Look at a map of North America. South Florida stretches south, like the toe of the United States, into the Caribbean area.
This geographic proximity has made South Florida a part of the Caribbean, with Miami as the unofficial capital. From here, tourists fly or cruise east to the Bahamas and south to vacations on idyllic islands or the Caribbean slopes of Central and South America. The residents of these places come here, for their own vacations, shopping, visits to doctors and work. Visit the malls, ride MetroRail and walk the streets of Miami, Miami Beach or Key West and you will hear English, Spanish, Creole and French, in 50 different accents.
When I first visited St. Martin, many years ago, I was stunned by its main street’s similarity to Flagler Street. Downtown Miami’s little shops selling electronics, suitcases, jewelry, fabrics and clothing feel Caribbean—after all, their biggest customers are islanders. I can walk out of the museum at lunch and dine at a Cuban greasy-spoon, a Nicaraguan steak house or at an Asian lunch counter that caters to homesick cruise ship employees.
To work in a history museum in the midst of this panoply of cultures is to be constantly challenged. What shall we collect? What artifacts and photographs best capture the essence of this complex place and time? How shall we create exhibitions that catch the attention of our fragmented audiences, helping them to understand this region and their relationship to it and each other? Publications? Events? Tours? Lectures? Fund-raising? Everything we do reflects this Caribbean-American milieu.
In this blog, museum staff will share their stories about South Florida and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Join us on this wild adventure.
-- Rebecca A. Smith, Curator of Research Materials
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