Hampton Art Lovers presents the Point Comfort Art Fair + Show in Historic Overtown at the Historic Ward Rooming House during Miami Art Week/Art Basel/Soul Basel 2023. Point Comfort comprises an art exhibition and the Indaba Lounge Series at the Historic Ward Rooming House and Gardens. Sponsored by the City of Miami Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Revitalization Agency & Art of Black (Greater Miami Convention & Tourism Bureau), 100 Black Men of Florida, FIU-Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, E11even Vodka and Duke + Dame Whiskey.

Point Comfort Art Fair + Show 2023 is a panoramic experience of ART, CONVERSATIONS, and Community. THEME: Be For the Culture/Before the Culture: Celebrating Hip Hop’s Golden Jubilee, is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop. We curated our fair with works based on the inspiration of this transformative cultural institution with an enduring legacy that continues to alter America and the planet. We encouraged our invited artists to embrace the theme literally and create images of dignity. Featuring the art of Basil Watson, Damien Mathis, Benford Stellmacher, Brandon Clarke, Tiffani Glenn, Phil Shung, Musa Hixson, Chris Clark, Rodney “Buck” Herring, William “King Pop” Floyd, Tommy the Animator, and Judy Bowman, in the Gardens @ The Historic Ward Rooming House within an 80×40 foot tent. We are also honored to showcase a special installation of paintings by Hon. George Clinton, Godfather of the Funk. Clinton is the Founder of the Parliament Funkadelic and the harbinger of Hip-Hop’s musical foundation.

The name “Point Comfort” is derived from the place in colonial Virginia where the first captives from the West African Kingdom of Ndongo (Angola) arrived in 1619. The people of Ndongo and other African tribes lost their native tongues and many of their traditions here in America. Through tremendous adversity, remnants of these lost traditions continue to express themselves in the song, dance, art, and crafts of today’s African-American community. “Point Comfort Art Fair + Show” celebrates those remnants. “We’re not just selling art” – The show is a curated, multi-dimensional experience designed to tell the powerful narrative of the African-American experience through art and conversation. POINT COMFORT is a teachable moment, designed to pique curiosity, share legacies and facilitate the purchase of Black artwork. Point Comfort provides a platform for African-American masters of American fine art at the largest art exposition in North America (Miami Art Week). Providing invaluable exposure to an international audience of art professionals, collectors, lovers, and patrons of the arts.

Our ART SHOW features a historic collection inside the Historic Ward Rooming House. In 2023, we will present “For the People: 700 the Arts” featuring African-American art from the collection of Miami-Dade Public Library. Hampton Art Lovers is delighted to showcase the works of Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Gene Tinnie, Al Loving, Jacob Lawrence, Bob Thompson, Walter Williams, and others.

Libraries use the Dewey Decimal Classification System to organize items in their collections by subject. The main subjects are given a three-digit number, The Arts are located in 700–799. According to the American Library Association, “The arts play a vital role in our ability to communicate a broad spectrum of ideas to all people. Developing an understanding and appreciation of visual and performing arts promotes artistic literacy. Libraries should offer opportunities for the community to experience art.”

For over forty years, Art Services of the Miami Dade Public Library has acquired, developed, and maintained works for the Library’s permanent collection of over 2,200 works of art. Installed in 42 branches, it has earned national respect as an important reference collection that chronicles social, cultural, and artistic change in Miami. Our local library has been at the forefront of Arts Advocacy in South Florida, a community that now hosts the largest Art Fair in the Western Hemisphere – Art Basel & Miami Art Week.

Point Comfort’s 2023 Cultural Ambassador

We are proud to have Datwon Thomas as our 2023 Cultural Ambassador.
Datwon Thomas is the Editor-In-Chief of VIBE Magazine and Vice President of Cultural Media for MRC. Mr. Thomas held positions as Founder and Editorial Director of the men’s lifestyle guide, KING Magazine; the urban car enthusiast’s favorite, RIDES Magazine; and was the Editor-in-Chief of hip-hop’s street authority, XXL Magazine. In addition, he’s also presided as Founder/Editorial Director of XXL Presents Hip-Hop Soul, a publication dedicated to documenting the successful hybrid genre of R&B and Hip-Hop. Thomas was also EIC of the hip-hop photojournalistic magazine RESPECT. He reps Brooklyn to the fullest and loves tacos.

Indaba Lounge Series

Point Comfort is a panoramic experience of ART, CONVERSATIONS, and VIBES. Point Comfort’s Indaba Lounge Series brings people together in conversation through art. The word “Indaba” is Swahili for “come together” or “meeting of great minds”. Our Indaba Lounge Series includes our Opening Reception, Art Talks, musical vibes curated by musicologists Fly Guy & Six Millz, “Bespoke Motor Gallery: Art Rigs and Rugged Elegance”, our curated immersive car exhibit in front of the Historic Ward Rooming House.

Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery

Hampton Art Lovers operates the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery in Historic Overtown. Built in the early 1900s and rebuilt in 1925, by Bahamian architect Shaddrack Ward and his wife Victoria, who arrived in Miami from Key West in 1894. The Ward Rooming House opened its doors to both out-of-town Blacks and Native Americans, who were typically unable to find welcoming accommodations in Downtown Miami during the first half of the 20th century.

The Rooming House was frequently occupied by Bahamian immigrants and is historically significant because of its association with the early African-American community of Overtown. As one of the few remaining buildings of its time, a seemingly ordinary rooming house becomes significant for its more prominent role in preserving the history and architecture of Miami’s Black community. The building has been restored, and now serves as the Ward Rooming House Gallery, under the curatorial direction of Hampton Art Lovers.