Today we’d like to introduce you to Wesley Kean.
Wesley, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I founded the award-winning, multi-disciplinary design firm, KoDA in 2015. Before moving to Miami in 2005, I apprenticed under my father, a local builder and carpenter in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, who remains a key influence in my work today. I’m an active member of the American Institute of Architects and a visiting critic at the University of Miami, Florida International University and Miami Dade College. Prior to founding KoDA, I was mentored by renowned architects Terrance Riley and Allan Shulman, as well as landscape architect Raymond Jungles. During this time of mentorship, I collaborated on numerous design projects such as private gardens, retail centers and boutique hotels. I earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Miami which included an Urban Design, Architectural Theory and History of Architecture program in Rome, Italy.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
We design with ambition for our clients and optimism for the world. There are no pre-conceived notions of style, form or materiality, but rather a careful evolution of a particular idea. We believe that form follows nature and that architecture serves to reconnect us with nature, not to isolate us from it.
How can artists connect with other artists?
The best advice I can give is to get involved. In addition to running my practice, I’m also involved in several charities including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Miami Music Project. You’d be surprised how desperate these organizations are for creative thinkers. I believe that artists have a lot more to offer than just their work and if more artists were more involved in our communities then we would all live in a better world.
Contact Info:
- Address: KoDA. 350 Lincoln Rd. Miami Beach, FL 33139
- Website: www.kodamiami.com
- Phone: 305-359-3669
- Email: info@kodamiami.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koda_miami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kodamiami/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kodamiami
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/kodamiami/
Image Credit:
Robin Hill
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