Deco Portals contemporary public art experience designed by participants in Moonlighter FabLab

Drawing inspiration from the geometric forms, repetition, symmetry, curves, ornamentation, and architectural details found throughout Miami Beach’s historic Art Deco District, the installation creates a sequence of portals leading visitors toward and through the existing Lapidus folly. Rather than treating the historic structure simply as an object to observe, the project encourages people to actively engage with it — walking through the arches, framing views, gathering beneath them, taking photographs, and discovering the space differently throughout the day.

By day, the sculptural forms frame views of Lincoln Road while creating a visual dialogue between the folly and the architectural language of Miami Beach. By night, integrated lighting transforms the portals into an illuminated landmark, creating moments of discovery, play, and connection along the pedestrian street.

The result is a project positioned between architecture, public art, advanced manufacturing, technology, and storytelling — simultaneously celebrating the history of Lincoln Road and reinterpreting that history for a new generation.

Morris Lapidus famously said, “If you create the stage setting and it is grand, everyone who enters will play their part.”

Deco Portals embraces that idea by creating a new stage around one of his original Lincoln Road interventions. Each visitor becomes part of the installation simply by moving through it.

The project serves as a gateway between past and present: honoring the architectural identity that made Miami Beach internationally recognizable while demonstrating how emerging designers and makers can contribute new ideas to an historic public realm.

Designed by the Next Generation

What makes Deco Portals particularly distinctive is not only what was created, but who designed and built it.

The project was conceived through Maker Cities, Moonlighter FabLab’s experiential workforce development initiative funded by the National Science Foundation, in partnership with The City of Miami Beach, The Lincoln Rd. BID, and 8 Industry partners (listed below). Participants were challenged to approach Lincoln Road as professional designers, researchers, fabricators, and civic collaborators.

Over the course of the program, participants studied the site and its history, engaged community stakeholders, explored the architectural language of Miami Beach, and considered how a temporary intervention could strengthen Lincoln Road as both a cultural destination and gathering place.

Five interdisciplinary student teams developed competing proposals for the site. Their concepts were presented to a panel of professional designers, architects, urbanists, artists, industry mentors, and civic representatives. Following the design review, one proposal was selected to advance from concept to a fully fabricated public installation.

The participants then confronted the same questions faced by professional design teams: How does an idea move from a drawing into something people can physically inhabit? How is it engineered, fabricated, transported, permitted, assembled, illuminated, and installed within an active public space?

Deco Portals became the answer.

Through that process, students were able to move beyond classroom exercises and add a significant real-world public project to their professional portfolios — one experienced by the thousands of residents and visitors who travel through Lincoln Road.

About Maker Cities

Maker Cities is a National Science Foundation-funded workforce development and placemaking initiative led by Moonlighter FabLab that expands access to careers and opportunities in advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies, design, and creative entrepreneurship.

Participants take part in a six-month, studio-based learning experience combining technical training with real-world project development. The program introduces participants to CAD/CAM design, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC milling, digital fabrication, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and civic innovation, while connecting them with industry professionals, mentors, and community stakeholders.

Rather than learning these technologies exclusively through isolated exercises, participants apply their skills to a real civic design challenge. For the inaugural Maker Cities project, Lincoln Road became the classroom.

Through a partnership between Moonlighter FabLab, the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District, and the City of Miami Beach, participants researched the district, developed proposals, presented their ideas through a professional design review process, and ultimately fabricated a full-scale intervention for one of Miami Beach’s most important public spaces.

The initiative demonstrates a model in which workforce development, advanced manufacturing, cultural placemaking, and civic engagement can reinforce one another — allowing emerging talent not only to learn new technologies, but to use those technologies to meaningfully shape their community.