Locust Projects

Locust Projects calls itself Miami’s longest-running alternative art space, and after relocating from its longtime building to a home at 297 NE 67th Street in the Little River area, the nonprofit is still doing what it has done for years: commissioning ambitious new work by contemporary artists without the sales pressure that comes with a commercial gallery. The exhibition space is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm, admission is free, and the facility is ADA-accessible throughout.

The 2026 program has included Ema Ri’s solo debut, “This Too Shall Pass,” a Main Gallery show that ran January 31 through April 4 combining large-scale video installation, abstract wall drawing and nature-inspired sound work exploring the tension between the living world and the spirit world. Ri, a 2017 University of Florida BFA graduate represented by Fredric Snitzer Gallery who has also shown at Spinello Projects and Oolite Arts, built the project with support from Locust’s WaveMaker grant program and backing as a Knight Digital Commission. The Project Room ran a parallel show called “The River Within,” pulling together reflections from artists in residence with the AIRIE Foundation, which places artists in the Everglades.

Beyond exhibitions, Locust Projects runs several ongoing programs: the WaveMaker Grants that helped fund Ri’s commission, an initiative called Locust Art Builders that produced a summer group show this year, public artist talks, a recurring after-hours series known as Locust Late: The Dill, and summer artist studio residencies. Because the organization prioritizes ambitious, often site-specific builds rather than a constantly rotating retail-style hang, the galleries close between exhibitions for installation work; the space was between shows in mid-August 2026 while WaveMaker artists finished residency projects ahead of a September reopening, which is normal for how the nonprofit operates.

The organization’s mission statement describes itself plainly as an incubator of new art and ideas, and that framing shows in the programming: shows here tend to be commissioned specifically for the space rather than pulled from an artist’s existing inventory. For visitors mapping out Miami’s gallery circuit beyond the commercial rows of Wynwood and the Design District, Locust Projects is worth checking the calendar for before a visit, since exhibition dates and installation gaps both matter here. The gallery can be reached at 305-576-8570, and its move to Little River kept it within a short drive of the rest of Miami’s Little Haiti and Design District gallery scene while giving the organization more room to build.