Moms and maternal figures make the world go round. Without them, none of us would be here right now. From teaching life lessons to being a support system—moms are everything. With Mother’s Day around the corner, we wanted to highlight just some of the special moms who drive the mission and vision of Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).
Emma Heald | Director of Development
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m originally from London, England, but I’ve lived in Miami for 20 years. I never planned to stay here this long—my husband and I only meant to be in Miami for six months while he established his business. We expected to move back to Mexico (where he’s from) but…it never happened. I had a few different careers before becoming a museum and fundraising professional. When I left college, I joined the British Foreign Service, and was posted as a diplomat to the British Embassy in Mexico City (hence the husband). I then worked for Rothschild Mexico for a few years as an investment banker. I found my passion when I spent a year at Harvard as a graduate student in museum studies. When I came to Miami, I interned at the Museum of Science, volunteered at Vizcaya, and eventually joined HistoryMiami Museum where I spent 13 years in roles including collections registrar, grants manager, and eventually VP of development. I came to PAMM soon after the new building opened, in early 2014. I joined the team as temporary maternity cover. It was supposed to be a three-month gig, but I’m still here more than six years later, leading the development department.
What has been your favorite memory at PAMM?
That’s a difficult one, but I’m going to go with a recent memory—Tank and the Bangas performing at Art + Soul 2020. If you were there that night, you know that we held the event in a torrential downpour. Tank and the Bangas, who were nominated for a Grammy this year, were supposed to play a set outside on the East Portico. There was no way it could happen in that rain. But the band was so gracious, and our events team so brilliant, that they adapted and played a late-night acoustic set in the auditorium. It was an incredibly special moment, a beautiful vibe in an intimate setting with an audience that was all about celebrating art and artists in their full expression. It was magical.
What are some of the creative ways you’ve kept your kids entertained at home?
I’m lucky—my kids are teenagers (14 and 17), so they entertain themselves. They are sports and fitness fanatics, so when they are not doing online school they are working out or practicing lacrosse in our front yard. We have been binge-watching TV shows together, and enjoying more time spent over long dinners without the pressure of me coming home late or them having to wake up really early for school. I’m surprised how well we’ve been getting along!
María Elena Ortiz | Curator
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am María Elena Ortiz and I’ve been a curator at PAMM since 2013. Previously, I worked as the Curator of Contemporary Arts at the Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros in Mexico City, where I organized several projects including Carlos Motta, The Shape of Freedom and Rita Ponce de León: David. I’ve also collaborated with institutions such as New Langton Arts, San Francisco; Teorética, San Jose, Costa Rica; the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, San Francisco; and Tate Modern, London. I am a proud mother to my 22-month-old son, named Arlo. He is very sweet and playful.
What has been your favorite memory at PAMM?
My favorite memory at the museum was KIDS JAMM at PAMM, a new fundraising event that launched in October 2019. Arlo and I had a fantastic time hanging out with artists and playing with the different activities. He also loved the food!
What are some of the creative ways you’ve kept your kids entertained at home?
It’s not easy to keep an almost-toddler entertained at home. During the pandemic, Arlo and I have been reading lots of books and I’ve been showing him how to dance salsa. My dog Greta has also been very helpful to me by playing with Arlo.
Marie Vickles | Director of Education
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am the proud (and sometimes stressed out) parent to an awesome 14-year-old daughter. Originally from Denver, Colorado, I have lived most of my adult life in Miami, Florida after spending a good part of my twenties in New York City. I have worked as a textile designer, art teacher, and curator…the arts have always been a part of my life in some way.
What has been your favorite memory at PAMM?
There are definitely too many favorite moments to name! If I have to choose one, a favorite pre-quarantine memory that I shared with my daughter at PAMM took place during Miami Art Week /Art Basel Miami Beach on the occasion of the performance piece After the Fracture by artists Nyugen Smith and Marvin Fabien. It was not your typical performance art piece as it took place outside the museum in the park, on the edge of Biscayne Bay. There were some beautiful and unexpected elements, like a Moko Jumbie stilt walker that made his way through the crowd during the performance, bubble machines, and interactive elements for the crowd to engage with—like life vests that some audience members put on as part of the interactions one could engage in. The outdoor setting created a completely different atmosphere for the performance and brought both the artists and crowd together in such a special, and magical way.
What are some of the creative ways you’ve kept your kids entertained at home?
With older kids and teenagers it is a different challenge to keep them engaged with art—screen time is definitely stiff competition. At home during quarantine, I have been providing my daughter with all the materials that she may be interested in working with, and for the most part, I leave it up to her if she feels like making something. It is really important to provide easy access to art-making materials and encourage experimentation without too many parameters or worrying about a mess. I try to support the creative ideas and projects that my daughter comes up with on her own and show her how to make her ideas come to life. She created an amazing chalkboard wall in her room—that she painted all by herself (which she is super proud of) and now draws on all the time. Another creative project I have worked on with my teen is a photo wall that I helped her put together by printing out photos from her phone, showed her some techniques for using double adhesive tape to get the look of a seamless wall of photographs, and then she put it together on her own—a really fulfilling experience for her. Most recently, we celebrated the birthday of one of my daughter’s friends by creating a poster that was part of a “birthday drive-by” as we are unable to celebrate all together. A bit of watercolor, markers, poster board, and imagination go a long way! For future projects, I would like to try some collage-inspired activities with my teen, as I think she will really enjoy creating her own imagery sourced from magazines and other sources of pop culture.
