Antonia Wright has bees on the mind. Considering her next project will involve a dangerous rooftop collision between tai chi and 50,000 of the bugs, maybe that's not surprising.

"Einstein once predicted that if bees disappeared from the face of the Earth, we humans would become extinct not long after," she says thoughtfully, sipping a café con leche at the Latin American Café on Biscayne Boulevard.

Andrew Hevia has made his mark by filming some of the city's most misunderstood or under-recognized assets, from the ins and outs of Art Basel to the explosive escapades of Meatball (AKA Robert Lorie) and Justin Long of the art collective Funner Projects.

Sitting outside Panther Coffee in pressed slacks and a button-up shirt, Hevia's look doesn't scream "Miami artist." But then again, what qualities characterize local creatives?

"The best way I can describe the Miami experience is, whenever I'm here, I'm not convinced I fit in here, despite the fact that I'm born and raised here. And when I leave, I realize I don't fit anywhere," the 28-year-old filmmaker says. "We all feel this way. The thing we share in common is that nobody has anything in common. It's an odd shared trait."

Miami New Times' MasterMind Awards honor the city's most inspiring creatives. This week, we're profiling the 10 finalists, selected by our staff from over 100 submissions, who are in the running to receive one of three 2013 MasterMind Awards, each of which comes with a fat $1,000 check. This year's MasterMind Award winners will be announced Thursday, February 28, at Artopia, our annual soiree celebrating Miami culture. For tickets and more information, visit the website.

In Alma Leiva's installations, the pungent aroma of coffee is always strong. That's because café is at the heart of life and death in her homeland.

"In Honduras, we drink coffee all night at wakes while mourning the loss of our friends," Leiva says. "When people say they are going to cafetear someone these days, it's likely the person was murdered."

Agustina Woodgate isn't afraid to dig through other people's castoffs. Her work often involves overlooked or discarded items, repurposed into something meaningful. At Art Basel last year, she displayed a series of atlas, maps, and globes she painstakingly hand-rubbed raw. She's sewn poetry into thrift shop clothes, created colorful murals of stuffed animal skins, and outlined her body with human hair.

New Times' annual arts party returns with a fully stacked list of artists, musicians, designers, food vendors, and drink sponsors -- and better yet, there won't be a limping Kristen Stewart anywhere in sight. We'll be announcing the winners of New Times' Mastermind Awards, presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County; rocking out to some of this town's favorite local acts; and oogling freaky fashion on the runway.

We're giving you the chance to get in for free. Read on to find out how to win one of four pairs of tickets to Artopia.

The life of Miami artist Aholsniffsglue has been a wild ride. Literally. In June of 2012 the street artist was run down by a speeding car. He and his moped took a serious spill, and the accident left him with a hematoma.

Though he was temporarily debilitated, injury couldn't keep the lifelong Miamian down for long. Nowadays, he's sworn off of cars, scooters, and the like, and gets around via bikes and buses. His new modes of transportation serve as fuel for his creative fire, and he makes digital masterpieces by cell phone while riding.

"It's just a matter of, like, appreciating time and just being alive and just being grateful for everything. Being really heavily inspired by my surroundings, by Miami in general. I've gotten a crazy burst of creative energy," he says. "I just feel like every second counts, I don't know how long I'm gonna be around."

See also:
- Miami Artist Aholsniffsglue Hospitalized After Hit And Run in MiMo

Courtesy of Farley Aguilar

For most of us, self-guided attempts at artistic endeavors only go as far as Pinterest fails. But for contemporary painter Farley Aguilar, his innate talents began to bloom when he taught himself to draw and paint seven years ago.

The 33-year old studied philosophy and literature at Florida International University. Then, after schooling himself in the arts, he began an aesthetic exploration of the concepts of mythology, folklore, and mob behavior, drawing inspiration from film, history, and the exploration of truth. His works have been seen at the Carol Jazzar Contemporary, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood and currently, Spinello Projects.

In Miami's arts scene, it's hard to rank among the elite. You need a ton of talent, a ton of connections, or a ton of expendable income. Hell, in some cases, you need all three.

But there's one way to become a very important person without spending, slaving, or shmoozing: by winning VIP tickets to Artopia, New Times' annual arts party celebrating the winners of the MasterMind Awards, presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

We're giving away four pairs of VIP passes to the fun this week. Find out how to win after the jump.

Courtesy of Kyle Trowbridge

Despite what Good Will Huntingmay have led us to believe, college can be a less than inspiring place. But if we'd all studied under Professor Kyle Trowbridge, a working artist and ex-skateboarder with an on-campus studio at the University of Miami, maybe there'd be more Picassos and fewer cube dwellers.

A native Floridian, Trowbridge almost expatriated to Cali after an undergraduate stint at San Diego State University. Lucky for Miami's art scene, he made his way back and posted up permanently at UM, first as a grad student, now as a professor.

His work, particularly in recent years, turns a trenchant eye on our modern dependency on technology, and how it affects interpersonal relationships. He describes his pieces as "wolf in sheep's clothing." What you see isn't always what you get.

An art party for half the price.

For weeks now, we've been spotlighting Miami's best artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives who earned an honorable mention in our New Times MasterMind Awards, presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. The three winners of those awards will be announced February 28 at our annual arts fete, Artopia. But that's just one component of a night packed with performances, fashion, music, and yes, complimentary booze.

Here's the best part: For today only, tickets are just $12 -- half the regular price.