Time and Place: Multitudes of Black Experience in Miami

“Time and Place: Multitudes of Black Experience in Miami” incorporates Kabuya Pamela Bowens-Saffo’s association with creatives in Miami. Bowens-Saffo touched multiple Miami neighborhoods including Coconut Grove and Richmond Heights.

Presenters Dr. Valerie Patterson, Dr. Donette Francis, and Dr. Simeon Richardson share their scholarship on aspects of History, Black Studies, and Miami Studies that are revealed in Kabuya Pamela Bowens-Saffo: From the Heights exhibition. How does the artist’s work reflect the time, place, and Black culture in Miami? Why is this archive relevant to documenting the Miami Black experience?

Valerie L. Patterson, PhD, is Director of African and African Diaspora Studies at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at FIU where she earned her PhD in Public Administration. Dr. Patterson’s research examines government and its relationship with underserved communities and persistent social equity barriers in communities of color. Dr. Patterson’s role as a Humanities scholar shares her expertise on African and African Diaspora Studies.

Donette Francis, PhD, is director for the Center for Global Black Studies and past director the American Studies Program at the University of Miami. An Associate Professor of English and founding member of the Hemispheric Caribbean Studies Collective, her research and writing investigate place, aesthetics and cultural politics in the African Diaspora. She received her PhD. in American Studies from New York University. Dr. Francis’ role as a Humanities scholar shares her research that investigates place, aesthetics, and cultural politics in the African Diaspora.

Simeon Richardson, PhD, is Dean of Faculty at MDC’s Homestead Campus, where he teaches English and American History as well as African American Literature. Dr. Richardson is the 2021 Congresswoman Carrie Meek Endowed Teaching Chair, campus co-historian, UFMDC vice president, Black Male Initiative founder and advisor, and lead genocide instructor. Dr. Richardson grew up in Richmond Heights, FL, and earned a bachelor's degree in Exceptional Student Education and a master's in Reading and Language Arts from Florida Memorial University. He also earned graduate certificates in English and American History in 2015 and 2020, respectively, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Miami in 2018.

Refreshments will be served.

Free parking is available at MDC's Padrón Campus flat parking lot located at 2501 SW 6TH Street, Miami, FL 33135.

The Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at MDC may document the event, including its attendees. By entering the area, and/or participating in the event, you consent to the recording and its use in any form.

MOAD's programs are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. They are sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, and with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Miami Herald is a media sponsor of MOAD's programming.

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Florida International University’s Women’s and Gender Studies Center is a proud funder through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Image: Artists in Conversation Hosted by AIRIE and MOAD. March 6, 2024.

Host or Publisher Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at MDC