Jamaican Heritage Celebration | Art of Transformation 2024

The 2024 AOT will feature six main exhibitions, each focusing on a different aspect of Black aliveness:

In Praise of Blues: (Art and Recreation Center), Edouard Duval Carrier, curated by Dr. Adrienne Von Lates

Jamaica on My Mind: Aliveness and Livity (Pavilion), curated by Professor Phillip Thomas, presents Jamaican artists from home and abroad who explores the interconnections of Aliveness to Livity as a moment of accomplishment, an instant in which what has matured in the alchemical athanor metamorphoses into perfection or, rather, an epiphany or an event---an accomplishment.

Embodiments of Aliveness: The Sculpture of Siriki Ky (Art and Recreation Center), curated by Dr. El Hadji Malick Ndiaye, explores Black resilience and identity in Ky’s powerful bronze sculptures.

Under the Bridge, Beyond the Beach, Above the Muck (The Train Station), Snapshots of the Ten North's collections, this exhibition articulates the Group's approach to collection, embodying and enacting black memory principles. It serves as a locus of memory, a landmark around which past events structure present memory.

And Is: The Black Florida Project (The Hurt Building), curated by Melissa Hunter "And Is" presents the photography of Johanne Rahman, focusing on the complex and evolving landscapes of Black communities across Florida.

Site Memory: The Sculpture Garden (VFW Garden), led by landscape architect James Brazil. The former Veterans of Foreign Wars site becomes a space through which past and present experiences fuse to commemorates Black history through sculptures and installations inspired by banned African American literature.

Tales of Opa-Locka: A Heritage Journey (Historic Train Station) curated by Alex Van Mecl, Founder, Opa-locka Preservation Association. This inaugural historical experience presents an in-depth exploration of the city’s near-century-long history and cultural heritage, offering visitors a carefully curated journey through Opa-locka’s unique architectural and social legacy. The exhibition also examines the City’s military history as a training site for the U.S. Naval and Marine Corps before and during WWII.

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