Miami Light Project launched Here & Now in 1999, as the first program of its kind in South Florida dedicated to commissioning and presenting Miami-based performance and multi-media artists. Since its inception, we have commissioned 134 artists, laying the foundation for Miami’s reputation as a cultural center of international importance.
Here & Now commissioned artists are identified through an open request for proposals and selected through an adjudication process completed by a panel consisting of MLP programming team members, working artists, colleagues, and Here & Now Alumni.
Ayme Abreu Canto & Miri Paez Bolet
Ayme De La Caridad Abreu Canto is a Miami-based singer-songwriter who blends the tradition of bolero with elements of neo-soul, R&B, and jazz. Her work explores vulnerability and transformation, drawing from her experiences as a Caribbean artist. With an established presence on international stages, Canto currently develops multidisciplinary projects focused on preserving and reimagining Caribbean cultural heritage.
Miri Páez Bolet is a Cuban-born musician, illustrator, researcher, and creator of the Jirallamas universe. Born in Havana and based in Miami, her multidisciplinary practice connects Cuban musical heritage, historical research, visual storytelling, and independent publishing. She is the author of an illustrated songbook dedicated to legendary Cuban singer-songwriter María Teresa Vera and the tradition of Cuban trova, bringing archival histories and cultural memory to new audience
Barbara Caridad Meulener
Barbara Caridad Meulener is a first-generation Cuban-American multidisciplinary artist from Miami working across dance, film, and performance. She has worked with Rosie Herrera Dance Theater and Pioneer Winter Collective, performing at venues including the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami Theater Center, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Her films GOZA and Behind the Tease have been presented at dance and film festivals. Her practice explores collective creation as a catalyst for social and political change.
Dani Amaro
Dani Ferreira Amaro is a vocalist, composer, and music educator whose practice spans performance, improvisation, and interdisciplinary work. An alum of National YoungArts in Jazz Voice, Dani draws from their Brazilian and Cuban heritage, weaving storytelling and folklore into their work. Their original music has been presented at venues including the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Faena Forum, University of Miami, YoungArts, and The High Line in New York.
James Balo
James Kaun Balo is a Queer, Black, Haitian-Jamaican multidisciplinary artist and storyteller born in Little Haiti and raised by Miami’s Caribbean communities. A 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and National YoungArts Foundation Finalist, Balo is also a Teaching Artist at Pérez Art Museum Miami. His work has been supported by BFI Heat, Bakehouse Art Complex, YoungArts, and MASS MoCA, and presented at the Kennedy Center and Adrienne Arsht Center.
Smita Sen
Smita Sen is an artist working across sculpture, dance-based performance, and advanced technology to explore the relationships between body, memory, and medicine. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, Frost Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, and Socrates Sculpture Park. Sen has received support from NEW INC, Recess, Oolite Arts, and Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. She is a graduate of Columbia University.
