Michi Jigarjian may not live in Miami, but she is a regular at Miami Art Week. Based in New York City, Jigarjian has an impressive and wide-ranging résumé. She is the longtime president of the artist-run photography non-profit Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, where she started her art career as an intern. She is also an owner of the art-forward Rockaway Hotel in the namesake oceanfront neighbourhood in Queens, where she spearheaded a programme of rotating art and has hosted projects by artists like Shantell Martin, Nancy Baker Cahill, Jesse Krimes and Nina Chanel Abney. In addition, Jigarjian is a managing partner of the social action-driven real estate and investment firm 7G Group, and she serves as a board member of both the Brooklyn Museum and MoMA PS1. (As if that were not enough, Jigarjian is also a mother of three.)
Last year, Jigarjian founded the creative agency Work of Art Holdings (Woah), focusing on social impact and community engagement. She was joined by the curator Isolde Brielmaier, formerly of New York’s New Museum, serving as Woah’s chief strategy officer. Woah launched during Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2024 at the Edition hotel, which later hosted a series of Woah-sponsored events pairing artists with chefs. Jigarjian likes to say that community is her medium—though she actually went to school to study photography.
The Art Newspaper: What was the first work of art you ever bought?
Michi Jigarjian: A photograph by the Canadian artist Moyra Davey. She was my professor during my Master of Fine Arts at Bard College in upstate New York, so it was a personal acquisition. Her work has always held a quiet intensity for me. It was less about collecting and more about marking a moment in my own creative evolution.
Camille Henrot, Mom Me (2025)
Courtesy of Michi Jigarjian
What was the most recent work you bought?
I recently acquired a sculpture by the French artist Camille Henrot in Paris. I met Camille through my dear friend Sarah Arison [the board president of the Museum of Modern Art in New York] and we have all became fast friends. We share a lot in common, living creative lives in New York while balancing being mothers. The sculpture is an uncanny figure of a mother breastfeeding, her front toe tipping slightly forward, just enough to throw her off balance. That gesture really struck me. It captures that delicate equilibrium of care, creativity and self—all held at once.
What do you regret not buying when you had the chance?
Honestly, I don’t regret not buying a piece—that’s just not how I acquire work. My process is relationship-based, and if something doesn’t work out, it’s usually because it wasn’t meant to. The right pieces tend to find their way when the timing and connection align.
If you could have any work from any museum in the world, what would it be?
I don’t think I would take a piece out of a museum. The artworks all belong there.
Where do you like to eat and drink in Miami?
I love places that feel connected to the local rhythm—anywhere with honest food. My pace in Miami always slows down once I get to Little River, so I like to get out to Little Haiti, which feels quintessentially Miami.
What is your least favourite thing about art fairs?
The pace. The compression of so much creative energy into such a short, hypersocial window can make it hard to actually see anything. I find myself craving time to slow down to have one meaningful encounter rather than a hundred fleeting ones.
What tip would you give to someone visiting Miami for the first time?
Let the city unfold at its own tempo. Don’t rush from one event to the next, spend time near or in the water, meet people outside of the fair, and use the in-between moments to make real connections.
