South Florida Folklife Center. Sign Art in Little Haiti - 1988-1990

This series documents a research project and exhibition on Little Haiti’s distinctive and vibrant street art tradition which thrived in Little Haiti during the 1980s. As its name suggests, the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami is a center for Haitian social and cultural life. In order to document the storefront painted murals and signs that characterize the Little Haiti business district and the artists who create them, the Folklife Center at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida (now HistoryMiami Museum) conducted field work for “Sign Art in Little Haiti” during 1988 and 1989, then created an exhibit called “Sign of the Times: Folk Art in Miami's Little Haiti,” which was on display February 2-28, 1990. While several of the artists remain anonymous, featured artists include: Rodrigue Gilbert and Serge Toussaint. Materials include: an essay on the project; photographic prints, 35mm slides, and contact sheets, Michele Edleson and Tina Bucuvalas.

Additional digital formats of image files available: Records were digitized 2015 – 2016. Users must contact staff ahead of visit for access.

Arranged into three series by format.

Digital materials available on Folklife Archive external drive.

Finding Aid Authors: Katherine L. Fleming, David Font, Vanessa Navarro, and Katharine Labuda 2014-2016.

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