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35 Years Ago, An Art Project Transformed Miami

A view of artist Christo's "Surrounded Islands" in Miami, Fla., May 1983. (Kathy Willens/AP)
A view of artist Christo's "Surrounded Islands" in Miami, Fla., May 1983. (Kathy Willens/AP)

Thirty-five years ago, the artist Christo, his wife Jeanne-Claude and a team of other artists and engineers surrounded 11 islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay with 6.5 million square feet of pink polypropylene fabric. They had to overcome engineering challenges and political opposition to complete a project that firmly placed them on the art world map — and helped revitalize the city. NPR’s Greg Allen (@gallennpr) reports.

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