I am thrilled to finally begin to speak about my first permanent museum commissioned work at the Museum of Art & Design (MOAD), Miami Dade College. Currently being installed in the iconic Freedom Tower in Miami in honor of its 100th anniversary, I am working closely with my team of ten assistants on-site, building the suspended aluminum sculpture piece-by-piece over the course of a month.
I am so honored to have been invited to contribute to this important Miami milestone and look forward to sharing this piece with the Miami community and beyond. The opening will be sometime in September, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, you can read more about this very important project below.
Thank you!
“The Freedom Tower stands at the crossroads of Miami’s past, present and future,” she said. “With this gift, we are not only helping to preserve a landmark of profound historical significance but also ensuring that every Miamian can see themselves reflected in its exhibitions, programs and cultural expression.”
As part of the tower’s grand reopening in September, the gallery will debut with “Refuge and Reflection,” a signature exhibition exploring themes of community, resilience, memory and belonging through art, multimedia, oral histories and interactive storytelling.
The Knight Skylight Gallery will also host a sound and light installation and a wall-sized projection mapping Miami’s landscape and evolution. A sculpture by artist Sharon Louden will anchor the space, while a broadsheet publication produced three times a year will spotlight Miami stories.
The Knight Series at the Skylight Gallery, developed in collaboration with Miami Dade College, will feature interdisciplinary events inspired by the tower’s legacy in journalism, civic dialogue and the arts.
The Freedom Tower’s centennial represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore its iconic Mediterranean Revival architecture while launching a new chapter as a vibrant civic and cultural hub, said Madeline Pumariega, the college’s president. In addition to the Knight Skylight Gallery, the reimagined tower will include new exhibitions that document its original role as the home of the Miami Daily News and, later, the Cuban Refugee Center, which welcomed over 400,000 Cuban exiles fleeing the island, she added.
Freedom Tower, Downtown Miami, FL