Arlo Hotels, with locations in New York City, Chicago and Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, is known for embracing its surroundings, shining a spotlight on small local businesses and individuals. This month, in celebration of Black History Month, the 217-room, uber-hip Arlo Wynwood is showcasing its collaboration with two Afro-Caribbean female local artists: Reyna Noriega and Kandy G Lopez.
The hotel is set to debut a completely revamped, custom-designed hotel suite by Noriega and will premiere a gallery exhibit by Lopez.
The 445-sq.-ft. suite will feature custom-painted walls with peach, orange and teal hues and will be adorned with bold affirmations through vinyls on hanging mirrors. The room will also include custom art pieces within Noriega’s personal collection, including a 36×36 fine art acrylic on canvas titled Shoulder to Lean On, which depicts community amongst women; a 30×40 print titled The Blues, representing the joy of women; and a trio that evokes serenity and personal empowerment. Additionally, Noriega will incorporate custom-designed pillows featuring her signature patterns and waves; woven floral traced throw blankets; crafted ceramic mugs; notepads and more. Guests who book this room will also be able to take home limited-edition items Noriega has recently worked on in collaboration with major global brands, including a custom razor she designed in partnership with Schick Intuition and Target, custom hair accessories designed in collaboration with Goody and Walmart; and a complimentary bottle of red wine from Clif Family Winery featuring a label she personally designed.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with Arlo Hotels on this custom-designed guestroom at Arlo Wynwood,” said Noriega in a press release statement. “I plan to create an ambiance filled with lush, vibrant and confident subjects that define the tropical essence of Miami, my hometown. I want the room to serve as a relaxing oasis for guests, and they shy away from the noise and enter a space of tranquility and joy.”
Lopez’s 3-month installation, Our Shadow Remains, running Feb. 14 through May 15, will be available to view in the hotel’s third-floor Living Room Gallery. Drawing much of her inspiration from individuals she follows and connects with on social media, Lopez dives deeper into their lives, seeking to understand their experiences in order to create captivating portraits that reflect their personalities and stories. She channels her creativity into various mediums, including monotype prints, mixed-media collages, stained-glass works and watercolors.
“I create art out of the necessity to learn something new about my people and culture,” said Lopez. “I want to develop a nostalgic dialogue between my artwork and the viewer. If I’m not learning from my materials and how I affect the message, it’s not worth creating.”
In collaboration with New York-based ACA Galleries, which exclusively represents Lopez, Arlo Wynwood will celebrate the exhibition opening and Black History Month with a special event on Wednesday, Feb. 21, from 6-9 p.m. The evening will feature an artist talk by Lopez, who will share the inspiration behind her artwork, and a music performance by multi-genre violinist Muzelle.
For more information, visit arlohotels.com/wynwood. Want to learn more about Arlo Hotels, check out this piece: Arlo is Shaking Up the Hotel Scene.
