{"id":4824,"date":"2019-10-22T15:02:55","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4824"},"modified":"2019-10-22T15:09:21","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:09:21","slug":"coral-gables-museum-takes-revisionist-approach-to-tell-untold-history-of-miami","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4824","title":{"rendered":"Coral Gables Museum takes revisionist approach to tell untold history of Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted October 22, 2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By CLAUDIA SAFAVI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John R. Allen, executive director at the Coral\nGables Museum, sips on his morning coffee while sitting at the front desk of\nhis office. Allen reminisces about the most innovative exhibition ever featured\nat the Coral Gables Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The space where the “Sacred Ground: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery” exhibition took place (Photos by Claudia Safavi)..<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say the most innovative exhibition we\nheld at the museum was \u2018Sacred Ground: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Lincoln\nMemorial Park Cemetery,\u2019\u201d stated Allen. \u201cSacred Ground showed the rise and fall\nof Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, which was a historically black cemetery\nlocated in Overtown. We spent months researching the history and had documents\nand objects on display from the grounds of the cemetery. We even brought in\nCarl Juste, who is a photographer for the\nMiami Herald<\/em>, to help us capture this historically important moment that\nhad been neglected in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When stepping foot in the museum, visitors can\nget a sense of how African-American history, women\u2019s history, and architectural\nhistory are of high value. Coral Gables Museum is a tiny and quiet museum that\nis dedicated to researching the untold stories and geographical patterns that\npertain to Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur museum strives to track Miami\u2019s urban\ndevelopment. We try to recount the history that was not told, such as women\u2019s\nhistory, African-American history, and architectural history in Miami. We are\ntaking a revisionist approach as history has been very white-washed,\u201d explained\nMalcolm Lauredo, director of historical research and lead historian at Coral\nGables Museum. \u201cTo gain exposure to such topics, we publish three to five\narticles a month. Our museum distributes over 600 copies a month to various\nbusinesses, municipal buildings around the gables, cafes, the Biltmore, and\nVenetian Pool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When taking a tour of the museum, guests will\nfind articles published by the museum on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A published article by the Coral Gables Museum’s Historical Research Division featuring a sophisticated newspaper aesthetic.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The writing pieces are designed to have a\nnewspaper aesthetic that consists of elegant, hand-drawn borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum committee believes the presentation\nshould be aesthetically pleasing as it should reflect important cultural topics\nthat are discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only does Coral Gables Museum have\nexhibits, but it also hosts an array of private events, corporate events and\nweddings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Halloween just around the corner,\nfall-oriented events are currently being offered to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of my all-time favorite events we host is\nthe doggie costume contest,\u201d expressed Ashley Magluta, director of Events at\nCoral Gables Museum. \u201cThe doggie costume contest is an annual Halloween event\nin collaboration with Coral Gables business improvement district on the mile.\nIt is a fun and interactive experience for pets and their owners. It is also a\nvery festive and welcoming environment that is open to members of the\ncommunity. The doggie costume contest is for a good cause as all of our\nproceeds go toward the humane society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors will find pamphlets on almost every\ncorner of the museum that features a series of upcoming events designed for\ncharitable purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When strolling through the exhibitions on\nweekday afternoons, it is guaranteed that guests will run into young students\nand chaperones who are there on school visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the museum, students are exposed to career\npaths in the civic arts. Children can learn the history and gain knowledge of\nhow to become an architect, engineer, or politician at a very young age. Taking\nfield trips to the museum is an excellent way for me to teach my students how\nthey can positively contribute to the community,\u201d claimed Lily Villalba, a\ngrade school art teacher at Emerson Elementary School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Children leaving the Coral Gables Museum after attending an educational field trip with Emerson Elementary School.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Coral Gables Museum also offers summer,\nwinter and spring camps for children in grades K-12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSummer camps are the most popular among the\ncamps we have,” stated Luis Valenzuela, director of Education at Coral Gables Museum.\n\u201cWe base our camps around critical thinking and activities. During camp, we\nsend the children off to class, where they are taught to explore virtual\nreality, make paper, and paint with natural resources. They also learn how to\nuse photography with natural light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Coral Gables Museum\u2019s goal is to turn\ntheir visitors into innovators, who can discover and create things while\nenjoying themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n