Coral Gables Museum Presents a Curatorial Season on Popular Expression, Local Identity, and Cultural Memory

Coral Gables Museum presents three exhibitions on Barranquilla Carnival, Guatemalan traditions, and Florida landscape, exploring culture, identity and memory.

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This season, the Coral Gables Museum presents a curatorial framework focused on popular expression, local identity, and the cultural languages that emerge from community traditions. Across multiple exhibitions, the Museum examines how collective memory, ritual practices, and everyday forms of creativity shape cultural identities across geographies.


Life Is a Barranquilla Carnival
On view April 25 – October 4, 2026
Opening Reception (by invitation only): April 24, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Recognized by UNESCO in 2003 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the Barranquilla Carnival stands as one of the most significant cultural expressions of the Colombian Caribbean. Rooted in centuries-old traditions, it brings together music, dance, and visual spectacle as forms of collective memory and identity.

The exhibition presents photographs by León Birbragher Vinkel (1940–2022), whose decades-long documentation captures the vitality of the Carnival. For more than thirty years, he recorded its principal events and folkloric expressions, including dances, masquerades, and individual costumes, offering an intimate perspective shaped by his close relationship with the carnavaleros.

Original costumes, video, and a curated sound environment expand the exhibition into a multisensory experience reflecting African, Indigenous, and European influences. The presentation follows key moments of the celebration, from La Guacherna to the Batalla de Flores and the Gran Parada de Comparsas, concluding with the symbolic burial of Joselito Carnaval.

The exhibition also reflects the continuity of this tradition through Carnaval de Barranquilla Miami USA, which has presented a transnational version of the celebration in Coral Gables since 2022.

Curated by Francine Birbragher-Rozencwaig, PhD, with music curation by Tato Marenco, a three-time Latin Grammy nominee. Additional credits include Nicole Kassin, Yuneikis Villalonga, and Simone Lee.


Alfombra de Aserrín: A Sawdust Carpet from Antigua Guatemala to Coral Gables
On view March 27 – April 16, 2026

This exhibition explores a centuries-old Holy Week tradition from La Antigua Guatemala, recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage. It focuses on the creation of intricate carpets made from colored sawdust, flowers, and organic materials, developed collectively as part of a ritual process.

These large-scale works are designed to exist only temporarily, becoming part of religious processions that pass over them. The act of making is inseparable from their disappearance, positioning the alfombra as both artistic and performative.

The exhibition includes visual references and material elements that reflect the technical precision and symbolic language of the tradition, while highlighting its collaborative nature. It also reinforces the connection between Coral Gables and its Sister City of La Antigua Guatemala.


Coral Gables Collects: Beanie Backus and His Imprint in South Florida Through the Allen Morris Collection
On view March 11 – May 21, 2026

This exhibition marks the beginning of a new initiative exploring private collections and their role in shaping cultural narratives. Drawing from the Allen Morris Collection, it presents works by A.E. Backus, a central figure in Florida landscape painting.

Backus developed a visual language closely tied to place, capturing the light, vegetation, and atmosphere of South Florida. His work contributes to a broader understanding of regional identity.

The exhibition also examines the relationship between artist and collector, showing how collecting functions as both preservation and interpretation. It offers insight into how personal collections help shape broader cultural narratives.

A public lecture on May 21 by J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director of the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery, will provide additional context on Backus’s legacy.


Press Information & Interview Opportunities

Members of the press may request interviews with the curatorial team and contributors.

Available for Interview:

Francine Birbragher-Rozencwaig, PhD
Tato Marenco
Yuneikys Villalonga

Suggested Press Angles:

Global traditions in local contexts
Carnival as cultural system
Ephemeral art and ritual practice
Private collections and cultural narratives
Diaspora and cultural preservation
Multisensory exhibition design

Press Materials Available:

High-resolution images
Curatorial texts
Bios
Video and B-roll
Guided walkthroughs
Location

Coral Gables Museum
285 Aragon Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134

Museum Hours

Tuesday–Friday and Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Gallery Night (First Fridays): 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Family Day (Third Saturdays): 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

About Coral Gables Museum

The Coral Gables Museum is a nonprofit institution dedicated to the civic arts, exploring architecture, urban and environmental design, sustainable development, and preservation through exhibitions and programs that connect local and global narratives.

Maylin Lara Ojeda
Coral Gables Museum
+1 305-603-8067
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