Category: Press

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate and the premier cultural institution celebrating Miami’s history, has partnered with the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College, and Obsolete Media Miami (O.M.M) to present MemoryLab, a gallery-based “laboratory” for examining the captivating concept of memory. The exhibition will be open to the public, March 9 through April 16.

A fascinating experience for all ages, 16 artists/collectives will use the vast collections from HistoryMiami Museum and the Wolfson Archives as inspiration for the individual art pieces they will exhibit at MemoryLab. The artists worked in both institutions to create their pieces based on ideas that look backwards, forwards and inwards at individual and collective memories. Among their resources, the artists had access to more than 1.5 million images and thousands of artifacts from the museum, dating back 10,000 years. Another invaluable resource, Wolfson Archives, includes more than 35,000 hours of Miami moments captured on video and 23 million feet of film, made in or about Florida, and which reflects the history and culture of this region. Footage ranges from home movies to travelogues, news film and news tape.

At the exhibition, each artist will have a section within a 5,000-square-foot space at the museum to display their final creation. Artists’ creative art pieces will range from abstract pictures with vintage materials to new contemporary works, mixed media art, interactive maps and 3D images. In conjunction with the MemoryLab exhibition, related programming will include a free opening night reception on March 9 and Family Fun Day on March 11 at the museum, in addition to the Rewind/Fast Forward Film Festival taking place March 18-19 at HistoryMiami Museum.

MemoryLab is co-curated by Kevin Arrow and Barron Sherer, principals of the experimental art studio project, O.M.M., and is supported through the generosity of Cannonball Miami, The Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Dade Heritage Trust, the Florida Humanities Council, the Florida Department of Historical Resources, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Film Preservation Foundation. The project was conceived by Rene Ramos, the archives director at Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College, and Michael Knoll, VP of Curatorial Affairs at HistoryMiami Museum.

“Memory Lab at HistoryMiami is a forward thinking model for institutional collaborations,” co-curator Kevin Arrow said. “By inviting Obsolete Media Miami to curate and Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at MDC to participate shows a generosity of spirit.”

O.M.M. selected the exhibition’s participants, ranging from emerging to well-established artists who have ties to Miami and currently reside in Florida, New York, California and Washington.

“We are hoping that this unique cross pollination of artists and archives inspires creativity through the use of historical materials,” said Barron Sherer, co-curator and Principal, Obsolete Media Miami.

The participating collectives include Diann Bauer, Felice Grodin, Patricia Margarita Hernandez and Elite Kedan representing the Alliance of the Southern Triangle (AST), and T. Wheeler Castillo and Emile Blair Milgrim from Archival Feedback. Individual artists include: Shahreyar Ataie, Willie Avendano, John William Bailly, Domingo Castillo, Westen Charles, Clifton Childree, Adler Guerrier, Kathleen Hudspeth Julie Kahn, Elia Khalaf, Graham Lambkin, Juan Maristany, Gustavo Matamoros and Jamilah Sabur.

The work of Elia Khalaf, John William Bailly and Julie Khan will incorporate input from the public and will be enhanced and activated through interaction during the course of the exhibition. Conceptual/historical installations by Domingo Castillo and Adler Guerrier will investigate the ways in which Miami was developed and projected outwards and into the world. Sound installations by Archival Feedback, Gustavo Matamoros and Graham Lambkin will use field recordings and excerpts from archival sources to generate sound installations. In addition, the work of Shahreyar Attaie, Kathleen Hudspeth, Clifton Childree and Westen Charles will draw from our community’s rich past, while the speculative projects by Willie Avendano, Jamilah Shabur, Juan Maristany and the Alliance of the Southern Triangle (A.S.T.) will assume a vantage point from a perceived future or look in the direction of one.

Daily admission to MemoryLab is $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-12, $8 for students (with valid ID), and free for HistoryMiami members and children under 6.

Exhibition hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. MemoryLab is located at HistoryMiami Museum on 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami. Parking is available at the Cultural Center Parking Garage located at 50 NW 2^nd Avenue.

About HistoryMiami Museum
HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and City Tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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 Obsolete Media Miami
Obsolete Media Miami (O.M.M.) is a repository for 35mm slides, archival motion picture materials and other legacy media. This enterprise functions as a research and preservation studio, a makerspace for analog media techniques and A/V club. It reaches media professionals, archivists, cultural producers and an engaged public with audiovisual presentations, lectures, performances, collaborations and workshops that showcase obsolete media materials in new contexts. Support for O.M.M. is provided by Cannonball through its WaveMaker Grants program, which is part of the Andy Warhol Foundation’s Regional Regranting Program. WaveMaker Grants is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Obsolete Media Miami is a 2015 Knight Arts Challenge recipient and an artist run studio and archive. A Dacra underwritten project, O.M.M. is located in the Madonna Building in Miami’s Design District and was launched in 2015 by artists Kevin Arrow and Barron Sherer. For more information, visit omm305.org.

About Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives
The Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives is an official moving image repository and archives of the State of Florida and is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States. Lynn Wolfson helped found the Moving Image Archives in 1984, along with Ralph Renick and historian Arva Moore Parks. Named in honor of Lynn and the late Louis Wolfson II, a Florida legislator and leader in the state’s communications industry, the Archives was created under the joint sponsorship of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami Dade College (MDC), and the University of Miami. Now exclusively operated by the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College, the Archives has moved to its permanent home on the Campus. The Wolfson Archives’ mission is to collect, preserve, catalog, and make accessible film and video materials which document Florida’s history and culture. The Archives is an essential resource for the community, State and nation, and provides unique materials to researchers, film and video producers, and the general public. A year-round screening program features materials from the Archives’ collections and those of other archives throughout the nation and abroad. For more information, visit wolfsonarchives.info.

MIAMI (January 23, 2017) – The Miami International Map Fair, the longest continuously running map fair in the world, will return to HistoryMiami Museum February 3-5, 2017. Over 35 leading map dealers from across the globe and the United States, including some from Florida, will gather to display and retail an unparalleled selection of original antique maps, charts, town plans and atlases. Thousands of maps from the 16^th century to present day, and ranging in price from $25 to over $250,000 will be on display offering something for the first time buyer, as well as the seasoned collector.

One of the rarest maps on display will be the 17^th century sea chart of the West Indies printed on vellum and made by cartographers Willem Janszoon Blaeu, Pieter Goos and Johannes Loots. Only two printed productions of this map exist in the world, one is in a library collection in Warsaw and the other will be on display at the Miami International Map Fair. The hand-colored map, drawn in 1695 and priced at a quarter of a million dollars, focuses on the Atlantic Ocean, North America and Africa.

Also for sale, is the rare, inflatable paper globe designed in 1830 by the eccentric inventor George Pocock. Displaying an impressive geographical and political depiction of the world in the 19^th century, the globe is property of map dealer Christopher Lane of The Philadelphia Print Shop West. It depicts the British colonies and includes tracks of various voyages of exploration including of John Cabot, James Cook and George Vancouver) and notes of historic interest such as references to the Mutiny on the Bounty, James Cook’s death and Bonaparte’s banishment to St. Helena.

“HistoryMiami is proud to host one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind in the world, highlighting the history and wonder of cartography,” said Jorge Zamanillo, said President/Chief Executive Officer for HistoryMiami Museum. “Each year, the Map Fair showcases a staggering amount of rare and antique maps – from important historical documents to stunning works of art – that are brilliant examples of human history. Beyond their visual beauty, these maps give collectors and map enthusiasts a profound look into the past.”

Held annually during the first weekend in February, the Miami International Map Fair provides buyers with a weekend to browse antique maps, rare books, globes and atlases from around the world, including some from Australia, United Kingdom and Germany, in addition to attending a series of special topical lectures. This is a unique opportunity to meet experts with an unrivaled depth of knowledge and scope of material.

The 2017 Map Fair speakers include:

• Saturday, February 4^th, 11 a.m.

The History of Celestial Cartography by Dr. Nick Kanas, author and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco.

• Saturday, February 4^th, 3 p.m.

20^th Century Pictorial Maps Panel Discussion with:

• Elisabeth Burdon: Panel Moderator/Map Dealer, OLDIMPRINTS.COM

• Ronald E. Grim, MA, PhD: Panelist/Presenter, Curator of Maps, The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library
• Dr. Stephen Hornsby: Panelist, author and Trustee Professor, University of Maine System
• Dr. James Utley: Panelist, national speaker, map collector and Senior Medical Director, Aetna
• Sunday, February 5^th, 2 p.m.
  • Annotated Atlases: Unraveling Stories of Personal Provenance by Dr. Ronald E. Grim, panelist and presenter, Curator of Maps, The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.

Additionally, the University of Miami Department of Geography and Regional Studies has partnered with the Miami International Map Fair to present interactive digital map demonstrations.

Daily admission to the Map Fair is $20 for adults, children are $5, $15 for HistoryMiami members and $10 for high school and university students with valid school ID.  Full Access Weekend registration is $75 per person for HistoryMiami members and $85 for non-members and includes a VIP Private Preview on Friday, before the fair opens to the public on Saturday, a welcome reception with the map dealers, free admission all weekend to the Dealer Marketplace, free City Tour, expert opinion on one map, lunch each day, all presentations and access to a Friday night cocktail reception and Tropical Cuban Buffet dinner for Full-Access Weekend Registrants and dealers only for $95 per person, in addition to the registration fee.  For the Full Access Weekend package, register here.

Online Weekend Registration and one-day ticket sales are open until February 2, 2017. To purchase one-day tickets online, register here.  One-day tickets will be available at the door.  Fair hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. at HistoryMiami Museum 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami. Parking is available at the Cultural Center Parking Garage, 50 NW 2 Avenue.

The Miami International Map Fair sponsors include Miami-Dade County, BrandsMart U.S.A., Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc., Jo Ann and Richard Casten, Ltd., Lewis and Marcia Kanner, Paulus Swaen Internet Auction and Galleries, Tom and Lee Touchton, and The Old Print Shop.

Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are still available, please contact 305-375-1618 or email mapfair@historymiami.org for more information. To register for the Miami International Map Fair or event information, please call 305-375-1618 or email mapfair@historymiami.org. For high-resolution map images and credit information, please email Rachel Castro at rcastro@thedanaagency.com.

About HistoryMiami Museum
HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and City Tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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.

HistoryMiami Museum  will be swinging back to the 1920s with its inaugural Gatsby-themed Flamingo Ball at Hialeah Park on Saturday, January 14^th, 2017.

The Flamingo Ball, named after the beautiful birds that inhabit Hialeah Park’s infield lake, was first held in 1965 on the eve of the Flamingo Stakes horse race at the racetrack. After a lapse of a few years, the lavish pink social confection is coming back and is paying tribute to when Hialeah Park first opened its doors in 1922 with a roaring twenties theme.

In the ‘70s the gleaming gala grew into one of the most glamorous and legendary parties in Miami attended by the rich and famous, powerful families, dignitaries, city and government leaders, equestrians and socialites. Notable partakers included: Joe and Rose Kennedy, Liz Tippit, Ogden Phipps, Jackie Bouvier, Horatio and Frances Luro, Leslie Combs, Juliette and David Trapp, Oleg Cassini, Harry Guggenheim, David Brinkley, Marylou and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, and movie stars by the dozens.

This year’s nostalgic ceremony will benefit HistoryMiami Museum’s education programming and treat more than 250 guests to a multi-course dinner by candlelight, champagne and signature cocktails, live performances, jazz dancing, and a special awards ceremony directed by Emmy Award-winning journalist, Cynthia Demos.

HistoryMiami Museum will honor Bob Dickinson, former CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, and Brian Keeley, president and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida, with the Henry Flagler Award. The award is a tribute to Henry Flagler, a key historical figure in the state of Florida and founder of the Florida East Coast Railway.

Table sponsors at this black tie fundraiser will enjoy exclusive access to the Speakeasy Lounge offering a private pre-event reception, exclusive hors d’oeuvres and handcrafted cocktails before sitting down to a three-course dinner followed by dancing and live entertainment.

For more information on sponsorship packages and individual tickets, please contact Hilda Masip at hmasip@historymiami.org or visit www.historymiami.org/event/flamingo-ball-a-toast-to-the-roaring-20s. Community members interested in attending are encouraged to purchase tickets by January 7^th, 2017.

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and city tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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.

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate located in the heart of downtown Miami, will capture photography lover’s hearts during Art Basel Week by hosting one of the most popular art events in recent years: the Miami Street Photography Festival.  Now celebrating its 5^th anniversary, the Miami Street Photography Festival features world-class photographers, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, photo walks, and portfolio reviews. The festival’s mission is to give exposure to up-and-coming photographers from around the globe and highlight the best in international street photography.

Featuring the work of photographers from more than 60 countries, the festival will take over multiple galleries at HistoryMiami Museum. Legendary photographers Martin Parr, Jill Freedman, Richard Kalvar, Alex Webb, and Rebecca Norris-Webb will be this year’s featured speakers. Chris Suspect, Lauren Welles, and Matt Stuart will be participating as well.

“Miami Street Photography Festival creates an interactive platform for photographers from around the world to showcase their work during a time of high exposure for art,” said Juan Jose Reyes, founder of the Miami Street Photography Festival. “We provide photographers a premier stage to display their work at a world-class museum. This level of talent in photography cannot be found anywhere else during Art Basel Week.”

As part of the festival’s program, HistoryMiami Museum will feature:

• Exhibitions of the finalists of the MSPF Street Photography Contest and of the Miami Photo Series competition
• Exhibition, called Violet Isles, of images of Cuba by renowned photographers Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris-Webb
• An outdoor exhibition called “The Big Picture” featuring photojournalism from around the world
• Images from Street Photo Thailand
• Workshops with renowned photographers starting on November 28

“Each of these photography exhibitions are in-line with our mission to preserve and document history. Street photography does that by capturing everyday life and recording people’s history,” said HistoryMiami Museum President/CEO Stuart A. Chase. “We are proud to once again be partnering with the Miami Street Photography Festival to bring the best in street photography to the galleries at HistoryMiami Museum during one of the most prestigious art events in the world.”

MSPF is part of HistoryMiami’s newly-established Center for Photography, created as a part of a Knight Arts Challenge grant. The Miami Street Photography Festival contest received close to 50 perecent more entries this year from photographers in in more than 60 countries. The exhibitions featuring the finalists of both contests will be displayed not only during the festival, but also for two months surrounding it, from November 18, 2016 through January 15, 2017.

This year, the Miami Street Photography Festival will be sponsored by Leica, Leica Store Miami, Image Pro International, Epson, Adobe, Lensculture, Ona Bags

Street Photography Magazine, AroundTown Magazine, Miami Herald, and The Art Newspaper.

Museum Hours and Admission:

Admission is FREE during the festival, from December 1 – 4, 2016. Hours: 10 am -10 pm Thursday-Saturday. 12 pm – 5 pm on Sunday. A closing party will be held on Saturday night.

Workshop Registration visit www.miamistreephotographyfestival.org

Regular Museum admission and hours:

$10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with ID, $5 for children 6-12, and free for members and children under 6; Monday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm; Sunday, 12 pm-5 pm.

About The Miami Street Photography Festival
Established in 2012, The MSPF© has evolved rapidly to become the leading street photography event in the world. The event is an international photography festival showcasing the best of contemporary street photography as viewed through the eyes of emerging photographers in this genre. The goal of the festival is to establish a global platform for learning through exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and other events. ​This event is a collaborative effort to advance the work of photographers who pay attention to everyday life in order to capture the world around us. Visit: www.miamistreetphotographyfestival.org or Facebook.com/MiamiStreetPhotographyFestival or Instagram.com/MiamiStreetPhotographyFestival for festival information.

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications, and city tours. For more information, call 305-375-1492 or visit historymiami.org.

Social Media: twitter.com/historymiami, facebook.com/historymiami360, Instagram.com/historymiami,

The Discipline of Nature: Architect Alfred Browning Parker explores his work over his legendary 60-year career in Florida

MIAMI –  HistoryMiami Museum is proud to announce its upcoming exhibition, The Discipline of Nature: Architect Alfred Browning Parker, which will examine the 60-year career of the famed Miami architect whose organic tropicalist designs made him a regional leader and a national icon.

Opening on the 100th anniversary of the architect’s birth, The Discipline of Nature will celebrate Parker’s rich and prolific life. Featuring original drawings, archival photographs, and models and furnishings, the exhibition will illustrate Parker’s evolving designs and illuminate his use of natural principles, forms, and materials to create an organic structure for his work.

The exhibition, running from September 24, 2016 – February 26, 2017, brings new relevance to Parker as the activist architect, writer, speaker, teacher and philosopher of Miami.

“Parker has a remarkable legacy in Miami. He was an original thinker who emphasized environmentally friendly design and sustainability longer before the “green movement” even existed,” said Stuart Chase, President and CEO of HistoryMiami.  “This exhibition not only celebrates his remarkable designs, but highlights the ecological and environmental basis to his work.”

Parker designed more than 500 projects in his 60-year career, many of which were award-winning designs, and was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects Florida Association’s inaugural Award of Honor in 1967.

“As an architect deeply rooted in Florida, Parker designed and built singular works directed by a coherent system of values that directly address issues of place,” said co-Curator Allan Shulman. “Central to his ethos was respect for the earth and its resources, and moral and aesthetic interest in the power of nature.”

HistoryMiami Museum will host a Grand Opening party for The Discipline of Nature on September 24th with a special conversation with curators Randolph C. Henning and Allan Shulman that will bring to light the indelible impact Parker had on Florida’s built landscape.

“Without question Alfred Browning Parker is Florida’s most renowned and celebrated architect,” Curator Randolph C. Henning said. “What better day to open this exhibition, a celebration of his passionate creative energy and commitment to living in harmony with the environment, than on the day marking the centennial anniversary of his birth.”

For more information visit www.historymiami.org. Tickets to see the exhibition cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $5 for children, and free for children under 6 years old.

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and city tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historic images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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.

MIAMI – Sports and history intertwine in HistoryMiami Museum’s new exhibition Beyond the Game: Sports and the Evolution of South Florida. The exhibition, opening July 16 and running thru January 15, 2017, highlights the way South Florida sports have both reflected and shaped the cultural growth of South Florida.

Since the 1920s, sports events and teams have both mirrored and influenced the development of the area. Miami Jai-Alai, featuring the “world’s fastest” ballgame, and Hialeah Park, showcasing horse racing, were two early sporting attractions that lured northern tourists and fueled the public’s growing fascination with the area. By the early 1960s, the Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach, home to champion boxers like Muhammad Ali, emerged as an island of democracy amid the realities of Jim Crow segregation. Meanwhile, the newly opened Miami Marine Stadium was gaining popularity, and the sport of powerboat racing symbolized “sun and fun.” The professional sports franchises followed, as did the rise of the University of Miami’s football program, confirming Miami’s status as a modern metropolis.

“From a historical perspective, the thing that is most striking is how central South Florida’s sporting scene has been to its identity almost from the very beginning. Hialeah Park and Miami Jai-Alai date to the mid-1920s, and both were not only important tourist destinations, but really shaped the way that people understood South Florida,” said exhibition curator Gaspar Gonzalez. “These kinds of attractions conveyed a sense of South Florida as a unique place.”

Curated by HistoryMiami and Gaspar González, a Yale-trained historian (and former Miami New Times writer) known for creating Emmy-winning documentary programming that has been featured on PBS, ESPN and others, the exhibition tells this story of evolution through photographs, trophies, uniforms, and never before seen items related to South Florida’s sports scene. In addition, two short films — one on Hialeah Park, the other on the Marine Stadium, as well as a series of short video interviews with some of South Florida’s most iconic former athletes, will be played throughout the exhibition.

Presented by Hialeah Park and HistoryMiami, the 5,000 square foot exhibition will showcase artifacts from HistoryMiami’s own collection, individuals in the community, as well as the area’s sports venues and professional teams.

Notable items include:

• Original Miami Heat floor from the Miami Arena
• Dan Marino’s contract
• Don Shula Play Sheet
• Footage of Muhammad Ali at 5^th Street Gym
• Orange Bowl trophy from University of Miami
• Memorabilia from Marlins’ inaugural year
• Hialeah Park infield sign
• Video interviews with local sports icons: Mike Lowell, Mercury Morris, Glen Rice, and Randal Hill

“The exhibition appeals to a diverse audience,” said Stuart Chase, President and CEO of HistoryMiami. “From the days of horseracing to the players who graced the gridiron, Beyond the Game not only celebrates sports history, but offers a fresh perspective on the impact it had on Miami becoming the world-class city it is today.”

HistoryMiami Museum will host a Grand Opening Celebration on July 16, 2016 and will feature team mascots, games, and fun for the whole family. The all-day event will be FREE and open to the public. Starting July 17, 2016 tickets to see the exhibition cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $5 for children, and free for children under 6 years old. A special member preview day will be held July 15. For more information on becoming a member of HistoryMiami Museum contact Hilda Masip at 305-675-1618 or visit www.historymiami.org.

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and city tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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. Social Media: twitter.com/historymiami, facebook.com/historymiami360, Instagram.com/historymiami.

About Gaspar Gonzalez

Gaspar González has produced documentary programming for PBS, ESPN, and others. His credits include the national PBS release Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami, the Emmy®-winning Hecho a Mano: Creativity in Exile, and the Grantland short documentary Gay Talese’s Address Book. He is currently writing and producing the feature-length documentary A Long Way from Home: The Untold Story of Baseball’s Desegregation. His work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Cinematheque. He earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.

MIAMI– HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate, is proud to announce it is the recipient of the American Association for State and Local History’s Award of Merit for its powerful and moving exhibition Operation Pedro Pan: The Cuban Children’s Exodus.

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 70th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.  The awards are presented to organizations and museums that demonstrate excellence for projects ranging from civic engagement to exhibits and educational programs.

“HistoryMiami is honored and humbled to receive the Award of Merit for our Operation Pedro Pan exhibition,” Stuart Chase, CEO/President of HistoryMiami Museum. “Our team worked tirelessly to create an exhibition that truly told the story of courage and strength of the thousands of Cuban boys and girls who left their homeland to come to the United States. Daily, visitors of the exhibition were brought to tears by their story of bravery.”

Operation Pedro Pan, displayed from June 26th 2015 thru January 17th 2016, documented the emotional journey of 14,000 children and their families who were part of what became the largest recorded child refugee exodus in the Western Hemisphere, which lasted from 1960-1962.  Faced with the gut-wrenching decision, parents sent their children to the United States in an attempt to escape the communist government and the persecution of Catholics.  Operation Pedro Pan took visitors on the children’s journey from Cuba to Miami and beyond, offering a glimpse of the children’s past and the camps they lived in once they reached the United States.

Apart from artifacts, the Museum also created “a fishbowl display” that was a reconstruction of a glass room where authorities would confine Cuban children before they would leave the country. It was the last place they would see their parents. The display emphasized the pain, suffering, and fear that these children were put through as they made their way to the U.S.

The 5000 square foot exhibition was presented in partnership with Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc., the organization that connects the children of the Pedro Pan exodus and preserves its artifacts and memories. The Museum also received a $300,000 grant from the State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs.

This is HistoryMiami’s second Merit Award in three years.  The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) honored HistoryMiami with the 2013 Award of Merit and a 2013 History in Progress (HIP) Award from the AASLH Leadership in History Awards committee, for The Guayabera: A Shirt’s Story exhibition. The Leadership in History Awards is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of history and brings public recognition to small and large organizations, institutions, and programs that make contributions in this arena.

Located at 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is open Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with ID, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for children under the age of 6. Discounted Parking with validation is available at the Miami-Dade Cultural Center Parking Garage, 50 NW 2nd Avenue.

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and city tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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.

MIAMI– In the midst of the start of another Hurricane Season in South Florida, HistoryMiami announces the Hurricane Andrew exhibition will be arriving to the Museum in August 2017.

In gearing up for this exhibition, the museum will be hosting a collection initiative this coming August. The Museum asks for the entire Miami community to participate and bring in any items or photos they have from Hurricane Andrew.

As the most destructive hurricane at the time to hit South Florida, Hurricane Andrew is a pivotal point in hurricane history and caused a huge change within the city of Miami. The exhibition will have a variety of items on display, in which guests will be able to learn about the history of the hurricane and remember Hurricane Andrew’s impact on the Miami community.

“HistoryMiami feels that this exhibition is about remembering Hurricane Andrew and its impact but also about remembering the courage and strength of the people of Miami.”

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and city tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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.

MIAMI – Tim Chapman loved news, and he covered it better than just about anyone. As a photojournalist, Chapman captured the history of the world frame by frame for more than four decades. His life’s work will be soon be on display at HistoryMiami Museum from April 15- August 14 in an exhibition titled Newsman: The Photojournalism of Tim Chapman. It chronicles Miami’s history from the 1970s thru 2012, as well as major regional events and beyond, that have forever shaped our minds.

The exhibition, curated by HistoryMiami and Photographer Al Diaz, highlights Chapman’s storied career that started at the Miami Herald in 1972. The photographs show snapshots of four decades of covering wars, riots, waves of refugees, and hurricanes.  Chapman’s legacy will hang on the walls at the HistoryMiami Museum in the gallery on the museum’s third floor.

“For the last four decades, many of the iconic images from the most prominent events in South Florida were captured by Tim Chapman. He archived all of his photos and gifted that prized collection to HistoryMiami,” said Stuart Chase, CEO and President of HistoryMiami Museum. “We have chosen the very best that capture Chapman’s range of work, and we know it will be an eye-opening and moving experience for everyone who visits the exhibition.”

In 1978, Chapman was one of only four photographers to make it into Jonestown, Guyana to document what became known as “The Jonestown Massacre,” which marked the largest loss of U.S. civilian lives in a non-natural disaster, prior to September 11th. Chapman also captured Hurricane Andrew, the Cocaine Cowboys era, and the Mariel Boatlift.

As his friend and former colleague Carl Hiaasen once wrote in the Miami Herald, “You did not send Chapman to take pictures at Art Basel… You sent him to fires and wars and plane crashes and mass suicides in Guyana. You sent him to crawl the jungles of Nicaragua with armed rebels. You sent him to shoot the guarded island mansion of a crooked prime minister (where he rented a plane and flew in low “with the sun at our backs”)…  And those of us who got to ride with him in those kick-ass days cherish every harrowing memory.”

Some of those memories will be shared at a special opening night conversation with Chapman and Hiaasen that will be held on April 15 at HistoryMiami Museum. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $10 for HMM members and $20 for non-members.

The exhibition is part of the HistoryMiami Center for Photography which explores the Miami experience through photographic images. The Center builds on the Museum’s significant photography archive of 1.5 million images to collect and exhibit documentary photography, and to offer lectures, workshops, and photo tours. For more information visit www.historymiami.org/photography.

About HistoryMiami Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, collections, research, exhibitions, publications and city tours. Located in the heart of downtown Miami, HistoryMiami Museum is a 70,000 square foot facility and home to more than one million historical images and 30,000 three-dimensional artifacts, including a 1920’s 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.