Particulars features Andrew Mowbray’s Disco Sampler 2006.

Nina Johnson, proprietor of Wynwood’s newest art venue, wants to put Miami art consumers on a diet. She prescribes regular visits to her new venue, Gallery Diet, to trim the fat, the fluff, the bloat and the empty calories from art-viewing regimens. Luckily, Gallery Diet sits at the epicenter of Wynwood’s art world at 174 N.W. 23rd St., steps from Anthony Spinello Gallery, Chris Ingalls & Associates, Kevin Bruk Gallery, Fred Snitzer Gallery and World Class Boxing, the warehouse space of collectors Dennis and Debra Scholl. It’s easy to add Gallery Diet to any art-loving routine. The roster of artists who will exhibit there is varied, and Gallery Diet’s online publishing counterpart, the Gallery Diet newsletter, satisfies hunger pangs when you crave a between-meals snack.

Born in Miami, Johnson spent a year at University of Miami before studies in other cities — New York, Boston, Paris, Florence and Tokyo — beckoned her. Her interest in gallery proprietorship was born when she immersed in the day-to-day operations of the Gassert and Gruner New York gallery. Working closely with the husband-and-wife team who lived in the back of their eponymous gallery, Johnson was exposed to the realities and challenges of entrepreneurship in the arts. But it was the special insider’s perspective she gained working for New York artist Ann Craven that revealed “the struggle.” Johnson was struck by the challenge that artists face conducting business “without databases, without records of works sold and to whom”; she remains a stickler for records-keeping and organization to this day. When she returned to Miami, Johnson was hired by the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. “I have been lucky to be involved with people like that,” she said.

Gallery Diet has been in the works for a long time. “I bought the Gallery Diet domain name back in college,” she said. “It was just sitting there, so I decided to activate it and respond to the need described in the series of talks called Conversations with Miami. People in the local art community were looking for a forum to publish their ideas.”

Inspired by other electronic art publications such as Big Red & Shiny in New England and Glass Tire out of Texas, Johnson sought to create a Miami-based “venue for a certain kind of criticism that would help an artist to grow.” The sixth and most recent issue of the Gallery Diet newsletter contains interviews and conversations among artists, reviews of current exhibitions and tips on travel to Mexico City. The newsletter “is open to everyone,” she said. It favors accessibility rather than exclusivity. Johnson embraces being a publisher, and recognizes that it supports her efforts as a gallery dealer. She is engaged in “fighting the stigma of being a dealer,” and actively seeks collaboration in a community not always known for its collegiality. But, as Miami’s visual arts scene transitions from a provincial outpost to a cultural center, Johnson cites great relationships with “team players” Jose Diaz at Diana Lowenstein Fine Art, Claire Breukel at Locust Projects and artist Susan Lee Chun, who shows with Anthony Spinello.

Johnson is enthusiastic about her artists, each of whom pushes the envelope in their respective genres, from drawing to performance, installation and video. She is especially thrilled that Brian Burkhardt, an energetic artist from Boston, has relocated to Miami. His work moves beyond the confines of individual works to become “an agent” or engine for artists to work collectively. Burkhardt’s Word of Mouth/Fits in a Box project invites artists to submit compact, portable artworks to a juried exhibition sponsored by Gallery Diet for the Bridge Art Fair during Art Basel weekend in December.

Packed wall to wall, Gallery Diet opened on Saturday, Nov. 10. For its inaugural exhibition, Particulars, Johnson has divided the gallery into six rooms, each housing the work of a single artist: Maria Jose Arjona, Brian Burkhardt, Richard Hogland, Abby Manock, Daniel Milewski and Andrew Mowbray. The separate cubicles enable each artist to control his or her aesthetic atmosphere. For instance, Johnson describes Abby Manock’s over-the-top performance style as sprung from a cartoon. Manock caught the eye of New York gallery dealer Jeffrey Deitch during her participation in his Art Parade. Richard Hogland’s delicate drawings on paper require an entirely different set of conditions — slowed down — for optimal viewing.

Future Gallery Diet exhibitions will include the work of Liz Cohen, whose intense body-sculpting and complete transformation into a low-rider aficionado won her a coveted Creative Capital grant. Creative Capital is a nonprofit organization that grants artists strategically timed funds and business advice. Gleefully eccentric New York artist Charlie Friedman will also show work at Gallery Diet, and a Bridget Baker video show is planned for June.

Asked if Miami collectors are ready to embrace artists from other regions of the United States and beyond, Johnson affirmed that the infusion of new blood will definitely invigorate the local scene. “If you keep coming back to the same place, it will become boring,” she said.

Likewise, she realizes that there are not enough local collectors to support 57 art spaces, so cultivating an audience beyond the city limits is important. With her Web site’s ingenious digital flat-file, the gallery’s program immensely expands its reach. Drawer icons, once clicked, open to reveal mini-galleries of works available online. “It’s intimidating to ask people to put on the white gloves and go through files in person,” she said. “Our digital files create easy access for buyers locally and internationally.”

Johnson feels it’s equally important to create an inviting environment in her shop, too. Novice collectors and anyone interested in the Wynwood art scene can attend the panel discussion or lecture that will accompany each exhibition. The gallery’s project space will be a “learning space” presenting support and background materials such as preparatory drawings and other documentation that elucidates the artists’ works. “High prices can also create a barrier to the beginning collector. We want to invite someone to jump in at $500,” she said.

Johnson’s goal is to blend less familiar artists into the growing Miami art cosmos. It’s a small world after all.

Particulars is on view Nov. 10 through Dec. 22. Gallery Diet is located at 174 N.W. 23rd St., Wynwood Art District. For more information, visit www.gallerydiet.com or call 305-571-2288.