We have set out to solve a bunch of problems. Artists can’t afford studio rent in major cities. Collectors increasingly want to know the story behind what they’re buying. And museums everywhere are looking for new ways to stay engaged with their audiences.
On February 21, the museum will open the Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios, part of the Museum of Graffiti complex in Miami’s Wynwood district. Artists Jel Martinez, Ras Terms, and Entes will work in professional studios open to the public seven days a week, inviting visitors to walk in and watch the work in progress. All three are established artists whose work is held in major collections, and the studios are fully equipped for professional production alongside a sales gallery, allowing collectors to acquire completed works from the artists after experiencing the creative process firsthand.
At a moment when cultural institutions are competing with the “experience economy” and behind-the-scenes content on social media, the Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios functions as a live, in-person content engine. Visitors can see something different each time they return: a new canvas on the wall, a large-scale work mid-process, or an artist test-driving ideas that may later appear at art fairs and in collections.
The artists pay nothing for the space; the museum covers all studio costs through its existing operations. “The artists pay nothing to be there, this is completely funded by the success of Museum of Graffiti,” said Allison Freidin, who co-founded the museum in 2019. “Our ability to do this for both the artist and the community is a dream come true.”
It’s a significant shift from how most galleries and institutions work. In traditional models, artists pay thousands of dollars a month for private studios or work from home, while institutions focus on finished exhibitions and white-box presentations. The Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios eliminates the studio rent burden entirely while providing professional workspace, public access, and sales support, positioning the museum as both an incubator and a marketplace.
Museums everywhere are wrestling with the same question: how do you get people to visit? Static exhibitions don’t cut it anymore, not when people can scroll infinite content on their phones. The open studio model offers something dynamic. Come back next week, and the art on the walls might be different. The artist might be working on something new. There’s a built-in reason to return.
Museum of Graffiti co-founder Alan Ket has spent years visiting artist studios around the world. Usually, you need an invitation. “Getting to walk in off the street and see behind the curtain creates a transparency that demystifies the creative process,” he said. “It fosters meaningful artist-audience connections and offers an educational experience that goes far beyond traditional exhibition formats.”
For collectors, that transparency changes everything. Instead of buying based solely on what’s hanging on a wall, they can understand how it was made, why the artist made those choices, and what the work means to the person who created it. That kind of direct connection tends to make people more willing to invest in new voices and to deepen their support of artists whose work they already follow.
All three inaugural artists started as graffiti writers, painting illegally on walls around Miami. Now they have legitimate, professional studios in Wynwood, the same neighborhood where many of them got their start. By creating a bridge between street origins and studio-based practice, Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios supports artist sustainability, professional growth, and economic opportunity, while maintaining authenticity to graffiti’s roots.
The studios aren’t just a workspace. They are also a classroom, demonstration space, and gallery. The Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios will host programming including workshops, artist talks, and live painting sessions—multiple uses and multiple revenue streams that maximize cultural value from the same square footage.
Most institutions don’t have the financial cushion to provide free artist workspace with no guaranteed return. But the Museum of Graffiti’s founders believe the model works if you get the economics right, investing in artists upfront while creating an experience visitors can’t get anywhere else. Over time, the team envisions the Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios as a scalable prototype that could support additional artists and potentially be replicated in other cities.
The opening of the Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios marks an important evolution in how graffiti and street-born artists are supported, collected, and experienced, positioning the museum as a testing ground for new models of institutional support for working artists.
The Museum of Graffiti Artist Studios is located at 299 NW 25th St. in Miami’s Wynwood district. Hours are 11AM-6PM daily.