From Roots to Routes
From the Permanent Collection of the Miami-Dade Public Library System

West Dade Regional
September 11 - December 29, 2008

This exhibition explores the historical importance of, and contributions to, art from Latin America by such artists as kinetic-op artist Jesus Rafael Soto and abstract artist Fernando de Szyszlo. From Roots to Routes will recognize the individual artistic productions of Delia Cugat (Argentina), Carlos Davila (Peru), Marisol Escobar (Venezuela), Margarita Galetar (Argentina), Pablo Obelar (Uruguay), Arthur Luiz Piza (Brazil) and other works from the Library’s Permanent Collection, created from the 1960s onward by contemporary and modern artists from South America.

Gatto Domingo
Desde la Distancia (detail), 1976 Serigraph.

On the Street Where I Live:
Photographs of Celia Cruz
by Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte
From the Permanent Collection of the Miami-Dade Public Library System

North Dade Regional
September 18 - December 21, 2008

Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte is mostly renowned for his fashion and commercial photography. He took these photographs of legendary salsa singer Celia Cruz during the last 15 years of the diva’s life. The series of black-and-white images captures her both on and off stage and narrates the more intimate stories of the photographer and singer’s unique friendship and collaboration.

HEAL: A Place to Call Home, in collaboration with Rhythmic Rapture

HEAL: A Place to Call Home is an arts-intervention program, initiated by arts group Rhythmic Rapture which uses the arts to facilitate personal transformation for displaced and homeless populations.

The Library System has collaborated with Rhythmic Rapture to present the following series of programs and an exhibition to raise awareness and provoke discussion of the economic, health, cultural, and policy issues that contribute to homelessness and housing problems.

The Girl Who Raised Pigeons
Main Library
Through December 18

This exhibition’s title comes from a short story with the same name by Edward P. Jones, author of The Known World. The story’s themes and images appear in the work: family, loss, displacement, community vigilance, changing landscapes. The show includes photography, drawing, and painting by Gary L. Moore, Kathleen Hudspeth, Elizabeth Cerejido, Ryan Holloway, Adler Guerrier, David Rohn, Karla Turcios, Bayunga Kialeuka, and Vanessa Tomchik.

The Economy of Home – This film screening and discussion will take a look at how business, housing, and other economic factors contribute to homelessness.
Wednesday, November 19, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Miami Beach Regional

Homelessness and Mental Illness - A workshop, in collaboration with the community artists of Rhythmic Rapture, about the very real link between mental illness and homelessness.
Saturday, December 13, 2 – 4 p.m.
Culmer/Overtown Branch

Gary Moore
Detail from a work-in-progress, 2008 colored pencil on paper
Courtesy of the artist.

Polychrome Affinities - Guerra de la Paz; Magali Wilensky and Michelle Weinberg
Main Library
Through December 15, 2008

The artistic team of Guerra de la Paz; Magali Wilensky and Michelle Weinberg will transform the Main Library’s second floor exhibition space into an expansive tableau/plaza using intense colors and engaging forms. Each artist is a scavenger of raw materials and images absorbed from the visual environment of Miami, which are then sorted according to color. Viewers will enter a space populated by fabric constructions of anatomical forms, a free-standing rainbow clothed in colorful garments, and a giant canvas mural that brings urban architecture indoors.

Guerra de la Paz
Rainbow, 2008
rainboots.
Photography: Courtesy of Guerra de la Paz.

Drawing in Space: The Peninsula Project, Sculpture by John Henry/
Peninsula Project Illustrated – Educational
November 29, 2008 – January 29, 2009

Reception: Thursday, December 4, 5:00 – 8:00pm

Drawing in Space: The Peninsula Project, Sculpture by John Henryfeatures the sculpture of world-renowned artist, John Henry, and will take place in seven major cities around the Florida peninsula from October 2008 through May 2009. Peninsula Project Illustrated – Educational at the Miami Beach Regional Library will be an educational exhibit with photographs, drawings, and models demonstrating the making of the monumental sculptures sited around the state and illustrating the project’s overall cultural impact on Florida and especially on the city of Miami. For further details on the project visit:
www.peninsulaproject.com.

John Henry
Tatlin's Sentinel (model), 2001 aluminum.
Background Photo: Tatlin's Sentinel Monumental, 2001
Photo Credit: Katelyn Littlejohn, John Henry Sculptor, Inc.

With major support from Arison Arts Foundation, Performance Video Productions, See Rock City, Inc., Tubatomic, The Parnassus Foundation, Diane and David McDonald, Terry and Robert Edwards, Maureen and Doug Cohn and with additional support from Comcast.

This program is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.