanitch for The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; Carlos Alves, Connie Lloveras, Buster Simpson for the Miami-Dade Metrorail and Metromover Stations; Miami International Airport’s ''A Walk of the Beach'' by Michelle Oka Donner; and ''Airport Sound Wall'' by Martha Schwartz, among others.

In 2007, Rodez decided to pursue two careers as an artist in addition to his civil service post. He entered the professional arts field with pieces featuring elements of Dadaism and Minimalism. His first professional creation from this period was ''Time Machine'' (2007), a large wheeled conceptual sculpture that explores time travel. He later temporarily merged the piece with another to form an installation titled ''Knowledge Quest'' (2007).

In 2010 Rodez rented a space in the studio of Yovani Bauta and began to produce artwork and to exhibit extensively. Then, in 2012, he opened his own gallery and studio space in Miami’s Bird Road Art District, where he curated solo and collective shows and often contributed his own works. That same year Rodez also held a charity exhibition of his ''Imagine Liberation'' series in the Miami Design District to support the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America non-profit. Rodez’s work can be found in the permanent collection of several fine art institutions and private collections including the Favalora Museum at St. Thomas University, Florida International University’s Green Library Special Collections and Honors College Collection, and the Flores Carbonel Collection. The University of Miami Cuban Heritage Collection also holds records relating to Rodez’s career in its archives due to its significance to the Cuban community.

Curatorship

Miguel Rodez’s work in public art selection eventually led him to become a curator who has received reviews from critics. This public art involvement began with the Metropolitan Miami Dade County Art in Public Places Trust, a quasi-governmental entity that is responsible for the commission and purchase of artworks by contemporary artists in all media at Miami Dade. As a Trust Board Member, Rodez helped oversee the program’s operation. This included voting on whether or not to approve public art acquisitions, commissions, project funding, and on restoration and maintenance of existing public art. The budget for projects ranged from below $100,000 to several million dollars. Rodez joined the Art in Public Places Trust as a Board Member in 1994, became its Chairperson in 1997, and served the program until 2000.

Rodez has since participated in selecting artwork for inclusion in various exhibits and as a juror for the purpose of conferring art awards. This included his service as a juror for the largest street art festival in the United States, The Coconut Grove Arts Festival (selection date October 17, 2018); Nineteenth Annual Cuba Nostalgia Art Competition (May 19, 2017); Carnival on the Mile, art fair (March 4, 2017); Ludlam Lights, Annual Art Lantern Competition (February 25, 2017); Art of Found Objects Exhibit (March 29, 2016); Broward Art Guild’s “Food for Thought exhibit” (March 6, 2015); and Carlos Albizu University’s Art Fest @ Doral (November 7, 2014 and November 15, 2013).

Rodez has curated over 35 art exhibits, including exhibitions and presentations held at museums, cultural venues and a gallery space he managed at the Bird Road Art District from 2012 to 2018. Among the most notable exhibits that Rodez organized and presented were the ones held at academic venues. Miguel Rodez curated two exhibits - “Dealing with Reality” (August 1, 2019) and “Open Discourse” – at the Favalora Museum at St. Thomas University. He curated two exhibits – “Eight Visual Paths” (April 20, 2019) and “Reference Cited” (September 8, 2018) – at Florida International University’s Steven & Dorothea Green Library. He curated “What’s on Your Palette,” (November 30, 2017) a 140-artists exhibit held at the Milander Center for the Arts. He also curated two exhibits – Art Fest @ Doral 2013 and 2014 – at Carlos Albizu University.

During the six years that he operated Miguel Rodez Art Projects, his art space became a popular venue. There Rodez hosted several exhibits and gained the notice of Frommers Travel Guide for Miami that encouraged Miami travelers to visit his space in its 2014 edition. One show that Rodez organized to honor Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí drew the attention of The Dalí Museum, which commented on the exhibit. Some of the shows also drew reviews and coverage from ''ArtDistricts Magazine'', ''Nagari Magazine'', ''Miami Art Guide'', and leading Spanish-language newspaper El Nuevo Herald.

In November 2019, ''Latin American Art Magazine'' published a bilingual article authored by Miguel Rodez regarding the role of a curator. He also co-authored an article on ''ArtDistricts Magazine'' on the emerging Bird Road Art District. Based on his curatorial experience, Rodez has been asked to comment on articles by ''El Nuevo Herald,'' such as reviews of Cuban artist Sergio Chávez' ''Beyond Innocence'' exhibition and
a cultural festival honoring renown Cuban Master Amelia Peláez.

Legal career

In 1981 Miguel Rodez enrolled the Maurer School of Law, one of the oldest law schools in the United States and located at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. There, Rodez obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence 1985. In 1986, he received his license to practice law in Florida after passing the Florida Bar Exam. Soon after, Rodez opened a private practice in Miami and later Coral Gables, Florida. During the years that he worked as an attorney, Rodez represented mostly elderly and underprivileged clients regarding a wide variety of legal matters.

Early in his legal career, Rodez became involved with the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA). Rodez was later elected to its Board of Directors by a majority of its over 700 members. In 1994, Rodez served as chair of the multi-ethnic outreach committee of the Transit 2020 Coalition advocating for the Miami Metro transit system. That year he closed his legal practice and accepted a quasi-judicial position with the United States federal government, where he worked at his new civil servant position within the Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service). While working for the CIS, Rodez conducted research, engaged in analysis and wrote assessments regarding human rights issues in cases where parties appeared before him, with or without an attorney. In this role, Rodez accepted numerous overseas assignments to do similar work in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. During his tenure Rodez received various service awards, including a national employee award from United States Attorney General Janet Reno on April 28, 1995. Rodez also headed the performance-evaluation team that mentored new asylum officers and presided over more than 700 hearings.

In 1996, while still working for the Federal government, Miguel Rodez ran for Circuit Court Judge in Miami-Dade County, Florida. In that contest, The Miami Herald