On The Samara's Wing

The City of Pembroke Pines and Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery have announced a new exhibition "On The Samara's Wing: Ethnobotanical Negotiations of Cultural Space." The exhibition that focuses on artists who explore immigration, diaspora, transnational identity, race and belonging through dramatic allegories of landscape, botany and organic materials.

Curated by The Frank’s Chief Curator Taryn Möller Nicoll, On The Samara’s Wing features works by John Alleyne, Edouard Duval-Carrié, Gonzalo Fuenmayor, Rhea Leonard, T.Elliot Mansa, Lisyanet Rodriguez, and Onajídé Shabaka. The exhibition will debut on Thursday, October 21st at 6 PM. The opening reception will feature a special performance by Haitian singer and guitarist Inez Barlatier at 7 PM. This event and admittance to The Frank is free and open to the public. Complimentary refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served at the reception. Mask-wearing at The Frank is strongly encouraged. 

The Frank is proud to partner with Green Space Miami, a new art space established by the Green Family Foundation, focused on centering marginalized stories in a space for dialogue. Green Space Initiative grant recipient Alma Leiva will exhibit her photography series Celdas in The Third Space Gallery at The Frank. Leiva’s works will remain on view for the duration of On The Samara’s Wing. 

On The Samara’s Wing is on view from October 21st to January 23rd.

"Sisters (It’s the Forces You Don’t See)", 2016 by Rhea Leonard

As the exhibition draws to a close, we invite you to attend our Panel & Artist Talk: Reshaping History through Arts & Media, on January 13th from 6 PM to 8 PM. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs the Associate Provost of Florida Memorial University. Our esteemed speakers are African American Research Library Regional Manager Makiba J. Foster, NPR journalist Wilkine Brutus, and On The Samara’s Wing artists Edouard Duval-Carrié and Rhea Leonard. Panelists will discuss how arts, research, and communications record histories and challenge old stereotypes, with a particular spotlight on artistic expressions of life as experienced by marginalized individuals. The evening’s discussion will bring together visual artists, historians and communication specialists whose concentrations engage topics such as immigration, diaspora, transnational identity, race and belonging.

The Frank Gallery is open for viewing Tuesday-Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM. The Frank is located in the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines at 601 City Center Way. For more information, call 954.392.2120 or email: thefrank@ppines.com.

As they celebrate the tenure of On The Samara’s Wing, you are invited to explore the stories, techniques and insights of the artists who brought it to life. Check out free, fun and educational virtual workshops, lectures and events are suitable for all ages. For more information, visit thefrankgallery.org/p/other/virtual-classroom.