From March 22 through June 10, 2012.
HistoryMiami will host an opening reception for the exhibition, Key Biscayne: Island of Shifting Sands on Thursday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m. The exhibition introduces the museum visitor to Cape Florida and Key Biscayne, from the time of its European discovery to its last days as a remote frontier. A special section of the exhibition features images of life at Cape Florida around 1900 that have never before been exhibited – most from albums belonging to the Davis family, who owned land there for almost one hundred years.
Curated by Joan Gill Blank, the exhibition showcases pictures, artifacts and maps, and traces the significant historic, cultural and environmental events initiated by a succession of travelers and passers-by, including surveyors, landowners, freedom seekers, lighthouse keepers, scientists, artists, soldiers, promoters and dreamers.
“This is an exciting exhibit focusing on the dynamic and magnetic island of Key Biscayne, long known as a favorite landing place, a palm filled paradise, and site of the venerable Lighthouse. I’m especially delighted to be able to bring alive a slice of history previously unvisited (1890-1913), including photographs and art discovered in trunks and attics of the Davis family of Cape Florida, that expands our understanding of pioneering island life and gives us invaluable visual understanding of the island’s role in the evolution of the Bay area and beyond, “said Joan Blank.
Located on the southern tip of Key Biscayne, the Cape Florida Lighthouse stands as the Miami area’s oldest landmark and as the centerpiece of the island’s history. Established in 1825, the lighthouse holds a featured place in the maritime, military and economic ventures that impacted the evolution and character of the island.
“Exhibitions like this, which features some of the earliest documentation of human presence and settlement in South Florida go a long way towards dispelling the notion that Miami has no history,” said HistoryMiami Chief Curator, Joanne Hyppolite, Ph.D.
HistoryMiami
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130
305.375.1492
www.historymiami.org
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