ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Cortada Science Art Academy is an immersive after-school program developed by renowned eco-artist Xavier Cortada. Cortada has created art at the North and South Poles to address environmental issues at every point in between. In the Academy, students will learn how to think critically and creatively to help conserve Florida’s ecosystems, defend global biodiversity, and advance the work of climate scientists at the Earth’s poles.
Adam Roberti, Master of Professional Science and Executive Director of the Xavier Cortada Foundation, will guide students through Cortada’s science art practice so they can better understand our world, develop leadership skills, and use the power of art to make change in their communities.
G W Carver elementary
Frances Tucker elementary
Xavier Cortada has been the Arist-in-Residence at Pinecrest Gardens since 2017, pictured above in his studio.
xavier cortada
The Artist
Xavier Cortada serves as Artist-in-Residence at Pinecrest Gardens, where his studio, gallery and socially engaged art practice are based. He developed the curriculum for the Cortada Science Art Academy at Pinecrest Gardens by distilling lessons from three decades of art-making across six continents.
Cortada has created art installations at the North Pole and South Pole to address environmental concerns at every point in between. He has developed numerous collaborative art projects globally, including peace murals in Cyprus and Northern Ireland, child welfare murals in Bolivia and Panama, AIDS murals in Geneva and South Africa, and eco-art projects in Hawaii, New Hampshire, Taiwan, Holland, and Latvia.
The artist has been commissioned to create art for the White House, the World Bank, Pinecrest Village Hall, Miami City Hall, Miami-Dade County Hall, Florida Botanical Gardens, the Miami Art Museum, Museum of Florida History, Miami Science Museum and the Frost Art Museum.
Cortada is in the collections of the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), the NSU Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale, the Whatcom Museum, the Frost Art Museum, the MDC Museum of Art + Design and the World Bank.
Cortada is Professor of Practice at the University of Miami Department of Art and Art History and Chair of the Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs Council. He grew up in Miami and holds undergraduate, graduate and law degrees from the University of Miami.
Adam roberti
The Instructor
As the Academy’s lead instructor, Adam Roberti will guide students through lessons developed in Cortada’s science art practice so they can discover how to use the power of art to make change in their communities. Roberti also serves as Executive Director of the Xavier Cortada Foundation.
Since 2019, Roberti has helped Cortada implement climate and science art projects such as Plan(T), Underwater HOA, and the Miami Corona Project. In Plan(T), Roberti worked with local schools and colleges, the Frost Science Museum, and Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience, Parks Department and Public Library System to have thousands of residents plan for a future with sea level rise by planting mangrove propagules in their yards. He led Cortada’s team in raising awareness and inspiring action on climate change at every county library branch and weekly at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market.
Roberti has trained art teachers at the 2019 MDCPS’ STEAM Professional Development Session and science teachers with UF’s Scientist in Every Florida School program. He has also shared his expertise through workshops for the National Wildlife Federation, the CLEO Institute, the Everglades Foundation, and as a guest lecturer at the University of Miami and Broward College.
Prior to working with Cortada, Roberti received a Bachelor of Arts in Ecosystem Science and Policy and a Masters of Environment, Culture, and Media from the University of Miami. He formerly held a research position in Miami-Dade County’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program, a teaching position at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center in Key Biscayne, and a communications position at the University of Miami’s Office of Sustainability.
Adam Roberti is also the Executive Director of the Xavier Cortada Foundation, overseeing the implementation of projects such as Plan(T) and The Underwater across Miami-Dade County.