We didn’t see any other visitors when we went to the Margulies’ Collection at the WAREhouse in Miami. We took our time with artworks by Olafur Eliasson, Barry McGee, and Ernesto Neto. I got a reaction from my children when I tricked them into waiting for the pretend elevator, which was actually a video installation by Leandro Erlich called “Elevator Pitch.” Then my 5 year old made me laugh-cry as he tried to make sense of his first Tony Oursler! Imitating the sounds and uncomfortable with the eye contact, his interactions were both sincere and playful.

The institution is 50,000 square feet and includes numerous artworks by Anselm Keifer. By the third room of Keifer’s, my oldest son asked to leave. He didn’t like the way they felt or the way they smelled.

Three years ago we were in Milan, and he told me he didn’t like Keifer’s “Seven Heavenly Palaces.” That was when he was four. It was an expansive installation with lots of space to move. Now he’s seven and the rooms at the WAREhouse are smaller. The sculptures are more in your face. He made it through a few before he refused to look at any more.

My son’s transparent emotions remind me that art is meaningful, risky, and an opportunity to feel something from a different perspective. It reminds me to stay sensitive to what I can’t see.  Keifer should make us uncomfortable. I’m surprised that he can sense some of the invisible parts of art. And I’m honored to lean into it with him and make something good out of it.

Before leaving, my oldest son asked how he could best exit the building without seeing one specific Keifer sculpture. It wasn’t possible. All we can do is pass by it together.

The WAREhouse is around the corner from the Wynwood murals. There is a free parking lot. The staff are friendly and let us look around on our own. Strollers are welcome. There is a $10 admission fee, but it is also a donation to the Lotus Village, a residential facility for women and children experiencing homelessness in Miami.