The Coral Gables Museum — which celebrates, investigates and explores the civic arts — will feature a new exhibit, “Trailblazers: The Perilous Story of the Tamiami Trail,” beginning Oct. 1 and continuing until May 22, 2016.
Curated by environmentalist Jon Ullman, the exhibit depicts the construction, history and culture of the Tamiami Trail, a well as its devastating impact on the Everglades. The multi-media interactive exhibit features images, artifacts, historic documents and film.
The museum has scheduled a full slate of events to begin the Trailblazers’ sevenmonth exhibit. Ullman will host an educators’ reception on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6:30 p.m., that includes a guided tour, ideal for science and environmental science teachers of all grade levels. Admission is $10 and includes a complimentary beverage.
A Family Day is planned for Saturday, Oct. 10, from 2 to 5 p.m. ACurator’s Tour with Ullman is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. Several author events and panel discussions also are planned throughout the exhibit’s eight-month run at the museum.
An activist for the Everglades, Ullman has been building coalitions to restore the Everglades for the Sierra Club for 17 years. He organized a broad-based coalition to build the River of Grass Parkway, a 6.5-mile collection of bridges across Tamiami Trail to restore water flow to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. His advocacy on the campaign to raise US 41 resulted in the first raised mile and an additional planned 5.5 miles of bridging.
Ullman is highly knowledgeable about climate impacts to South Florida and the Everglades. He spent most of the 1990s working with activists to successfully stop a major commercial airport in Homestead between Everglades and Biscayne national parks. Before joining the Sierra Club staff in 1998, Ullman served as public relations supervisor for the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium.
Bringing his professional skills from prior careers in public and media relations as well as news reporting has allowed him to bring an articulate and passionate voice for Everglades restoration and climate action.
The exhibit is sponsored by The Everglades Foundation, Ford Motor Company, Kiewit, Miami-Dade County Division of Cultural Affairs and the City of Coral Gables.
Located at 285 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables Museum’s mission is to celebrate, investigate and explore the civic arts of architecture and urban and environmental design, including fostering an appreciation for the history, vision, and cultural landscape of Coral Gables. The museum also is the Official Visitors Center of the City of Coral Gables.
For more information about educational programs or volunteering, visit www.coralgablesmuseum.org.
