Art Services & Exhibitions Division
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.
October 1 – January 3, 2025
The Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA), in collaboration with 10×10 Photobooks, presents What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women Reading Room, a touring exhibition that highlights significant but often overlooked photobooks created by women from 1843 to 1999.
The exhibit addresses underrepresentation in photobook history, particularly of non-Western women and women of color, and includes works from contemporary South Florida women photographers. Following successful displays in New York and Madrid, this exhibition is part of the 2024 WOPHA Congress in Miami and is organized by Amanda Bradley and Zonia Zena.
Opening Reception
Meet the titular artist Alex Sánchez as he presents a selection of his work from the Permanent Art Collection. Sánchez is a Cuban-American artist that specializes in mixed-media. Be drawn in by his combination of acrylic and collage that erupts in bright colors and compelling visuals.
Saturday, September 28, 1 - 3 p.m.
Hispanic Branch Library
August 7, 2024 - January 24, 2025
Discover the mesmerizing art of Cuban American artist Alex Sánchez, now on display at the Hispanic Branch Library. Featuring 18 vibrant acrylic and collage pieces from the Library’s Permanent Art Collection, his work masterfully blends classic and contemporary styles, making it a must-see for art enthusiasts.
Can’t visit in person? Explore the Library’s entire collection of Sánchez’s works through our Virtual Exhibitions.
By Álvaro Alejandro López
June 21 – September 19
Revel on the bold photographic series titled De Natura Libris as it portrays our interactions with books – both physical and abstract. The corporeality of a book is captured through its structures, textures, forms and signs of use. Experiences brought on from reading and touching a book are ultimately individual, evoked by various attributes, such as the contents of a book, its textures and smells, the memories it awakens or simply the aesthetic beauty of its parts. By reading and using books, people create connections. Each journey through a book is personal, as are the interpretation of these photographs.
By Symone Titania Major
June 28 – September 26
Martin’s Footprints: Marches in Coconut Grove & Goulds is a documentary photography series by Symone Titania Major, a recipient of the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation’s 2021 Knight Arts Challenge Award. The black and white photographs in this series document the duality of two historical marches that took place in Miami during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first march was held on June 13, 2020 in Coconut Grove as a protest toward police brutality. The second march was held in the Goulds neighborhood of Miami on April 10, 2021 and protested for an end to gun violence. This series was originally exhibited in 2022 at the Historic Coconut Grove Museum and a selection of these photographs have been shown at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Augusta Savage Gallery as part of the group exhibition titled As We Move Forward curated by Nhadya Lawes and Juana Valdes.
Curated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, Founder and Executive Director at ARTSail
May 1 - September 30
In commemoration of international World Ocean Day on June 8, ARTSail in partnership with the Blue Scholars Initiative, gives rise to the power of visual arts as a creative champion of environmental stewardship with their annual World Ocean Weekend Celebration. Crafted with the aim of promoting ocean conservation awareness, ARTSail offers an array of free activities during the event, including art installations, recreation, impact, science, education, and entertainment.
This exhibition presents a selection of the entire Ocean Flags collection, commissioned annually by ARTSail from different artists. These flags, celebrating the beauty and urgency of marine ecosystems, are unveiled each year at the World Ocean Day Celebration. Three artists/collectives have contributed since the program’s inception in 2021.
Featured artists: AMLgMATD, Beatriz Chachamovits, Deborah Mitchell (post June 8), Maria Useche (post June 8), Marina Zurkow with Una Chaudhuri.