Leaves town for… “Handmade buttons in Argentina, Fashion Week in Milan, inspiration at the Tate in London.”

Comes back for… “My studio and artist community at Art Center/South Florida, the fullmoon dance and drum circle at Soho Beach House, and my perma-tourist lifestyle here with my family.”

Latest Miami infatuation: “Laslopezlas, the hand-woven creations of Maria Victoria Lopez. She just arrived from a small town in Argentina and is sure to make a splash in Miami.” Available at etsy.com

Words of wisdom: “Have the courage to differentiate what is a real threat from what is a positive challenge.”

Who would you consider inspirational in the Miami design community?
CAROLINA DIAZ: I’m fortunate to be surrounded by talented friends who really inspire me, and Kelly Wearstler in particular. She’s so fearless in combining styles, patterns and color.

Tell us about your current projects.
CD: I’m collaborating with the design team at Allen Saunders and staying busy with more than a couple of projects: a condo unit at the Continuum, a duplex in Boston and houses in Delray Beach and Winter Park.

What brought you to Miami?
CD: I was born in Armenia, Colombia, and have been here since just after high school. My plan was to complete my bachelor’s degree in Interior Design at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and move back, but I stayed.

What excites you around town lately?
CD: All of Midtown, the Design District and Wynwood, where there are so many fantastic new restaurants, showrooms and galleries.

Having fled Cuba in 1967, Latin music mogul Emilio Estefan’s foreword contribution to The Exile Experience: Journey to Freedom(HCP/Abroad, $35) is apropos; the bilingual book details the personal accounts of those who left the island for South Florida over the years. A celebration of the Cuban-American community’s accomplishments, it features the names of thousands of brave exiles who have migrated here. miamiherald.com/exile

Explore the charismatic personalities and iconic buildings behind South Beach’s tempestuous rise from Barrier Island to world-renowned resort town in Charles J. Kropke and Eleanor Goldstein’s new book, South Beach: Stories of a Renaissance. booksandbooks.com

Bored with downward dog and warrior three? Try Synergy Fitness’ Anti-Gravity Yoga, during which you’ll hover above the ground, buoyed by a swath of space-age fabric hung from the ceiling. 328 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne

Claudia Gordillo Castellón, Aguacero en Bilwi, 1989

Check out “Estampas del Caribe Nicaraguense” (“Portraits of the Nicaraguan Caribbean”), a photographic exhibition on display at HistoryMiami through April 3. It’s an escape to Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast through the lens of award-winning documentary photographers María José Alvarez and Claudia Gordillo Castellón. 101 W. Flagler St., Miami

Powerhouse producer Judy Drucker—a pioneer in shaping Miami’s cultural landscape—spoke to us about resuming her role as artistic director of the Concert Association of Florida.

What inspired you to make your comeback?
JUDY DRUCKER: I wasn’t away that long, just two years, but I couldn’t stand it. I missed it terribly and felt incomplete. And now, like a phoenix that’s risen from the ashes, I’m back! I love bringing people together and I love giving artistic young hopefuls a chance at glory.

What can we look forward to this season?
I’m starting small, with just four concerts from February through May. It all kicks off on February 1 with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo or, as we like to call them, The Trocks. They’re amazing and talented male dancers dressed as women. It’s a very beautiful show.

What do you think of Miami’s hyper-evolved new identity as a cultural hotbed?
I think this city has made tremendous advances in much of the past 40 years. As far as music: I’m so happy that all the concerts we worked hard to put on eventually made possible the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, and now we have quite a full season. Miami can hold its head high. It’s now one of the main great cultural centers in the world, and it’s only going to get better.

To help raise awareness about critical environmental issues, Galleria Ca’ d’Oro, one of Rome’s most respected contemporary art galleries, and prominent artistic collective Cracking Art Group have collaborated on a project called “The REgeneration Art Project.” Debuting in Miami on November 19 and running through January 3, the project is comprised of 45 strategically placed pink snails made of recycled plastic, whose presence is hoped to remind people about the importance of both recycling and learning more about the natural beauty that surrounds us. Keep an out for them, and follow their journey at pinksnails.com.

The Wolfsonian Teaching Gallery at The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University present “Women’s Work/Men’s Work: Labor and Gender in America,” a thought-provoking exhibition that explores how the sexual division of labor in America has been represented in art, propaganda and advertising during the first half of the 20th century. Objects on display include paintings, posters, prints and photographs, and the exhibition (free and open to the public) is on view through April 25.

Does your idea of “high art” involve the Pink Floyd laser show at the planetarium? If you’re looking to add some dimension to your Magic City culture quest, get higher—with a Florida Grand Opera production. Although the 2009–2010 season wraps up in May, you can still catch the final show—Carmen (April 24 to May 15)—which happens to be nearly perfect for the uninitiated but curious. Georges Bizet’s timeless, noir-ish tragedy of unrequited love and murder is largely considered one of the most famous operas of all time.

Perhaps unexpectedly, FGO has become a world-class operation, consistently developing modern, cutting-edge, award-winning opera that showcases the world’s biggest stars in the most memorable, career-defining roles. And speaking of modern and cutting-edge, the opera makes use of both the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, both topnotch, state-of-the-art venues that will provide the ideal backdrops to your elevated cultural standing as patron of the higher arts. Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, 305-949-6722; Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-462-0222