Where two worlds meet: Caribbean artists share their stories at Miramar exhibit
The uniqueness of Caribbean culture is being brought to life at the Ansin Family Art Gallery in the Miramar Cultural Center.
“The Cultural Between” exhibit, open until Aug. 7, explores the two worlds that each artist lives in: The island they are from and where they live now.
You can experience the gallery and meet some of the artists from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, during the exhibit’s opening reception.
The exhibit is sponsored by Sankofa’s Child, Inc., a nonprofit serving Broward through community wellness via the arts.
Sankofa’s Child brought in Nzingah Oniwosan as the curator, her first time curating at the Miramar Cultural Center.
She is also a Haitian-American artist featured in the exhibit.
The question being asked in this exhibit: “What does it mean to make art from a hybrid cultural experience?”
“’The Cultural Between’ is an expression of what it’s like to hold two cultures in your heart, in your head and your tongue, and in your lifestyle,” Vanya Allen, the arts and education administrator at the Miramar Cultural Center, told the Miramar News.
All of the featured artists are Caribbean and based in South Florida.
“During my journey toward understanding and self-discovery, ‘legacy’ has become a crucial theme. What have my ancestors left for me? How has that knowledge shaped me as an individual? What will I contribute to future generations? The questions were many and the answers were overwhelming,” Oniwosan’s artist statement reads.
“A critical realization was that I was trying to define myself as a second generation Haitian born in America,” she continued.
Other featured artists are Jed-Lee Metayer, a nephew of recently deceased Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer, and Symphonii Smith-Kennedy, a City of Miramar staff member.
Other artists include:
- Tracy Ann Simmonds: photography, mixed media, installations
- Wilmer Gomez: mixed media
- Michael Gil Arango: multi-instrumentalist
- Tracy Guiteau: painting
- Mikael Semexant: oil painting
