![Black History, Black Future - Fine Art Exhibit](https://www.goriverwalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/history-ftl-logo-square.jpg)
History Fort Lauderdale, proud steward of our community’s past by making our heritage accessible and engaging to residents and visitors, is proud to spotlight the creativity and contributions of Broward County’s African American community. In honor of Black History Month, History Fort Lauderdale will host “Black History, Black Future,” a fine art exhibit featuring works for show and sale from Dillard Center for the Arts’ Advanced Placement (AP) students, from February 2 – 28. The exhibit, curated by instructor Celestin Joseph, represents a contemporary view of Black History from the perspective of students at the very school that was instrumental in overturning segregation laws in the City of Fort Lauderdale 50 years ago. The exhibit will be open to the public at the New River Inn building of History Fort Lauderdale and will be accessible as a digital experience on History Fort Lauderdale’s YouTube channel.
Joseph received his master’s in fine arts in painting from the University of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s in fine arts, cum laude, from the University of Hartford as a painting major, with an art history minor, and concentrations in printmaking and graphic design studies. Joseph also received a prestigious Yale/Norfolk Art and Music Scholarship to further his studies. Currently, he is teaching Advanced Placement studio art classes at his alma mater Dillard Center for the Arts where he has been strengthening the visual arts program since 1999.
History Fort Lauderdale is currently open seven days a week from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with docent guided tours, daily, at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Group walking tours are available upon special request. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors and $7 for students (through age 22 with a valid student ID). Admission is free for members, military and children ages six and under. Tickets are available online at HistoryFortLauderdaleTickets.
In compliance with local and state health guidelines, visitors to History Fort Lauderdale will be required to wear a mask, have a digital temperature reading and practice safe social distancing of six feet apart. Hand sanitizer will be available at the front desk admission point and all surfaces will be thoroughly cleaned multiple times a day, per CDC guidelines. Additionally, guests will be asked to sign-in, daily, for contact tracing.
For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, please call (954) 463-4431 or visit us online at historyfortlauderdale.org. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ftlhistory and on Instagram @ftlhistory and subscribe to us on YouTube at youtube.com/user/FTLhistory.
About History Fort Lauderdale
History Fort Lauderdale, formerly known as Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, brings the stories of our diverse community to life through engaging educational experiences, innovative cultural exhibits, research and preservation of artifacts. Residents and visitors to Fort Lauderdale are invited to explore the city’s rich past that is housed in historic buildings on a lushly landscaped campus – the History Museum of Fort Lauderdale situated in the 1905 New River Inn, the 1907 Pioneer House Museum, the 1899 Ivy Cromartie Schoolhouse Museum and the Hoch Research Library, South Florida’s foremost history center housing print resources and newspapers from 1910 – present plus 400,000 archival photos, 2,500 maps and 5,000 architectural blueprints. History Fort Lauderdale is located at 219 SW Second Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Museum hours are Monday – Sunday, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Guided tours are available, daily, at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. with walking tours available upon special request. Tickets are available online at HistoryFortLauderdaleTickets. History Fort Lauderdale is a nonprofit agency supported by memberships, grants and charitable contributions.