A Quest for Relevance: Becoming a Community Place

ABSTRACT

Vizcaya was originally the private winter residence of industrialist James Deering and in the course of the last century has known many identities. In Vizcaya’s recent process to refresh our mission and vision, we wondered: What should the role of James Deering be in our new vision? Why does he matter? Why does Vizcaya matter? In exploring Vizcaya’s two founding stories – the story of the founding of the estate and the story of the museum – we envision Deering as a catalyst that enables us to embrace stories of people, place, preservation and innovation through the past, present and future. Through this process, Vizcaya has redefined its role which is to inspire cultural vitality and environmental sustainability and to establish its relevance as a museum in the urban core of twenty-first-century Miami.

KEYWORDS:

• Identity
• resilience
• transformation
• relevance
• community

Acknowledgements

This article is a collaborative effort among our Learning team. We appreciate the opportunity to reflect on Vizcaya’s past, present and future. We value our discussions about the Deering family legacy and our roles as practitioners. We also thank Mark Osterman for his support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

About the authors

Elgin Grey is an Adult Learning and Engagement Manager.

Katie Kapczynski is a Visitor Services Manager.

Carlos Llanos is an Assistant Visitor Services Manager.

Diana Peña is a School Programs Manager.

Rebecca Peterson is a Community Programs Manager.

Liza Solomon is a Learning Programs Assistant.

Wendy Wolf is a Deputy Director for Learning and Community Engagement.

Notes

1 “Museum Facts and Data.” American Alliance of Museums. Accessed September 30, 2019. http://ww2.aam-us.org/about-museums/museum-facts.

2 Think Tank Attendees: Sina Bahram; Stacey Mann; Wouter Middendorf; Chenits Pettigrew; Armando Somoza; Matt Tarr; Michael Tedeschi; John Voss; Micah Walter. Vizcaya Staff and Representatives: Jeff Guin; Joel Hoffman; Remko Jansonius; Katie Kapczynski; Colombe de Lastours; Mark Osterman; Wendy Wolf.

3 We Are Still In. Accessed January 17, 2020. www.wearestillin.com.

4 Fact Finder US Census, U.S. Census Bureau, 2013–2017 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates. Table: Poverty, Children Characteristics for year 2017. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF.

5 Kids Count Data Center. Accessed January 17, 2020. https://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5403-students-eligible-to-participate-in-free-reduced-lunch?loct=5#detailed/5/1872/false/1601,1526,1445,1250,1069,952,824,750,466,465/any/12082,11928.

6 2019 American Alliance of Museums EdCom Award for Innovation in Education.

7 Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Accessed January 17, 2020. vizcaya.org/experience-vizcaya.

8 Since 2016, Vizcaya has commissioned Processional Arts Workshop. www.superiorconcept.org.

9 Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Weave (2019), Float (2018), Bloom (2017), Whirl (2016). www.youtube.com/user/VizcayaMuseum/videos.

10 OF/BY/FOR ALL. Accessed January 17, 2020. www.ofbyforall.org/change-network-overview.

11 “Quick Facts: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.” Census Bureau, Accessed September 30, 2019. https://www.census.gov.

12 “Quick Facts Miami City, Florida; Miami-Dade County, Florida.” United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/miamicityflorida,miamidadecountyflorida/PST045218.