Marcus Blake has been bringing color to the walls of Miami neighborhoods like Little Haiti and Overtown for years now through his “tapenology” work. His colorful art involves taping patterns over painted walls to create unique pieces that you’ve probably driven past once or twice.

His next big project is set for Liberty City and the concept earned him funding from the Art Center/South Florida’s Ellies Awards to create what he calls the “MiamiLith.” He plans to repurpose the remnants of the ongoing Liberty Square renovation into an interactive art piece for the community to see, visit, and appreciate.

We talked to Marcus about the project and what he hopes it can accomplish.

THE PROJECT

Marcus said he initially planned to make a wooden structure that he’d build and then paint with his signature style. Then he met Kareem Brantley, one of the project managers for the Liberty Square project and shifted his plans.

The MiamiLith name is a play on monolith and Marcus thought that using the remnants of buildings “that are going to be trashed anyway” as part of the renovation project would be a way to repurpose those structures for the community.

“My focus has been pulled to Liberty City because Liberty City is a place where art doesn’t exist like it does in Wynwood,” Marcus said.

He plans to install various sculptures on lots in and around Liberty Square – which spans between Northwest 62nd and 67th Streets and between Northwest 15th and 12th Avenues.

THE COMMUNITY

A big part of what drew Marcus to the neighborhood is the idea of Miami’s expanding art scene. Even with Wynwood becoming an arts destination for tourists and locals, he thinks there’s room for those same experiences in area like Liberty City and Overtown – especially for longtime residents in those neighborhoods.

“If someone has a cousin or friend in town right now there’s not too much for them to go check out in Liberty City,” Marcus said. “But with this they can say, ‘Down the street there’s this art structure, let’s go see it.’ To me that’s enough.”

And beyond creating a destination he hopes that the MiamiLith project can inspire kids to pursue art as a career, or at least experiment with art like he did growing up in the North Miami area.

“A little kid walking to the corner store is now inspired, just to see a black man painting in their neighborhood,” Marcus said.

WHAT’S NEXT

The project will work in tandem with the Liberty Square renovation project over the next year. Marcus hopes to have at least a portion of the MiamiLith installed by the beginning of next month.

You can follow Marcus and his work on his Instagram page @mdotblake.

Miami’s newest food hall, Lincoln Eatery, opens its doors this month. Nestled on Lincoln Lane, just off of Lincoln Road and Meridian Avenue, the hall will house more than 16 fast-casual dining options, so grabbing a bite with even your pickiest friends shouldn’t be a problem. Check out more of what they have to offer here.

This Arquitectonica-designed food hall is serving up more than just food. There’s also a wealth of Instagram-worthy design, from the uniquely bizarre wallpaper in each of the bathrooms, to the quirky “Get in my belly” neon sign as you enter the eatery.

And lucky for you, The New Tropic, in partnership with Lincoln Road, is offering up a sneak preview event, granting exclusive access to Lincoln Eatery on Jan. 16th (before it even officially opens!), along with bites from ALL of the vendors at the eatery, AND a cocktail to wash it all down.

Find out more information about how to secure your ticket here. See you there!

PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH LINCOLN ROAD BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

Meet the new boss. After an extended and historic election season, Ron DeSantis will officially take office today as Florida’s 46th governor. He’s been slowly but surely building his team including a new secretary of state and leaders of state departments like juvenile justice, the division of emergency management, and the department of education. The biggest unanswered question surrounding the former U.S congressman is how his transition into the governor’s mansion will go compared to his predecessor, Rick Scott. (Miami Herald)

And speaking of Tallahassee… The legislative session doesn’t start until March but bills have already been filed and committees are discussing how to tackle big issues like potentially expanding the use of medical marijuana, figuring out how to protect and conserve Florida’s waterways, and determining whether or not teachers should be armed. These are some of the big questions state lawmakers and the new administration will address. (WLRN)

A growing gap. When FIU’s Metropolitan Center studied the economic situation in Miami-Dade County about two years ago they found a 13 percent gap in what men earned in full-time jobs compared to women. And the center’s latest report shows that things haven’t gotten better, according to U.S. Census data, as the gap’s increased to 15 percent. In the legal industry that gap is even wider as the median salary is about $61,000–about 47 percent lower than the median salary for men.  (Miami Herald)

Another rough report. According to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on preserving waterways and beaches, Florida is among the worst states (of the 31 they grade) when it comes to protecting our beaches. The foundation’s latest “State of the Beach” report gave the Sunshine State a “D” on a grading scale that measures the policies that states have implemented to combat sea level rise and coastal erosion, and how well they’ve communicated those plans. But Florida isn’t alone in the group’s tough grading, 13 other states also got failing grades from the foundation. And only California earned an “A.” (Miami New Times)

A silver lining? If the news from all those reports has you down, at least Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami has some pretty solid deals on Thursdays. The luxury movie theater offers $5 martinis, $1 prosecco, and a bunch of food deals from 4 to 10 p.m. (Time Out Miami)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

We’ll catch you tomorrow, folks.

– The New Tropic