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Authors, Musicians, Artists and more for Black History Month & 40th Anniversary Celebrations at Miami-Dade Public Libraries

MIAMI – The Miami-Dade Public Library System is celebrating its 40th Anniversary and Black History Month with a lineup of special programs throughout February. The community is invited to journey back to the ‘70s, when the library system was formed, through music, movies, dance and art.

Wear your favorite costume for a “Soul Train” flashback with the Iron Barr Dance Group; explore the roots of jazz with Nicole Yarling, and learn about the library and Miami’s history from the ‘70s and ‘80s with Assembling an Era – an exhibition that brings together materials from the library’s special and reference collections; works on paper by Miami artist Purvis Young, a slide installation by artist Kevin Arrow, a sound station, and more.

All events are free. For complete details visit www.mdpls.org. or call 305-375-2665.

February Program Highlights:

Saturday, February 5, 2:30 – 5 pm -North Dade Regional- 2455 NW 183 St.

Celebrating 40 Years of Library Excellence: Wear your best ‘70s outfit and groove with the Iron Barr Dance Group in a “Soul Train” lineup.

Saturday, February 5, 10 am-Culmer/Overtown- 350 NW 13 St. Miami

Saturday, February 12, 3 pm -Little River Branch-160 NE 79 St., Miami

Thursday, February 24, 3:30 pm -Lemon City Branch -430 NE 61st St

Miami Murals with Serge Toussaint and Rachel Darah -Rachel Darah, author of the book “Miami Muralist Serge Toussaint, Neighborhood Paintings by a Haitian Artist” and artist Serge Toussaint have joined forces to inspire the next generation of artists in Miami. Come see Serge in action and learn to create your own mural.

Wednesday, Feb., 9, 7 p.m.-Miami Lakes Branch -6699 Windmill Gate Rd., Miami Lakes

Tuesday, February 22, 6 p.m. – Hispanic Branch- 1398 SW 1 St.
Take a rhythmic journey through ‘70’s Jazz, with Nicole Yarling. Enjoy smooth sounds and a history lesson on the music of this decade.

Saturday, February 12, 1 p.m. Culmer/Overtown-350 NW 13 St. Miami
Learn how to make African jewelry with Big Mama Quilters and Vintage Guild Inc.

Saturday, February 12, 1:30 pm -Lemon City Branch-430 NE 61st St
Celebrating 40 years of Library Excellence: Join in the discussion “Pioneering on the Bay” with Thelma Peters. Learn about the history of Lemon City and the Lemon City Library- the oldest branch in the Library System.

Wednesday, February 16, 7 pm – South Miami Branch-6000 Sunset Drive, Miami
Thursday, February 17, 7 pm, South Dade Regional- 10750 SW 211 St. Miami

Saturday, February 19, 3 pm., Coral Reef Branch- 9211 Coral Reef Dr., Miami

Native Miami author Mamie Pinder will discuss her work “Let My American Soul Speak”, a collection of love and historical poems written over the course of forty years.

Friday, February 18, 3:30 pm -North Dade Regional -2455 NW 183 St.Miami
Celebrating 40 Years of Library Excellence: ‘70s Movie Trivia -Celebrate the library’s birthday with a cinematic salute to the ‘70’s. Join us and see how much you remember.

Saturday, February 26, 11 a.m. -Lemon City Branch- 430 NE 61st St

Celebrating 40 Years of Library Excellence: Storyteller Baba Lyons will share tales about Lemon City, the library system’s oldest branch.

Art Exhibitions:
January 20 – March 27, Main Library, 101 W. Flagler St.

Assembling an Era – The Miami-Dade Public Library System, 1971-1989

The ‘70s and ‘80s represented a period of great progress, upheaval, and change in Miami-Dade County. Miami hosted both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The Mariel Boatlift and McDuffie Riots happened simultaneously. 1983 saw both Surrounded Islands and Scarface. In 1971, at the very beginning of this important and volatile period, city and county libraries joined forces and formed the Miami-Dade Public Library System. Assembling an Era celebrates the library’s 40th anniversary, bringing together materials from the library’s special and reference collections to document this fascinating time and build associations between popular culture, Miami history and library stories. The show tells these stories through works on paper by Miami artist Purvis Young, canvas banner pieces; books, newspaper articles, a snapshot timeline, a special installation of every 1971 reference volume in the library’s collection; a slide installation by Kevin Arrow, a sound station, and more.

January 20 – March 9, Main Library, Auditorium, 101 W. Flagler Street

Pedestrians: Downtown Flagler Street by David Spitzer
The photographs in Pedestrians were taken during the last half of 1984 and well into 1985, the year when the Main Library and Cultural Plaza opened to the public. The project focuses narrowly on downtown Flagler Street from Biscayne Boulevard west to the old Dade County Courthouse – the historic center of downtown Miami. The photographs capture the ordinary and diverse cross-section of individuals who populated this street going about their daily lives.

February 2 – March 15, North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183 St.

The Bloom: Bloom Where You are Planted by Shernett Muhammad
Bloom Where You are Planted is the theme of a series of large-scale paintings by Jamaican-born, South- Florida-based artist Shernett Muhammad. Muhammad finds inspiration in “humanity and nature” and her work bears personal and spiritual observations of hope and beauty. Her acrylic paintings lavish attention on patterns and figures from everyday life. A pair of Black Muslim women studying in a coffee shop, a street artist painting on an inner city road, the artist’s father before his tropical garden, a young protagonist of the global hip-hop movement are rendered in dazzling color and fine detail.

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