Historical Museum of Southern Florida

HISTORICAL MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA

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Contact: Alison S. Prieto, 305-375-1657, pr@historical-museum.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Historical Museum of Southern Florida’s New Exhibition Will Display Selections from One of the Largest Caribbean Collections in the World

February 24 – June 4, 2006

Press preview on Thursday, February 23, at 6:30 p.m. Media who wish to cover this event should call 305.375.1657 in advance.

MIAMI, FL (January 24, 2006)  – An exhibition of highlights from one of the world’s largest collections of Caribbean archival and library materials will open on Friday, February 24, at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. The exhibition, Caribbean Collage: Archival Collections and the Construction of History, features original documents and rare books and maps from the collection of the University of Florida’s George A. Smathers Libraries. Spanning five centuries of Caribbean history, the exhibition focuses on the British West Indies, Haiti and Cuba from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Department of Special and Area Studies Collections of the Smathers Libraries.

“Visitors to the exhibition will have an opportunity to examine first-hand accounts of some of the most dramatic events in Caribbean history and will be encouraged to construct their own interpretations of the region’s past and its impact on the present,” says Dr. Stephen Stuempfle, chief curator of the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.

Drawing on several archival collections recently acquired by the Libraries, Caribbean Collage will explore the Caribbean during a time of massive social change: slavery ended, new forms of agriculture developed and independent nation-states, with distinct creole cultures, emerged. The exhibition will examine these large-scale transformations through documents specific to people’s lives: letters, diaries, ledger entries, business records, scrapbook clippings, photographs, drawings and similar items. Illustrated books and maps will provide additional perspectives. 

Exhibition Highlights

Caribbean Collage includes an overview of the Smathers Libraries’ vast collections, with material ranging from the early stages of European exploration to twentieth-century political events. Struggles for power within the region are highlighted in four focus areas: British Imperialism in the Caribbean (1756-1834), which covers the Seven Years’ War through Emanicipation; the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804); the Cuban Wars of Independence (1868-1898); and U.S. Imperialism in the Caribbean (1898-1934), which features the Spanish-Cuban-American War, U.S. political and economic domination of Cuba, and the American occupation of Haiti.

Visitors will first view a collage of digital images from the Smathers Libraries. Throughout the exhibition, visitors can examine the collection up close, which includes such items as handwritten correspondence and records of colonial officials in the British West Indies from 1779 to 1806; letters pertaining to the potential sale of plantations in St. Domingue (Haiti) from the 1780s; papers of the Spanish army in Cuba during the colony’s first war for independence (1868-1878); records of the Taco Bay Commercial Company, an American-owned agricultural enterprise in Cuba during the early twentieth century; and notebooks with Vodou drawings and other cultural documentation by Frank R. Crumbie, a government official during the U.S. occupation of Haiti (1915-1934).

Other highlights include a 1534 book with maps of Hispaniola and Jamaica, the oldest item in the exhibition; a published justification by Sir Walter Raleigh for his voyage to Guiana, written in the Tower of London before his death in 1618; a list of Africans enslaved at the Rocheblave plantation in St. Domingue; letters from Haitian Revolutionary leaders Toussaint L’Ouverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines; and an 1891 book of poems written by José Martí, with a personal inscription. The largest item will be a 42 x 60 inch map of the Artibonite Valley in St. Domingue, showing landholdings, mountains and waterways in the eighteenth century.

Educational Activities

A variety of educational programs will be offered in conjunction with the Caribbean Collage exhibition. Every Thursday evening, from March 2 – May 25, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida will host Live On The Plaza free cultural programming. From 6 – 9 p.m., visitors can enjoy a guided tour of the exhibition, along with panel discussions, films screenings and live performances related to Caribbean history and culture. In May, the Caribbean Film Spotlight will be presented in conjunction with the Miami International Film Festival. Free Family Fun Days will be offered every Saturday from March 4 – May 20, from 1 – 3 p.m. Young visitors can enjoy hands-on activities related to the permanent and temporary exhibitions. Join the Historical Museum, the Miami Art Museum and the Miami-Dade Public Library System on April 8 for a Family Festival on the Plaza. Finally, the Historical Museum and the Smathers Libraries will produce an online version of the exhibition, which will offer worldwide access to this unique collection of Caribbean historical materials on the museum’s website.

For more information about the Caribbean Collage exhibition and related events, call at 305.375.1492.

Balseros--A Desperate Journey, a photographic exhibition by veteran Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz, will also be on view, February 24 - June 4. During the summer of 1994, Diaz was on assignment in Cuba when thousands of people attempted to leave the country on boats and rafts. The exhibition will capture this dramatic moment in 22 vivid color photographs.

About the Historical Museum of Southern Florida

The Historical Museum of Southern Florida is dedicated to telling the story of South Florida and the Caribbean, in order to enhance the community’s quality of life by understanding the past, linking it to the present and building a better future. The Historical Museum hosts a permanent exhibition gallery and a special gallery with several changing exhibitions each year. In addition, the museum houses the Research Center, a non-circulating library and archives open to museum visitors, and The Indies Company, the museum’s store, which offers a unique array of Florida-themed books and gifts. The Historical Museum is located in downtown Miami in the Miami-Dade Cultural Center, across the street from Metrorail’s Government Center Station at 101 West Flagler Street, Miami, Florida 33130. Hours are Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. –9 p.m. and Sunday noon - 5 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, children (ages 6-12) is $2, and children under 6 are free. Saturday is free admission, and Sunday is by contribution.

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