Explore The Story, an exhibition that invites you to reflect on the richness of human experience through the importance of preservation. Inspired by the Miami Beach rotunda artwork "The Story of Man," the artist shows that preserving and maintaining cultural diversity is essential and emphasizes the need to protect diverse histories, languages, and art that define humanity. For more information, please contact the branch at 305-535-4219 or fuenteso@mdpls.org. All ages.
This exhibition explores the challenges of preserving culture in the context of sculptor Albert Vrana’s concrete bas-relief sculpture, titled The Story of Man, that surrounds a Miami Beach rotunda designed by Herbert A. Mathes. Built in 1962, the rotunda is a drum-like structure with concrete sandcast walls located in the northeast corner of Collins Park. It originally was built as an auditorium for the Miami Beach Public Library. Its richly textured abstract design alludes to the role of the written word in shaping human civilization. Language, literature, the arts, music, and philosophy are the foundation of cultural identity and the essence of what defines humanity.
Artist Rosemarie Chiarlone’s The Story is also inspired by astronomer Carl Sagan’s 1994 book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, inspired by the iconic 1990 photograph in which Earth appears as a tiny speck in the vast universe. The book examines the historical claims of human uniqueness and highlights Earth's place as a fragile blue dot in the cosmos.
Chiarlone believes that preserving and maintaining cultural diversity is essential. Each culture, its histories, stories, and perspectives contribute to the richness of human experience. Without preservation, society risks homogenizing the world’s cultural landscape, losing the languages, art forms, and traditions that define humanity—the story of man.
Mon, Mar 31 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
Tue, Apr 01 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
Wed, Apr 02 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
Thu, Apr 03 | 9:30AM to 8:00PM |
Fri, Apr 04 | 9:30AM to 6:00PM |
Sat, Apr 05 | 9:30AM to 6:00PM |
Sun, Apr 06 | Closed |