The Freedom Tower in downtown Miami was built in 1925 to house the offices of the Miami News & Metropolis, a newspaper that stopped publishing in the mid 1950s. Like a lighthouse, the beacon at the top of the tower could be seen from far away in Miami Bay.
After the Castro regime took over Cuba, and refugees began following the beacon into Miami, the US federal government used the tower as a center to provide services to the new arrivals. But the services were moved in the 1970s, and the tower began to decline.
Restored in the 21st century, the Freedom Tower was purchased by Miami Dade College in 2005 and is now the center of its artistic, literary, film, and other cultural activities. Miami Dade College is the largest educational institution in the US with more than 175,000 students on eight campuses in Dade County which includes Miami. It is a public institution and part of the statewide University of Florida.
On the third Friday of September as the sun went down, the Freedom Tower was illuminated in red to mark the opening ACTIVATE: MDCULTURE. MDCulture is the rebranding of Miami Dade College’s cultural programs. Guests were invited from 5:30-9 pm to visit a series of events and exhibitions.
- MDC Museum of Art & Design inaugurated its collection on the 2nd floor
- The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) held an open house on the 4th floor. Two short films were screened for the early guests.
- The new poster for the 2013 Miami Book Fair was unveiled on the 1st floor. It is by a Spanish artist to celebrate 500 years since the discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon.
- An exhibition of art by MDC alumni opened on the 2nd floor.
- MDC Live Arts started on the mezzanine with a jazz pianist and refreshments – drinks and paella – for all.
- MIFF screened film shorts for the next group of guests on the 4th floor.
- And the third screening followed.
Everything was free thanks to corporate and private sponsors. No one made speeches; materials were given out, but many guests simply walked through the exhibitions, watched the films, and collected posters and other souvenirs.
Considering my experiences over eight years in Abu Dhabi and Dubai with the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, the Dubai Film Festival, the Dubai Art Fair, and the Emirates Festival of Literature, I was struck by the huge role played in local cultural life by Miami Dade College.
In the UAE, the big festivals are not connected with a national university. They are independent endeavors with their own directors and compete with each other.
The 2013 Miami Book Fair International from November 17-24 is the largest literary gathering in the US and the main event of the Center for Theater and Literature at Miami Dade College. Programming includes two sessions per month with well-known authors in English and in Spanish in the run up to the Fair.
A series of writing courses in English and Spanish has already begun, and there are also three-day and one-day writing workshops scheduled during the Book Fair. Private meetings with literary agents can also be booked during this time.
By Alma Kadragic
Photograph by Myra Silverstein
