It was September, 2013 when Yaima went to Maudie with a mannequin and an idea:

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- She is K, she will wear only designer bottoms (designed by me) and no tops at all. We will photograph her in Miami’s underground/prohibited spots and we will make her famous.

 

K is not famous yet, but the photos, along with K herself, were exhibited in Art Basel 2013 at PAX (Performing Arts Exchange) on the inaugural night with the title “Is Plastic Good for You?” and the next day she was in Wynwood in a performance called “Plastic Is Parting @ Wynwood.” But what’s more important, PAXy was just getting started, even though they didn’t know it just yet.

 

The preparation for Art Basel and the whole K project brought so much excitement to Yaima and Maudie that they started thinking about creating a place where they could hold art shows and feature live music, the kind of place they would like to go. They started looking for possible spaces and meeting at least once a week to talk about the project.

 

It was December and just after Art Basel, and Maudie went on vacation for almost a month. The precise day she returned to Miami was the day of PAX’s farewell party after two and a half years of bringing wonderful shows to Miami’s live music scene. At that point things really started to come together. Next time Yaima and Maudie met, they thought Roxanne Scalia, PAX’s owner, was probably free and looking for something to do, so they contacted her.

 

The very first time the three of them met they knew they would really enjoy working together. They all talked about their ideas about how Miami’s cultural life could further develop and grow,and what they could do to build upon Miami’s vast potential. Roxanne immediately endorsed the project and offered all her support, sharing her experiences with PAX and her thoughts about what they could keep from the past and what could be added or changed to enrich the future. Yaima and Maudie walked out of Roxanne’s house with a big smile on their faces and the realization that they had work to do.

 

The three of them agreed on having a name different from PAX but referencing it in order to capitalize on PAX’s established reputation among artists and the public. They also thought about making the organization not-for-profit with the goal of serving Miami’s Community. Long months of table work started, as they filled out all the applications by themselves to save money and stay completely engaged in every aspect of the process. Their hard work, commitment and vision motivated others to help along the way: they found a volunteer editor/proofreader, a lawyer who reviews the organizational documents, a graphic designer who has helped with all graphic material, and many many other friends and artists who have been involved with the project from the very beginning.

 

The legal part was done after a year of work and the fun started. They, as well as the group of people involved, were very excited about the events calendar they have planned. The idea was to offer affordable, free as much as possible, recurring year-round events which will not just entertain but also educate and engage the community in the arts (and it remains the same). They have been enjoying every single aspect of the project, from naming the events to actually working on the budget and planning of each one.