Black History Month with “Black History, Black Future” Fine Art Exhibit

Content and images courtesy of Goodman PR

History Fort Lauderdale, proud steward of our community’s past by making our heritage accessible and engaging to residents and visitors, is proud to spotlight the creativity and contributions of Broward County’s African American community. In honor of Black History Month, History Fort Lauderdale will host Black History, Black Future, a fine art exhibit featuring works for show and sale from Dillard Center for the Arts’ Advanced Placement (AP) students, from February 2 - 28, 2021. The exhibit, curated by instructor Celestin Joseph, represents a contemporary view of Black History from the perspective of students at the very school that was instrumental in overturning segregation laws in the City of Fort Lauderdale 50 years ago. The exhibit will be open to the public at the New River Inn building of History Fort Lauderdale and will be accessible as a digital experience on History Fort Lauderdale’s YouTube channel.

“History Fort Lauderdale is grateful to Dillard Center for the Arts’ Celestin Joseph and his efforts to enrich and enlighten our community through art and instruction,” said Patricia Zeiler, Executive Director of History Fort Lauderdale. “We’re looking forward to this year’s Black History Month installation of student creativity, perspectives and interpretations of how African American history and culture shapes our lives. We’re pleased to be able to offer this experience both in-person and online, digitally.”

Black History, Black Future will feature a variety of styles and mediums reflecting African American culture, arts, and entertainment and the ongoing struggle for equality. Featured pieces in the exhibition include works by Tayshaun Small and Mikayle Morrison, both currently AP studio art students mentored by Joseph, himself a Dillard alumnus.

Joseph received his master’s in fine arts in painting from the University of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s in fine arts, cum laude, from the University of Hartford as a painting major, with an art history minor, and concentrations in printmaking and graphic design studies. Joseph also received a prestigious Yale/Norfolk Art and Music Scholarship to further his studies. Currently, he is teaching AP studio art classes at his alma mater Dillard Center for the Arts where he has been strengthening the visual arts program since 1999. Black History, Black Future is one of several insightful experiences at History Fort Lauderdale. Permanent exhibits include The Bryans of Fort Lauderdale which allows visitors to experience the story of the City of Fort Lauderdale as told through the pioneer family that shaped its development from an agricultural outpost in 1896 to a bustling city in the 1920s to its current status as a leading Metropolis, Juliette Lange: A Portrait of a Mezzo Soprano, a fashion and lifestyle glimpse of the socially prominent Fort Lauderdale resident with a lauded career as a star vocalist of musical comedy, plus Archaeology of the New River and a multitude of narratives and photos sharing the history of other founding families of Fort Lauderdale. The nonprofit museum also hosts a variety of yearly multicultural exhibits highlighting additional African American, Caribbean, Latin, and women artists sharing their views of history and an artists’ collective collaborative space.

Black History, Black Future is one of several insightful experiences at History Fort Lauderdale. Permanent exhibits include The Bryans of Fort Lauderdale which allows visitors to experience the story of the City of Fort Lauderdale as told through the pioneer family that shaped its development from an agricultural outpost in 1896 to a bustling city in the 1920s to its current status as a leading Metropolis, Juliette Lange: A Portrait of a Mezzo Soprano, a fashion and lifestyle glimpse of the socially prominent Fort Lauderdale resident with a lauded career as a star vocalist of musical comedy, plus Archaeology of the New River and a multitude of narratives and photos sharing the history of other founding families of Fort Lauderdale. The nonprofit museum also hosts a variety of yearly multicultural exhibits highlighting additional African American, Caribbean, Latin, and women artists sharing their views of history and an artists’ collective collaborative space.

In compliance with local and state health guidelines, visitors to History Fort Lauderdale will be required to wear a mask, have a digital temperature reading, and practice safe social distancing of six feet apart. Hand sanitizer will be available at the front desk admission point and all surfaces will be thoroughly cleaned multiple times a day, per CDC guidelines. Additionally, guests will be asked to sign-in, daily, for contact tracing.

For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, please call (954) 463-4431 or visit us online at www.HistoryFortLauderdale.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FTLHistory and on Instagram @FTLHistory and subscribe to us on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/user/FTLHistory.