22 June 26 – July 2, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES Touching lives and building community for 75 years www.lowe.miami.edu miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES B E S T º F M I A M I ® 2 0 2 5 BEST ART GALLERY Baker–Hall 1294 NW 29th St. Miami 33142 914-787-9270 bakerhall.art Gallerist Amanda Baker has been in the art game working shows and curating for a decade and then some. In 2022, she opened her first solo gallery space, Club Gallery, on the first floor of the Citadel in El Portal. Her mission has always been to champion local artists, both mid-career and emerging, and make art more accessible to the general public. Fast forward a few years, Baker moved into a new space in Allapattah. She also got married. Behold, the new and improved Baker-Hall gallery. The space, with its concrete floors and white walls, is the ideal canvas for Baker-Hall to fill with her wise curatorial picks of paintings and sculpture. In just the few months it’s been open, Baker–Hall Gallery has already exhibited popular artists like Thomas Bils, Melissa Wallen, and Addison Wolff. She also offers art advisory services and is focused on collaborating with collectors and corporations, so hers is not just a place for art to hang, but a place for artists and art-lovers to flourish. BEST CURATOR Maritza Lacayo instagram.com/maritzamelania Assistant curator at the Peréz Art Museum Mi- ami (PAMM), Maritza Lacayo is effortlessly chic, incredibly down-to-earth, brilliant be- yond measure, and genuinely loves not only art, but bringing out the best in artists. Lacayo has been with PAMM since 2017 and was a catalyst in bringing incredible shows to the museum. They include Marisol and Warhol Take New York in 2022, local artist Jason Seife’s first solo museum show Coming to Fruition, and she was able to both display parts of José Parlá’s Brook- lyn studio and orchestrate a never-before live painting performance with the artist. Her skill is undeniable, her eye for art unquestionable, and her curatorial prowess confirmed. BEST MUSEUM El Espacio 23 2270 NW 23rd St. Miami 33142 786-490-9090 elespacio23.com Housing the art collection of billionaire prop- erty developer Jorge Pérez, this free-to-enter private museum in Allapattah offers the chance to see Miami’s civic art collection be- ing built piece by piece. With a few excep- tions, almost everything on display at El Espacio 23 is bound for the Pérez Art Mu- seum Miami. The collection covers a wide breadth of contemporary art, especially from Latin America and the Global South, and its thematic exhibitions and residency program are both very well put together. Though they do accept walk-in visitors, reservations made through their website are preferred. BEST PUBLIC LIBRARY Federal Courts Library James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building 99 NE Fourth St., Rm. 936 Miami 33132 ca11.uscourts.gov/eleventh-circuit-library Tucked away on the ninth floor of the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building is Mi- ami’s most fascinating public library you’ve probably never heard of: the Eleventh Circuit’s Federal Courts Library. Open to the public — yes, really — this hidden gem is a quiet power- house of legal research, especially for attorneys and pro se litigants with active cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Serving the federal courts of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, the library was built to support serious legal minds, but anyone can come ex- plore, as long as you’re prepared for the pro- cess. First, you’ll pass through a U.S. Marshals security checkpoint on the first floor (think TSA vibes but with more marble). Once inside, there are a few rules to keep in mind: no cell phones allowed beyond security, so plan to un- plug and go analog. The library is packed with resources that can help untangle even the gnarliest appeals cases, and when staff is pres- ent, they’re an incredible resource for legal re- search support. For those in need of a caffeine fix or a cookie break, there’s even a snack bar somewhere in the building. Quiet, serious, and surprisingly accessible, the Eleventh Circuit Library is Miami’s best-kept secret for legal minds and curious civilians alike. Just don’t expect to text about it while you’re there. BEST PRIVATE LIBRARY Richter Library University of Miami 1300 Memorial Dr. Coral Gables 33146 305-284-3233 library.miami.edu Step aside, quiet corners and dusty shelves, Richter Library is where academic magic happens. Nestled in the heart of the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus, this isn’t your grandma’s library (though she’d love it, too). With sleek tech, next-level resources, and more brainpower than a finals- week study group fueled by cafecito, Richter is the ultimate campus hangout for the intellectually curious. The U celebrated its 100th anniversary on April 8, and there’s no better place to soak in that century-strong Hurricane pride. Richter is where legacy meets innovation and where students have been leveling up their learning since 1962 thanks to the legendary Otto G. Richter, a Pittsburgh accountant-turned-Miami philanthropist who helped build this academic fortress with heart (and a hefty estate). Inside, you’ll find a multimedia Creative Studio, a Learning Commons that’s like a brain gym, and a meditation room for
