Meet Wynwood, Miami's rising street art district

Glamourous Miami is known more for its combination of lush beaches and tanned skin than for its dark, underground corners. But like any other city, where there are warehouses, there is dance music.

The neighborhood of Wynwood sits just north of Downtown Miami and is recognizable for its walls, decked out in unmissable artwork which ranges from cartoon characters to landscape murals and everything in between. In what began as a rundown quarter that, only several years ago, most would be fearful to explore has flourished into a maze of street art bursting with inspirations and personality that has beckoned creatives from all around. Specifically, this has become home to III Points, a festival that combines three realms of creativity (music, art and technology) that thrive in an environment as raw and welcoming as Wynwood. Now in its third year, III Points has become home to an impressive roster of artists drawn specifically from the house and techno cloth like Dixon, KiNK, Black Coffee, Maya Jane Coles and heavyweight headliners like LCD Soundsystem, Thievery Corporation and M83.

But why Wynwood?

What about this district has made it the go-to melting pot of culture for a city as colorful as Miami?

One man, long ago, saw the potential of Wynwood before anyone else did. Tony Goldman, who purchased a collection of properties in the area and noticed its potential after founding Goldman Properties in 1968. “Wynwood’s large stock of warehouse buildings, all with no windows, would be my giant canvases to create and display the greatest street art ever seen in one place,” wrote Goldman. What ensued was a mass movement of rebellious artists flooding the streets to legally showcase their talents, which began with a select few. Shepard Fairey, Os Gêmeos, Swoon, Barry McGee and Clare Rojas, Futura, Kenny Scharf and Jim Drain among others all came to Wynwood in 2009 to paint these grand walls and thus was the beginning of the biggest street art district in the world.

While today, Wynwood is a bright hotbed of larger-than-life sized artwork to marvel at, the neighborhood was not always so welcoming. It began as a dangerous and dismal environment that most would be fearful to enter. But today, no matter how full the walls become, Wynwood continues to blossom, welcoming offset events from Miami’s ever-popular Miami Music Week around Ultra Music Festival in March, and now, III Points.

The festival is carrying the torch of Goldman’s legacy and his artists and bringing with it a multicultural approach, helping to shine a light on a vibrant community while also provoking more artists to come through and add to the spectacle. Since 2013 the production company has delivered a stacked lineup of musicians and visual artists, but the focus has always been about more than just the programming. “We're not trying to produce something just for the masses,” said III Points co-founder Erica Freshman. “We don't book music, art, or tech talent just because of the tickets that they'll sell. We want to bring the world to Miami. And we want to bring Miami to the world."

The third year of III Points will prove to be an evolution of that same unique vision as they have put extra emphasis on displaying the local community. Each year, festival organizers showcase a collection of enticing activations, but this year’s lot include a few noteworthy offerings that highlight what both Wynwood and III Points stand for: freedom of expression and a focus on the cutting edge.

The Reefa Lives Art Tour, a 2016 activation, gives patrons a chance to get the full scope of Wynwood creativity while also touching on a relevant and delicate social issue. In 2013, a 19-year old graffiti artist named Israel “Reefa” Hernandez was killed by a police officer, who shot him with a taser after he caught Reefa tagging an abandoned building. In his honor, III Points has established this event as a way for participants to see the range of Wynwood’s street art culture by touring the neighborhood and learning about the underground art scene and finally circling back to the area’s troubled history of displacement and gentrification and the story of Israel “Reefa” Hernandez. Wynwood yet again becomes home to a powerful and enlightening experience guided by art and the local community of Miami.

In Wynwood, you can revisit the past and also experience the future. III Points has planned a special virtual trip to outer space with the debut of the Mars 2030 installation, which unites the worlds of art, technology and future-thinking. "This year's Mars 2030 installation really is our best example of all the three points in perfect synchronicity," said David Sinopoli, Co-Founder of III Points.

Aside from the artwork, Wynwood is also home to a burgeoning underground music scene that found a home at a venue called The Electric Pickle. Far from the bottle service and VIP red ropes of South Beach, The Electric Pickle is a dimly lit club with a giant disco ball in the main room that is surrounded by shimmering LED lights in a circular formation. It’s often populated by an eclectic crowd that only adds to the club’s aesthetic. Not to mention a booming custom soundsystem developed by Dynacord and an intimate atmosphere, it’s the ideal place to witness some of the best house and techno artists, including Hunee, DJ Sprinkles, Culoe De Song, Optimo, Laura Jones and the list goes on. This year III Points has collaborated with the venue to bring one of house music’s greatest, Leon Vynehall, to showcase his talents at an official III Points after party, evidence of their connection to the local community of Wynwood.

With its walls covered in art and soon, its streets littered with creatives, Wynwood makes the perfect home for a gathering like III Points. “In Wynwood, landowners cultivate artists, and artists ask permission to work,” local writer Bill Kearny writes. The area of Wynwood has helped to inspire artists to break beyond a regular canvas and even find the courage to face issues as difficult and current as police brutality through peaceful, thoughtful installations. The atmosphere brims with originality and artists from all over continue to flock to the district to showcase their talents and soak up as much inspiration as possible.

III Points takes place in Wynwood in Miami from October 7 through 9. Buy tickets here.

As III Points is fast approaching, the festival is unveiling more of what it has to offer. Among the various activations this year includes an art auction put on by Maggie Knox, an "Experimental Instruments" workshop, a Dab & Draw workshop taught by Miami local artist Diego Dee Guzman, a film festival and even an opportunity to learn how to code, among other activities. To learn more about what III Points activations, click here.