Miguel Rodez (born November 12, 1956) is a Cuban born contemporary visual artist, curator, and former attorney who has resided in the United States since 1969. Artistically, Rodez is known for his textured luminescent paintings and his Minimalist-Dadaist sculptures. Among his most displayed works are Custom-made Paradise, his round portrait of Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dalí from Rodez’s XX Century Masters series, and the sensual kinetic giant inflatable sculpture Lucky Link from his Imagine Liberation series. He has written several published articles on art, law, and community issues and has been an Editor in Chief for law magazines and publications.
Biography
Miguel Rodez was born in 1956 in the Casablanca area of Havana, Cuba as the first of four children, with one brother and two sisters. From the age of four, Rodez showed an early inclination toward the arts and was supported by his parents as he regularly spent hours drawing and painting. On the eve of Thanksgiving Day 1969 Rodez and his family relocated to New York City under the Freedom Flights refugee program. In New York City, Rodez sought to attend an art school and pursue a career as a visual artist and architect. He was subsequently accepted and briefly attended the High School of Art and Design in close proximity to the Museum of Modern Art. However, family circumstances kept him from remaining enrolled and, as a result, Rodez is an autodidactic artist.
In 1972, his family moved briefly to Union City, New Jersey and then in 1973 to Miami, Florida. In Miami, Rodez graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1975 and weighed whether to pursue art or a legal career. He ultimately settled on a legal career, as this would not prevent him from creating art. He subsequently pursued several degrees in higher education, first enrolling at Miami-Dade Community College, where he obtained an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration, summa cum laude in 1979. He then attended the University of Miami where he majored in History, with minors in English and Philosophy and graduated with honors in 1981. While at the University of Miami, Rodez also took Art History Courses and a figure drawing class. Rodez went on to obtain a Doctor of Jurisprudence at Indiana University in 1985.
Rodez subsequently became an attorney in 1986 and opened his law practice devoted to representing mostly underprivileged clients. Rodez also engaged in various forms of public service, often related to the arts, such as serving on multiple community boards.
In November 1994, Miguel Rodez obtained a quasi-judicial position in the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (later known as the Citizenship and Immigration Services). In 1996, he ran for Circuit Court Judge, an election he narrowly lost. Therefore, he continued his career with the Federal Government. In 1997, Rodez founded CABA Briefs magazine for the Cuban American Bar Association. In 2007, he began producing artwork professionally and by 2010, he had two careers simultaneously. During this period, Rodez worked at his CIS post, participated in a multitude of art exhibitions, and also curated over two dozen art shows. In 2018, he retired early from his position with the CIS to pursue his art career full time. Since then, Rodez has developed an extensive art record that has been covered by media and analyzed by art critics.
Art career overview
Rodez showed artistic inclinations from an early age. After leaving Cuba for the United States with his family in 1969, Rodez briefly attended New York City’s High School of Art and Design. However, his attendance at that school was cut short, as his family had moved to Union City, New Jersey and later to Miami. Consequently, Rodez never received specialized art training with the exception of a figure drawing course at the University of Miami while majoring in History.
Following his graduation from Miami Beach Senior High School in 1975, Rodez returned to New York City for two years yet struggled to support himself as an artist, leading him to instead to pursue his other interest of becoming an attorney in South Florida. During his legal career Rodez continued painting and supporting the arts. While working as a lawyer and later in as civil servant, Rodez supported non-profit cultural and legal organizations. He served as the Chairperson of the Miami Symphony Orchestra while it was directed by Manuel Ochoa. In 1994, Miguel Rodez and Alberto Bustamante co-founded Herencia Magazine for the Cuban Heritage Foundation. He also served as the editor, designer, and illustrator for CABA Briefs magazine for the Cuban American Bar Association.