A New Caribbean Museum of History is the Flagship Project of South Florida Nonprofit ‘Island SPACE’
Charitable organization aims to create unified space for South Florida’s diverse Caribbean communities celebrating shared history, culture and traditions.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (May 8, 2020 ) — A nonprofit organization in South Florida is on a mission to elevate the profile of Caribbean art, history and culture throughout the tri-county area and the broader diaspora. The team behind Island Society for the Promotion of Artistic and Cultural Education (Island SPACE) has spent several years demonstrating their commitment to cultural and creative excellence. Their catalog of work includes Taste the Islands TV show, Pieces of Jamaica photo exhibition and coffee table book, the annual Taste the Islands Experience event series, and the 2019 – 2020 Caribbean Culinary Museum tour. Under the nonprofit, the museum concept has evolved into a full-scale Caribbean museum of history, tentatively named the Island Archives, now the nonprofit’s flagship project.
A campaign is underway, seeking donations from 1,000 founding funders–to validate the demand for the Island Archives project, and to set it up for a strong beginning. While the organization raises funds for project development and a permanent structure, its site selection committee is also in the process of identifying an interim location where they can expand their collection of artifacts and relics, and begin welcoming visitors in late 2020.
Directors of the Executive Board include co-founder and president David I. Muir, attorneys Charise Morgan-Joseph and Lloyd Stanbury, business consultants Clover Thompson and Karl Russell, CPA Leary Mullings, business development expert Andrea JohnBaptiste, real estate professional Sharon McLennon, and co-founder and Executive Director Calibe Thompson.
Along with inaugural activities toward the realization of the Island Archives, the organization’s 2020 projects include a virtual Caribbean-American heritage month exhibition, and an ongoing virtual photo art project. These activities are supported in part by the Broward County Cultural Division and the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund, David and Francie Horvitz Family Fund, Ann Adams Fund, Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund, Blockbuster Entertainment Unrestricted Fund, Robert E. Dooley Unrestricted Fund for Broward, Harold D. Franks Fund, and Jan Moran Unrestricted Fund.
Donors, volunteers, researchers, those with artifacts and relics to donate, photographers, artists and anyone interested in finding out more about Island SPACE projects may contact the organization at www.islandspacefl.org or give@islandspacefl.org.
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About Island SPACE
Island Society for the Promotion of Artistic and Cultural Education (Island SPACE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and advancement of arts, culture, history, and educational initiatives that represent the Caribbean region, in South Florida and the broader diaspora community.
About the Community Foundation of Broward
Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Broward helps families, individuals and corporations create personalized charitable Funds that deliver game-changing philanthropic impact. 473 charitable Funds represent more than $212 million in assets, distributing $119 million in grants over the past 35 years. The Community Foundation provides bold leadership on community solutions and fosters philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. The Foundation empowers visionaries, innovators and doers to create the change they want to see in the community – and to BE BOLD. www.cfbroward.org
Link to Photos:
Photo Caption: A group of artifacts from the 2019 Caribbean Culinary Museum exhibition at Broward Main Library | Photo: RJ Deed
HR – https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CZvBMHfdyEU3apVRppZZ48PO5Z-6CxWr
LR – https://drive.google.com/open?id=1X4eLZRHPtlL5D5jTorYMY5gzMpklIf2t
Photo Caption: An attendee learning about South Florida’s Caribbean-American history at the 2019 art and history exhibition, Island Imprint | Photo: RJ Deed
HR – https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eadk3yj8OlxAPIK5mEnbrTSz7PCv34Sm
LR – https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q3-R4H44g4rYsfmLuQyVEA9vC-9aw8Ap