By Amara is a weekly art and history podcast hosted by Amara Andrew. Each week, we’ll take a quick look at the goings on in the art and history world.
This week, we’re discussing: the tomb of Nefertiti; the future of punk haven, CBGB; yet another piece of Keith Haring wall art; and an art collection that’s selling for over $1 billion.
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MY MINIMALIST PODCAST KIT
For links to all the tools I use to make my podcast happen, check out the post here!
Who is Amara?
Hi there! My name’s Amara and I’m a videographer, historian, illustrator, and creator living in Chicago.
In my previous post and video, I outlined the 3 major architectural styles of Miami Beach. This post is a mini deep dive into Art Deco.
So, South Beach is known for its amazing collection of Art Deco architecture. Most of these buildings were slated to be torn down throughout the 1970s & 1980s, but were saved by Barbara Capitman as well as the Miami Design Preservation League. (We’ll talk more about them in another post, so stay tuned!)
So, first, what is Art Deco?
It’s a general design style that started in 1925 in France with the Universelle Exposition. It encompasses basically all forms of “visual art.”
Generally, Art Deco architecture in South Beach is called “Tropical Art Deco,” but there are a few sub-genres within that including:
Streamline Moderne,
Med-deco,
And Depression Moderne,
So, how can you identify an Art Deco building? Here are some unique features to look out for:
symmetrical design,
ziggurat (stepped) roofline,
glass blocks,
curved edges and corners,
flora and fauna,
groups of 3,
and round porthole windows.
Miami Beach Art Deco is a very specific type of architecture. The buildings feature shade overhangs (a.k.a. eyebrows) to block out the intense Miami sun!
What’s your favorite Art Deco structure? Let me know in the comments below! Tata!
In my previous post and video, I outlined the 3 major architectural styles of Miami Beach. This video is a little bit more of a deep dive into MiMo.
So, first, what is MiMo?
MiMo is an acronym for Miami Modernism. It’s a style of architecture from the Post WWII era (1945-1960s) that originated in Miami and Miami Beach. Architects who created the MiMo style were heavily influenced by the International Style.
MiMo buildings were specifically created to respond to the subtropical climate of Miami and Miami Beach, but done in a resort glamour kind of way.
Now, you primarily see MiMo in Mid and North Miami Beach, however, there are a couple buildings in South Beach you can view, including Lincoln Road Mall, the Clevelander on Ocean Dr., and the Walgreens at 14th & Collins.
MiMo buildings made extensive use of plate glass, concrete, and glass mosaic tile. Interiors featured high-grade marble and rare hardwoods.
So, how can you identify a MiMo structure? Here are some unique features to look out for:
asymmetrical angles
Delta wings
Sweeping curved walls
Cutouts
kidney and amoeba shapes
futuristic/space age forms
mosaic murals
and shiny anodized aluminum in gold and copper.
What’s your favorite MiMo building? Let me know in the comments below! Tata!
By Amara is a weekly art and history podcast hosted by Amara Andrew. Each week, we’ll take a quick look at the goings on in the art and history world.
This week, we’re discussing the return of a 2,000 year old relic to Italy, a desert city that took 50 years to build, one of the largest diamonds in history, and how to save a town from war.
MY MINIMALIST PODCAST KIT
For links to all the tools I use to make my podcast happen, check out the post here!
Who is Amara Andrew?
Hi there! My name’s Amara and I’m a videographer, historian, illustrator, and creator living in Chicago.
So, South Beach is known as the capital of Art Deco architecture and that’s all it has to offer, right?! HAHAHA WRONG!
There are actually 3 dominant architectural styles in South Beach: mediterranean revival, MiMo (or Miami Modernism), and, of course, Art Deco!
This is just a very brief guide on how to identify each style of architecture. If you want more info on each style, go check out my blog for individualized posts and videos.
First let’s look at Mediterranean Revival.
So, this is architecture that evokes an Old European World feel, which means that it should look like a stately coastal manor from Spain, Italy, or France.
A few unique features of Mediterranean Revival are:
decorative columns
clay barrel tile roofs
And rough stucco walls.
Next up is Miami Modernism, or MiMo, for short.
Now, most MiMo buildings are actually located on Mid-Beach and North Miami Beach, but there are a few in South Beach.
Some features of MiMo are:
asymmetrical angles
futuristic/space age forms
mosaic murals
and shiny metals.
And, finally, we have Art Deco.
Now, there are multiple styles of Art Deco in South Beach, but I’ll get into that further in my individual post.
In my previous post and video, I outlined the 3 major architectural styles of Miami Beach. This post is a little bit more of a deep dive into Mediterranean Revival.
While South Beach is known for its amazing Art Deco architecture, it’s also known for having some really beautiful Mediterranean Revival architecture, most famously the Versace Mansion!
So, first, what is Mediterranean Revival?
It’s an architecture style that evokes an Old European feel, specifically that of coastal palaces in France, Italy, and Spain. This style of architecture was extremely popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s in the U.S. and was particularly popular throughout coastal resorts and towns in Florida and California.
So, how can you identify a Mediterranean Revival building? Here are some unique features to look out for:
clay barrel tile roofs,
rough stucco walls,
decorative columns,
arched windows,
wrought iron gates,
carved stonework,
bell towers,
and picturesque courtyards.
What’s your favorite Mediterranean Revival structure? Let me know in the comments!
In this series, I’m reviewing mocktails in South Beach. First up is the Betsy Ross Hotel at 14th Pl. and Ocean Dr.
This is a high-end hotel, but I heard they had mocktails so we went to test them out.
They had a few non-alcoholic options (you can see them in the video below). We ordered two of their mocktails: the Dragonfruit Mule and the Pink Sangria (which was, honestly, more orange than pink).
Both drinks were made with D3 juice which is a mixture of dragonfruit juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, and coconut water.
They were both really good and refreshing, but we both preferred the Dragonfruit Mule because of the subtle ginger kick.
Overall, the service was great, the hotel was beautiful, and the mocktails were delicious.
We’re giving the Betsy Ross Hotel a 9/10. Stay tuned for more mocktail reviews!
When you’re about to create content, the last thing you want to do is set up a bunch of equipment. You already what you’re going to say on your mind, but now you’re supposed to remember to plug in the whoozy to the wuzzit?!
This is the super easy, streamlined setup I use for my podcast, By Amara. Set up takes less than 10 minutes, so hopefully it’ll help alleviate some of your recording/set-up stress! 🙂
The Gear
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This is, hands down, the best camera I’ve ever used. Sony created this camera specifically so vloggers could just flip the screen open and start recording. It’s so incredibly easy to use and is also extremely lightweight. I bring this camera on every trip because it’s so lightweight and compact! Check it out here.
I can’t tell you how handy this tripod/remote thingy is. Actually, I can so I will. It’s always been frustrating to get your perfect shot set up, only to have to press record on your camera and possibly tilt it or do whatever to mess it up. Thankfully, with this handy-dandy little bluetooth tripod/remote, you can leave your camera where it is and just press record. It’s SO FUCKING AMAZING! Revel in its amazingness here.
Have you ever fallen in love with a tripod? This tripod is so beautiful, so wonderfully engineered that, dare I say, I actually fell in love with it. It’s sleek, beautiful, and so amazingly easy to use. Plus, it can hold a helluva lotta weight, so that’s also a plus to something so pretty. Check it out here.
The M1 chip in the latest MacBook Pro makes this machine a beast. I can have Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, After Effects open all while browsing the web all at the same time. This laptop has truly helped me be able to up my video editing output and for that I will be eternally grateful! 🙌 Grab yours here.
Such a great microphone to use. Sure, you could opt for a lavalier mic, instead, but come on. This Rode PodMic looks waaaaay more professional. Plus, you feel more like a podcaster talking into this versus having an overhead mic or a lav mic. Check out the Rode PodMic here.
When you get your PodMic, you can choose to either put it on an adjustable arm that mounts to your desk or table, or you can put it on a stand. I prefer a stand, personally, because I try to make my whole house as multipurpose as possible and don’t want to have to constantly adhere and remove an adjustable mic arm. Get your stand (and mic) here.
I do as much pre-work as I can in order to make my post-work as quick and painless as possible. So, being able to record my podcast music in real-time is a MASSIVE timesaver. Playing all of my music live also helps keep me in the rhythm of my show. Plus, if I’m ever on the road and don’t want to bring my whole set up, I just use this recorder as my mic. It’s so efficient and easy! Grab yours here.
These are really great in-ear headphones to use when recording. My boyfriend, Jeff, also uses these for his podcasts and we’re both big fans. They’re great audio quality, easy to use, and are nice and compact. Check ’em out here.
Final Cut Pro
And, last, but not least, I wanted to include the software that I use to edit my whole podcast. I also use Final Cut for my client work at Maven and for all of my non-podcast YouTube videos.
Who is Amara Andrew?
Hi there! My name’s Amara and I’m a videographer, historian, illustrator, and creator living in Chicago.
Here are 3 things you may not have known about the history of the Margarita!
#1
The recipe for the Margarita may be based off a popular 19th century cocktail called “The Daisy.”
First featured in the 1876 publication of “The Bar-Tender’s Guide” by Jerry “The Professor” Thomas, the Daisy was super popular in the U.S. throughout the late 1800s.
The Daisy is actually a family of cocktails, meaning that the base ingredients generally stay the same, but the liquor is changed to suit the drinker’s preference.
The base of the Daisy generally consisted of gum syrup, lemon juice, orange cordial, alcohol, seltzer water, and ice.
Also of note is that margarita is Spanish for daisy. Why does this matter? You’ll find out in our last factoid!
#2
The earliest recorded recipe for the Margarita is from 1937 and consisted of tequila, cointreau, and, (get this!), lemon juice, not lime!
#3
Tequila cocktails became very popular in the U.S. starting in the 1920s because of Prohibition. U.S. citizens would drive across the border to Mexico and would bring back bottles of tequila with them.
Because of this boozy tourism, tequila cocktails became very popular starting in the 1920s and throughout the 1930s, possibly leading to the creation of the Margarita.
