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DECO PORTALS BRINGS A NEW GENERATION OF DESIGN TO LINCOLN ROAD, HONORING THE LEGACY OF ARCHITECT MORRIS LAPIDUS

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Student-designed public art installation transforms an iconic Lincoln Road folly through Art Deco-inspired architecture, light, advanced manufacturing, and placemaking.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIAMI BEACH, FL — August 29, 2026 — A new series of illuminated archways has arrived on Miami Beach’s historic Lincoln Road, inviting visitors to experience one of the pedestrian street’s iconic Morris Lapidus follies from an entirely new perspective.

Deco Portals of Lincoln Road, designed by participants in Moonlighter FabLab’s NSF-funded Maker Cities workforce development program, in partnership with The City of Miami Beach and The Lincoln Rd. BID, transforms the historic folly into a contemporary public art experience through a series of sculptural, Art Deco-inspired portals.

The installation pays homage to Morris Lapidus, the influential architect whose redesign of Lincoln Road helped establish the pedestrian promenade as one of Miami Beach’s most distinctive public spaces. Lapidus envisioned public environments as places of theater, discovery, and delight, punctuating Lincoln Road with architectural follies that encouraged visitors to gather, wander, and experience the street as more than simply a commercial corridor.

Deco Portals builds upon that philosophy.

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.

READ MORE ON LINCOLN ROAD WEBSITE: https://lincolnroad.com/deco-portals/

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.

The Maker Cities Student Cohort

The Deco Portals project represents the collective learning, research, design, and fabrication efforts of the inaugural Maker Cities cohort:

Alejandra Balsells • Billy Jean Louis • Camille-Elise Aldabe • Daniel Pina • Genesis Gallardo-Aliaga • Jessica Perez • Kayla Jenkins • Leyla Morris • Linda Torres • Malcolm Jackson • Margaret Miranda • Mercedes Perera • Mikeya Brown • Nicholas Diaz • Noah Tyler Usher • Osse Laborde • Rocky K Raoni • Sarahi Lovo

About Moonlighter FabLab

Moonlighter FabLab is a Miami Beach-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit fabrication lab, STEAM learning center, and community innovation hub dedicated to expanding access to creative technologies, digital fabrication, and workforce development opportunities.

Through hands-on educational programs, workforce initiatives, public workshops, artist collaborations, and community-driven projects, Moonlighter empowers people to transform ideas into tangible solutions using technologies including 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC fabrication, electronics, robotics, and emerging digital tools.

As a cultural anchor and STEAM education partner in Miami Beach, Moonlighter works alongside schools, community organizations, artists, businesses, universities, and government agencies to connect art, design, science, technology, education, and civic engagement. Its mission is to democratize access to technology, create pathways into the creative economy, inspire the next generation of makers and problem-solvers, and demonstrate how design and fabrication can be used as tools for positive community impact.

Partners, Mentors & Community Stakeholders

Deco Portals and the Maker Cities initiative were made possible through the collaboration of students, educators, designers, researchers, civic leaders, mentors, volunteers, and community partners.

Program & Community Partners
The National Science Foundation • City of Miami Beach • Lincoln Road Business Improvement District • Anabel Llopis, Lincoln Road BID • Lissette Arrogante, City of Miami Beach Tourism + Culture • Eli Tucker-Raymond, Boston University • Idaykis Rodriguez, Florida International University • The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation

Industry Mentors
Sherryl Muriente • Melissa Hege, MHCP Colab • Cassiopea McDonald, Street Plans Collaborative • James Brazil, Studio Brazil • David Rifkind • Alie Gonzalez-Guyon • Abel Bajuelo • Gustavo Grande

Moonlighter FabLab Team
Tom Pupo • Daisy Nodal • Emil Rodriguez-Torres • Augusto Vanegas • Jadayne Smith • Jonathan de Souza • Eva Langen • Mitchel Corteguera • Karim Nishida • Sandra Tejada • Ethan Inoh

Special Thanks to Project Volunteers:
Alex Demarco • Ali Abraham • Domenika Solis • Edgar Diaz • Fatima Valbuena • Harsh Baid • Isabella Dotres • Jake Creber • Jordan Gonzalez • Katherine Burge • Kristian Reverol • Leonardo Segura • Liah Jimenez • Luna Araujo • Maria Paula Cevallos • Melanie Bello • Muntaser Syed • Nicholas Olavarrieta • Paola Cruz • Patricio Pichling • Robin Gattis • Samuel Aquil • Santiago Delgado • Sebastian Eslava • Steven Sandler • Tomas Casella • Valentina Acua • Valeria Barbery • Victoria Gonzalez

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. ITE 2526134 

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Moonlighter FabLab Receives National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding to Launch Innovative Workforce Development Program in Miami Beach

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Maker Cities will provide South Florida adults with advanced manufacturing training, professional mentorship, financial support, and experience designing a full-scale civic project for Lincoln Road.

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Moonlighter FabLab is proud to announce that it has received federal funding from the National Science Foundation to launch Maker Cities: Expanding Access to Advanced Manufacturing Training Through an Experiential Learning Model, a new workforce development initiative based in Miami Beach.

The 26-month initiative is supported through the National Science Foundation’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies—or ExLENT—program. The first Maker Cities cohort will begin in January 2026, with a second cohort planned for January 2027.

Maker Cities will serve 40 adult learners across two cohorts, creating an accessible pathway into careers that use emerging technologies. The program is designed especially for adults with limited previous access to formal STEM education or technical training.

Each cohort of 20 participants will complete an intensive, studio-based learning experience combining advanced manufacturing, design thinking, entrepreneurship, civic placemaking, and professional mentorship. Participants will learn to use industry-standard technologies and processes, including computer-aided design and manufacturing, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC milling, rapid prototyping, and digital fabrication.

“This investment allows us to create a new kind of workforce development program—one that combines technical training with creativity, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and a real project that directly benefits our community,” said Thomas Pupo, Executive Director of Moonlighter FabLab and Principal Investigator for the project. “Participants will not simply learn how to operate advanced manufacturing equipment. They will use these technologies to collaborate, solve a meaningful civic challenge, and produce work they can carry into their future careers.”

Learning by Building for Miami Beach

At the center of the program is a full-scale civic placemaking project developed for Lincoln Road in the City of Miami Beach.

Participants will research the site, collect community and stakeholder input, study public-space design, develop proposals, build prototypes, and present their concepts to a panel of professional designers, engineers, planners, civic leaders, and community stakeholders.

Following the final presentations, one proposal will be selected for full-scale fabrication and installation. The entire cohort will then work together to refine, manufacture, assemble, and install the project using Moonlighter FabLab’s advanced manufacturing equipment.

The project gives participants experience similar to working within a professional design, engineering, or fabrication studio. Along the way, they will practice project management, budgeting, client communication, public presentation, collaborative problem-solving, and production planning.

The completed installation will provide participants with a prominent built project for their professional portfolios while introducing thousands of Miami Beach residents and visitors to the possibilities of locally driven design and advanced manufacturing.

Reducing Barriers to Workforce Participation

Maker Cities is structured to reduce the financial and practical barriers that often prevent adults from participating in extended workforce training.

Program support includes:

  • A participation stipend for each selected learner
  • Access to loaner laptops and professional design software
  • Advanced manufacturing training and equipment certifications
  • Materials for prototypes and personal projects
  • A one-year sponsored residency at Moonlighter FabLab
  • Continued discounted FabLab membership for program alumni
  • Professional mentorship and career exploration
  • Portfolio development, professional headshots, and recommendations
  • Opportunities to connect with employers, designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders

Through these resources, participants will be able to build technical proficiency while developing the confidence, professional networks, and real-world experience needed to pursue employment, continued education, or entrepreneurial ventures in emerging technology fields.

A Cross-Sector Partnership for Miami Beach

Maker Cities brings together nonprofit, academic, municipal, civic, research, and industry partners to create a locally grounded workforce development model.

Moonlighter FabLab will lead program design, administration, curriculum development, technical training, fabrication, and participant support. The Miami Beach nonprofit will also serve as the primary classroom and fabrication facility for the program.

Boston University, through Dr. Eli Tucker-Raymond of the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, will lead the project’s research activities and help document how experiential learning, mentorship, and advanced manufacturing training influence adult learners’ skills, confidence, motivation, and pathways into STEM-related work.

The City of Miami Beach will serve as a public-sector partner, connecting participants with the municipal departments and civic stakeholders involved in implementing a project within the city’s public realm. Collaboration may include departments working in public works, capital improvements, arts and culture, economic development, parks, and other areas related to the project.

The Lincoln Road Business Improvement District, led by Executive Director Anabel Llopis, will serve as the real-world client and liaison for businesses, property owners, community members, and other stakeholders connected to the Lincoln Road project site.

Dr. Idaykis Rodriguez, an associate teaching professor at Florida International University’s STEM Transformation Institute, will serve as the project’s independent evaluator, providing formative and summative evaluation of participant outcomes, program implementation, partnerships, and long-term sustainability.

Design thinking and entrepreneurship programming will be supported by Gustavo Grande, who brings more than a decade of experience in entrepreneurship education, mentorship, and community-based professional development.

Participants will also receive guidance from a multidisciplinary network of industry mentors representing product design, engineering, architecture, advanced manufacturing, civic planning, placemaking, sustainable design, public-space development, and entrepreneurship.

Program mentors and collaborators include professionals affiliated with  Studio James Brazil, Dr. David Rifkind, Dover, Kohl & Partners, Street Plans, MHCP Colab, Sherryl Muriente, Abel Bajuelo, ProFacade, and more!

Together, these partners will provide guest lectures, project critiques, individual mentoring, career guidance, and professional feedback throughout the program.

Building a National Model from Miami Beach

In addition to serving South Florida participants, Maker Cities will study how community fabrication laboratories can become accessible centers for adult workforce development.

Moonlighter FabLab and its partners will document the curriculum, partnership structure, participant support systems, evaluation findings, and lessons learned through the two cohorts. The project will culminate in a publicly available playbook intended to help FabLabs, makerspaces, municipalities, workforce organizations, and community institutions implement similar experiential learning programs throughout the United States.

“Miami Beach provides an extraordinary environment for this work,” Pupo said. “It is a place where design, culture, tourism, technology, public life, and entrepreneurship intersect. Maker Cities gives local residents an opportunity to help shape that environment while preparing for the industries and technologies that will define the future of work.”

Recruitment for the inaugural cohort will include informational sessions, community outreach, and an open application process. Additional enrollment information, eligibility requirements, and program dates will be announced through Moonlighter FabLab’s website and social media channels. Interested in participating? Visit www.maker-cities.com

The NSF-supported project is titled “Explorations: Expanding Access to Advanced Manufacturing Training Through an Experiential Learning Model” and is associated with NSF Proposal/Award No. 2526134. The project period begins September 1, 2025, and the first participant cohort begins in January 2026.

About Moonlighter FabLab

Moonlighter FabLab is a nonprofit community fabrication laboratory, makerspace, and STEAM learning center located in Miami Beach, Florida. The organization expands access to advanced manufacturing tools, emerging technologies, creative learning, and entrepreneurship through youth education, adult workforce development, community workshops, exhibitions, professional memberships, internships, and it annual event, Maker Faire Miami.

Moonlighter FabLab provides access to technologies including 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining, electronics, robotics, digital design, and other fabrication processes. Through its partnership with The City of Miami Beach, and partnerships with schools, universities, other government agencies, cultural organizations, businesses, and community groups, Moonlighter FabLab helps learners of all ages transform ideas into prototypes, products, public projects, and new professional opportunities.

Media Contact

Moonlighter FabLab
1661 Pennsylvania Avenue
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
admin@moonlighterfablab.org
305-699-2041
moonlighterfablab.org

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant Number 2526134

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.