Miami, FL. Sept. 18, 2017 – Miami Dade College (MDC) has launched a series of immersive exhibitions where people around the world can discover the history of Miami and the college’s exceptional cultural institutions. With historic footage never before presented in an interactive digital format, MDC’s first exhibitions feature the history and architecture of the Freedom Tower and the Cuban Exile Experience as part of Google Arts & Culture’s Latino Cultures in the U.S. project, which highlights the innovative and influential contributions of Latinos.
MDC joins more than 2,500 art and history institutions around the globe that share their collections online on the Google Arts & Culture website and application, powered by the Google Cultural Institute.
Through this collaboration, viewers anywhere in the world will be able to experience MDC’s college-wide art collections, historical landmarks and cultural programs, including its Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival and, located inside the Freedom Tower, the Museum of Art + Design (MOA+D) and the Kislak Gallery of Exploration and Discovery that will open in 2018. “This partnership will allow the College to showcase its truly extraordinary cultural and artistic assets, including artworks, archives, stories and experiences,” said Natalia Crujeiras, MDC’s executive director of cultural affairs. “Additionally, it will provide access to tools and resources that will enhance education and culture in the community.”
The Cuban Exile Experience exhibit will introduce visitors to the origin of the Cuban exodus and how it changed the landscape of South Florida. The first Freedom Tower exhibition will focus on the history of this National Historical Landmark, known as the “Ellis Island of the South,” for offering nationally sanctioned relief to Cuban refugees seeking political asylum in the United States during the Cold War. A joint effort between MDC’s department of Cultural Affairs and the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, the exhibitions will showcase stories detailing the tower’s origins, its significance to the South Florida community and a vision for the future. A second Freedom Tower exhibition will explore its design origin, materials used in the construction process and how the historic building has been maintained since being built in 1924.
Both specially curated virtual exhibits will include unique, immersive digital components that can be experienced by anyone, anywhere in the world. To view MDC’s page, visit https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/partner/miami-dade-college.
Learn more about Google’s Latino Cultures in the U.S. project at g.co/uslatinocultures.
About Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture is a new, immersive way to experience art, history, culture and world wonders from over a thousand organizations worldwide. Google Arts & Culture has been created by the Google Cultural Institute and it is available for free for everyone on the web, on iOS and Android. Read more here.
About Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College is the nation’s largest, campus-based institution of higher education with an enrollment of more than 165,000 students. It is also the nation’s top producer of Associate in Arts and Science degrees and awards more degrees to minorities than any other college or university in the country. The college’s eight campuses and outreach centers offer more than 300 distinct degree pathways including several baccalaureate degrees in biological sciences, engineering data analytics, information systems technology, education, public safety, supervision and management, nursing, physician assistant studies, film and others. In fact, its academic and workforce training programs are national models of excellence. MDC is also renowned for its rich cultural programming. It is home of the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the MDC Live! Performing Arts Series, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, a sculpture park and a large art gallery and theater system. MDC has admitted more than 2,000,000 students and counting, since it opened its doors in 1960.