Exhibition Spotlights the Black History and Legacy of Bahama Village at the Key West Museum of Art & History

Exhibition Spotlights the Black History and Legacy of Bahama Village at the Key West Museum of Art & History

December 27, 2022 – (KEY WEST, FL).  Key West Art & Historical Society will debut a new exhibition on January 13, 2023, that will explore the history and culture of the often-overlooked segment of the community – former and current residents of Bahama Village.  The Society invites one and all to a special reception that evening from 5:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. to view “Bahama Village: Relics of a Fading Community” in the Bryan Gallery at the Key West Museum of Art & History, 281 Front Street.  In this exhibition, history and stories will be woven together through various events that shaped the Black and Indigenous cultures of Key West.

In the early 1800s and 1900s, the Black and Indigenous community of Key West was skilled and hardworking.  Many early settlers migrated to the island from St. Augustine, the Bahamas, and Cuba, and with them they brought their skills, education, and culture.  These settlers were great contributors to the island’s development.  This included African slaves that were imported by slaveholders to assist in the expansion of the island.  Free Blacks relocating to Key West were some of the first to become educated in America.  They believed strongly in education which began at home and in church basements, until the establishment of the segregated Frederick Douglass School in 1870.  The island’s Black community developed around, and enmeshed in, an area that we now refer to as Bahama Village.

“In collaboration with Florida Humanities, this exhibition aims to build cultural equity by telling narratives of the Black community’s significant contributions to local culture and industry,” says Cori Convertito, curator for the Key West Art & Historical Society.  “We seek to redress a serious omission: that the substantial contributions of people of color are under-represented in our island’s historical narrative.  The contributions of these skilled workers have been marginalized, when in truth, their contributions were vital and valuable.”

Never-before-on-view objects include a football helmet and shoulder pads from Frederick Douglass School, musical instruments from the estate of William McKinzie, a nineteenth century Sanchez family bible and a suit once belonging to illustrious local musician Coffee Butler.  These items, along with several others, will tell the inspiring history, culture, and contributions of the Black residents.

“Bahama Village: Relics of a Fading Community” runs until March 19, 2023.  Made possible through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the exhibit also received support provided by The Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and The Helmerich Trust.  For more information, contact Cori Convertito, Ph.D. at 305-295-6616 x507 or [email protected].  Your Museums.  Your Community.  It takes an Island.

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