Nosotros Todavía Estamos Aqui
Due to fear of this sea level rise swallowing Florida beaches, most wealthy people are beginning to move inland, kicking the poorer, marginalized communities away. These communities are 82% made up of Latinx and Caribbean refugees and immigrants, or generations of them.
Miami Mural Project
Gentrification through use of flip-up tabs, the underneath showing the original cultural location with the top trampling, replacing, and blocking them out
Through research of specific businesses and areas being gentrified, I noticed the erasure of Latinx and Caribbean culture in Miami, starting with the removal of area names such as “Little San Juan,” what was once a predominantly middle-class, residential, Puerto Rican neighborhood, and is now “Wynwood,” an area full of expensive restaurants, clubs, and bars.
This inspired me to try and orchestrate a hypothetical public art project in the city of Wynwood, Miami. Murals are not only a large part of the Wynwood community, but also is a major part of South American artwork. I designed a set of community-painted murals.
Havana, Cuba
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
San Juan
Port aû Prince, Haiti
Fliers are released to encourage people to join in every weekend, and the painting will be led by selected artists in the community. The murals will be a selection of prominent cultures in Miami: Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. Each mural will be simple outlines, easy for the community to help paint.
Each mural will match with a brochure that explains a bit of the history of that country in Miami, as well as explain the iconography in the mural and how it relates to the culture.
Hopefully, when it is done it can be a community area with benches, for people to sit around and continue to be reminded of the communities that built Miami.
This project encourages people of all backgrounds to build interactions, bring people together, spread knowledge about cultures, and raise awareness about gentrification in Miami. I also hope to make a fun event and community space that reminds people to be proud of their diverse heritage. As a Brazilian in Miami, I want the Latin and Caribbean cultures to remain a major part of Miami, rather than simply get pushed under the rug as their communities dwindle.
