InterContinental Miami Partnered with collaboARTive's Noche de Arte Program to Host Special Exhibition Honoring Celia Cruz's Centennial for Hispanic Heritage Month
Presented by the MIAMI Shoe Museum in collaboration with the Celia Cruz Foundation and collaboARTive
Miami, FL, August 2025 – InterContinental Miami, in partnership with collaboARTive's acclaimed weekly Noche de Arte program, hosted Dancing Shoes: A Legacy in Motion, a special exhibition in October in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and the centennial celebration of Celia Cruz. This collaboration transformed the hotel's Gallery 100 into a dynamic cultural hub, building on the success of collaboARTive's four-year partnership with InterContinental Miami that began when Noche de Arte launched in the hotel's lobby in March 2022.
Curated by Luis Valenzuela, founder of the MIAMI Shoe Museum, the exhibition spotlighted one of the most iconic elements of the Queen of Salsa's legendary style: her bold and gravity-defying cantilever shoes. The month-long celebration integrated seamlessly with collaboARTive's established Noche de Arte programming, which welcomed over 3,500 attendees and generated a significant economic impact for downtown Miami since its launch at InterContinental Miami in March 2022.
The display featured original cantilever-style shoes designed by Mexican designer Nieto between the 1960s and 1970s, which Celia Cruz wore throughout her life. Presented in collaboration with the Celia Cruz Foundation, the exhibition also debuted the five winning designs from the MIAMI Vibes 2.0: AI Footwear Design Challenge by MSM Projects. The winning designers, Franziska Valerie Hagenauer, Sara Alimohammadi, Amaranta Martinez, Wildy Martinez, Lucia Rabey, and Jessica de Vreeze, had their visionary creations displayed alongside Celia’s original pieces. This second edition of the challenge invited participants from around the globe to reimagine Celia's original cantilever style through AI-assisted design.
Throughout its run, Dancing Shoes: A Legacy in Motion attracted and delighted more than 1,800 visitors, who enjoyed the exhibition’s vibrant mix of history, design, and cultural storytelling celebrating La Reina de la Salsa.
The exhibition included a special project, Celiagrama – Celia Vive!, by Silvio Frank Pupo-Casco and Juan Carlos Gallo from ARtWalk.Miami.
Dancing Shoes: A Legacy in Motion was sponsored by the Miami Downtown Development Authority (Miami DDA) and Volaris, with media sponsors Miami Fashion Week and Brickell Magazine.
collaboARTive empowered emerging and mid-career artists by providing affordable studio spaces and fostering creative community. Through a growing network of benefactors and patrons, curated programming, professional development opportunities, and strategic partnerships, collaboARTive cultivated an independent ecosystem where artists thrived economically and artistically, thereby strengthening the local cultural landscape.
Location: InterContinental Miami, 100 Gallery.
For Press and Curatorial tours inquire: contact@miamishoemuseum.org
100, 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami, FL
Noche de Arte Programming: Every Monday, 6:00-8:00 PM (Free and open to the public)