Please place on the February 21, 2024 agenda a referral to the Art in Public Places Committee to discuss Sophie Ringel’s art Project “Hurricane of Trash” and its permanent installation inside the Convention Center.

Sophie Ringel is a Miami Beach resident and founder of Clean Miami Beach, Inc. (“Clean Miami Beach”), a not-for-profit corporation of the State of Florid dedicated to the protection of beautiful Miami Beach and its marine wildlife.

“Hurricane of Trash” (“HOT”) is a giant art installation designed by Californian artist Joanna Wang. It was built with 400 pounds of plastic that was picked up within only 2 months in 2023 by Clean Miami Beach. The HOT art installation illuminates the urgent issues of climate change and plastic pollution, shedding light on the environmental challenges faced by our community.

It is currently stored in a warehouse in Miami and will be installed again for Aspen Ideas Climate Conference in March 2024 in the Convention Center. Joanne Wang will fly in from California to help with the installation, which will take approximately two days.

This installation is a very important piece and needs to be seen by the world. The Convention Center would be a perfect location for its permanent installation.