Stadium Session by Heineken featuring Walshy Fire, Ape Drums and Silent Addy from World Red Eye Films on Vimeo.

Miami, FL – June 28, 2019 – Summer in Miami has gotten a bit hotter as we’re excited to announce our newest partnership Stadium Sessions presented by Heineken. Stadium Sessions is an event series celebrating the cultural impact of the Miami Marine Stadium. The events will feature both art and education components revolving around performances by Miami based DJ’s and musicians. The Miami Marine Stadium is a waterfront stadium on Virginia Key. The facility built in 1963, is the first stadium purpose-built for powerboat racing in the United States. For nearly 30 years, the stadium was used for its intended water sports as well as concerts and sporting events. In the wake of Hurricane Andrew, it was declared unsafe and closed in 1992. Since its condemnation, the stadium has become a haven for graffiti artist, but remains an attraction for its photographic panoramic view of Miami.

With help from Heineken, a donation drive was done in the summer of 2015 helping to raise awareness and restoration funds. In 2018, Miami City Commission approved $45 million in special obligation bonds that will be dedicated to the restoration of Miami Marine Stadium, as well as other projects and improvements on its surrounding site.

This summer, each Stadium Sessions event will be free to guest and take place at Wood Tavern, Floyd, Blackbird Ordinary, and Gramps. To kickoff the program, we interviewed Miami based illustrator, designer, and muralist, Brian Butler at Rácket in Wynwood as Walshy Fire and Ape Drums provided the music to keep the party alive. Read the full Q&A below on Brian Butler.

WRE: Tell us about your connection to Miami and some of the work you have around town?

BB: I’ve called Miami home for nearly 10 years, and have been lucky to present my work throughout the city. I have long term murals inside the Miami Heat Arena, the entry of Target in Midtown, and at the Aventura Mall.

WRE: What is the vision for the Stadium Sessions art platform?  

BB: Poplife came to me with this idea of getting Miami artists together to do limited edition concert posters for the Heineken Stadium Sessions series. Taking some of those historic aspects of the Miami Marine Stadium like boat racing, watersports and street graffiti, we gave each artist a theme and concert pairing, and had them run with it. Now when you attend each event, you have a chance to get a limited edition print, and if you go to all of them, it’s a nice collection of great Miami musicians and artists.

WRE: What was the direction for the poster you created?  

BB: The Miami Marine Stadium has a legacy of watersports, and I wanted to highlight the weirder side of the spectrum with an illustration of Miami’s historic “Camarones Voladores” water ski club.

WRE: Do you have any personal ties or experiences involving Miami Marine Stadium? 

BB: The Miami Marine Stadium has been a graffiti landmark as long as I’ve lived here, and I had the privilege to do some commissioned painting inside the stadium a few years ago.

WRE: How does music affect your art? 

BB: I’ve been drawing at concerts for over a decade, so I see a direct connection between the two. When I go to shows, I take my sketchbook and draw what I see. The drawings start when I arrive and are declared finished when the show ends. I like those perimeters because it harnesses the energy of the show. Fast shows with violent mosh pits tend to have a quicker more gestural look than calm events with time and space to concentrate on drawing.