Venezuelan Immigrant, Carlos Muñoz, is selected for a $25,000 grant from The Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation
August 17, 2023 – Miami, FL – HistoryMiami Museum’s Center for Photography is excited to announce the 2023 Photography Fellowship winner for emerging, local documentary photographers is Venezuelan immigrant, Carlos “Cali” Muñoz. The fellowship was created to capture and amplify community stories relating to Black Indigenous, People of Color, and Latinx community members. After reviewing dozens of applications, the esteemed panel including Aldeide Delgado and CW Griffin chose Muñoz to continue to deepen his Redland Market project that brings visibility to the stories and experiences converging weekly on this 27-acre plot of land in Homestead.
Muñoz is a dedicated photographer committed to shedding light on social causes that give voice to marginalized communities. Born in Caracas, Venezuela to Colombian parents, in 2015 he fled political turmoil for life in Miami. In 2023, he began documenting the immigrant community residing around Redland, where nationalities of migrants, mostly from Mexico and Central America, converge.
“I am thrilled to win this year’s grant,” said Muñoz. “I believe this project is important in constructing part of Miami’s history – the history of immigrants, the history of progress, but also the history that includes communities that are not always visible but are still part of this great cultural mix that is South Florida.”
As winner of the fellowship, Muñoz receives a $25,000 award to support the continued creation of new work related to Redland Market. Additionally, select Muñoz images will be added to HistoryMiami’s permanent photography collection, various pieces will be featured in a forthcoming exhibition, and he will teach photo classes and lead PhotoWalks of the market with aspiring youth photographers.
This project is made possible by a generous donation from The Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation, as part of the CreARTE grant program. First established in 2019, CreARTE aims to bridge gaps in key areas impacting the creative community most, including access to affordable workplaces, cultural equity, and education.
“We are thrilled to see Carlos Muñoz as this year’s recipient of HistoryMiami Museum’s 2023 Photography Fellowship. Our mission is grounded in empowering creatives to pursue their artistry on a broader scale, and we’re eager to see Muñoz’s remarkable talent grow and develop,” said Jorge M. Pérez, internationally recognized philanthropist and founder of Related Group. “In a city like Miami, flowing with cultural diversity, it’s crucial that every community finds representation. Muñoz’s work focusing on South Florida’s migrant history exemplifies the profound impact of art as a universal language – one that bridges cultures and fosters empathy.”
The Museum’s Center of Photography’s core mission is to collect, safeguard, and share photographic images that tell the stories of our community and illuminate the Miami experience, in all its diversity. The Center emphasizes documentary photography and serves photographers, researchers, and the general public through its collection of historical images (numbering in the millions), dedicated photography galleries, programming, and more. This fellowship project intentionally aligns with the museum’s desire to address representational gaps in past collaborations, our collection, and the stories featured in our exhibitions and programs.
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, HistoryMiami Museum is supported by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and the Board of County Commissioners. Support is also provided by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
ABOUT HISTORYMIAMI MUSEUM
HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate located in downtown Miami, safeguards and shares Miami stories to foster learning, inspire a sense of place, and cultivate an engaged community. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications, and City Tours. Now celebrating our 80th anniversary, the museum is a 70,000-square-foot facility and home to more than two million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920s trolley car, artifacts from Pan American World Airways, and rafts that brought refugees to Miami. For more information, call 305-375-1492 or visit historymiami.org.
About The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation
The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation fulfills the philanthropic vision of Jorge M. Pérez, chairman and CEO of The Related Group, and his family to develop South Florida as an exemplary world-class urban center. The family foundation promotes sustainable, inclusive, and just communities by supporting programs and organizations focused on arts and culture, health and well-being, education, environment, and economic development – with a particular preference for programs and organizations that could serve as models for other urban centers. Since 2015, the family foundation has committed $38 million in support of 111 non-profit organizations. For more information, please visit www.jmperezfamilyfoundation.org.