Sepia Vernacular: Overtown pictures exhibition opens at Lawson E. Thomas Building

A brand new pictures exhibition spotlighting Overtown’s wealthy Black historical past has opened on the newly restored Lawson E. Thomas Building, providing the general public a uncommon visible journey into certainly one of Miami’s most influential communities.

Timed to coincide with Black History Month, Sepia Vernacular: Overtown’s Photographic Journey, 1920–1950 is offered by the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency (SEOPW CRA) in partnership with the City of Miami Planning Department’s Public Art Division. The exhibition attracts from the Planning Department’s archives and options greater than 80 historic images documenting on a regular basis life in Overtown in the course of the early to mid-Twentieth century.

Among the highlights are photos from photographer Max Waldman’s 1947 Color Town sequence, which seize the neighborhood’s streets, households, companies, and social life. Together, the pictures supply an intimate take a look at a neighborhood that performed a central function in shaping Miami’s cultural id however has typically been neglected in mainstream historic narratives.

The exhibition is housed within the Lawson E. Thomas Building at 1021 NW 2nd Avenue, a web site of main historic significance. The constructing as soon as served because the workplace of Judge Lawson E. Thomas, Miami-Dade County’s first Black choose and a distinguished civil rights chief. Recently restored by the SEOPW CRA, the house has retained its architectural character whereas being up to date to make sure accessibility and long-term preservation.

Adding to the expertise is an interactive mural by artist Anthony “Mojo” Reed II titled Veo Veo, I See I See, Mwen wè Mwen wè. Commissioned by the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (Miami MoCAAD), the mural honors Judge Thomas and Overtown’s civil rights legacy. Embedded QR codes hyperlink guests to oral histories, connecting the photographic archive to dwelling reminiscence and up to date storytelling.

Sepia Vernacular is the primary main exhibition to open within the revitalized Lawson E. Thomas Building, marking a brand new section within the web site’s function as a cultural and academic house.

“Black History Month is about honoring legacy while creating space for reflection and connection,” mentioned Natalya Sangster, Director of Operations on the SEOPW CRA. “Presenting these photographs in Judge Thomas’s former office—once a hub of civil rights advocacy—underscores how history, place, and identity are inseparable.”

Judge Lawson E. Thomas was instrumental in difficult racial inequality in Miami, from advocating for equal pay for Black academics to organizing town’s first “wade-in” protest at Virginia Key. Hosting the exhibition within the constructing that bears his title, organizers say, is each symbolic and restorative.

The exhibition is open Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to six p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to five p.m. Guided excursions can be found by appointment by way of [email protected].