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Exhibitions at the Library

Art Services & Exhibitions Division

About

The Library System has a long history of cultural and educational exhibitions, and makes a special call to artists on a rolling basis for temporary exhibitions that correspond to selected annual themes and/or that highlight the library’s permanent art collection and services.

Additionally, the Vasari Project is an archive that documents the development of the visual arts in Miami‑Dade County since 1945.

For more information about the art collection, exhibition programs, call 305‑375‑5599 or e‑mail art@mdpls.org.

A Visual Narrative
Miami-Dade Public Library System's Permanent Art Collection and Exhibitions

A Closer Look at the Artwork of Emilio Sanchez
A Closer Look is a series dedicated to highlighting Library’s Permanent Art Collection

Library Artist-in-Residence Program
Interview with Jacob Brillhart, Rocco Ceo, Victor Deupi

Library Exhibitions

Pedestrian 1985 & 2015
Street Photography In Downtown with Liam Crotty and David Spitzer

Current Exhibitions & Programs

MDPLS Author Series

Lunchtime Poetry & Jazz @ the Library


First Thursday of Every Month,
Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Main Library

Join us for an interactive poetry and jazz program featuring local poets reading their works while accompanied by a live jazz band.

Hosted by Miami-Dade County Poetry Ambassador Nicole Tallman and Library Curator and Poet Oscar Fuentes.

All ages.


Abstract art

Forbidden Pages

By Rosa Naday Garmendia


February 23 – May 16

Hispanic Branch Library

Meet the Artist

Thursday, April 25

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Join Rosa Naday Garmendia, artist of Forbidden Pages, along with community leaders Rosie Gordon-Wallace and Tom Virgin, in a discussion that connects the community with the artistic process, including a hands-on printmaking activity. 

Letterpress prints form the foundation of Forbidden Pages, an art and social engagement exhibit utilizing diverse art forms such as letterpress, linoleum prints, zines, and a site-specific wallpaper mural installation. Drawing inspiration from a collection of more than 2,500 banned or challenged children’s books, including renowned titles like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome, Festival of Colors by Kabir and Surishtha Sehgal, and Neither by Airlie Anderson, artist Rosa Naday Garmendia’s exhibit breathes fresh air into the silenced tales of these remarkable novels.


Image reflecting on water

Between the River and Lagoon

By Onajide Shabaka


December 22, 2023 – March 21, 2024

Westchester Regional Library

Discover artist Onajide Shabaka's cultural archive capturing the vibrant history of Fort Pierce, Florida. This exhibition reflects on rural life and community through familial photographs, letters and property records that trace Shabaka's family journey from South Carolina's cotton fields to Fort Pierce in 1920. Experience the coastal mangroves, intracoastal waterways, astronomical drawings and wilderness areas through Shabaka’s artful storytelling.


Abstract blue painting

Mira Lehr, Blue Mist

Women's Voices: A Journey Through Miami's Art History

Presented by the Miami-Dade Public Library System's Vasari Project 


November 7, 2023 – March 31, 2024

Main Library

Surveying the women's art movement from the 1970s to the 2000s, this exhibition focuses on artists and spaces that defined this period, featuring Kabuya P. Bowens Saffo, Rosemary Chiarlone, Susan Emery Eisenberg, Lynne Golob Gellman, Mira Lehr, Charo Oquet, Karen Rifas and Claire Jeanine Satin. Click here to explore selections from this exhibition through the Library's Digital Collections.

This exhibition was made possible through generous funding from the James L. Knight Foundation and Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs.


Abstract pencil drawing

Carol Todaro, Nica 2

Women's Voices: New Perspectives in the Archives

Presented by the Miami-Dade Public Library System's Vasari Project 


November 7, 2023 – March 31, 2024

Miami Beach Regional Library

This exhibition unites the distinct voices and artistic visions of Woman Artist Archives Miami (WAAM) artists, featuring Rosemarie Chiarlone, Cara Despain, Sophia LaCroix, Mary Larsen, Susan Lee-Chun, Kerry Phillips, Johanne Rahaman, Claire Jeanine Satin, Carol Todaro, VantaBlack and Zonia Zena.

This exhibition was made possible through generous funding from the James L. Knight Foundation and Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs.