Celebrating Black History Month
For BLACK HISTORY MONTH, 2024, we have curated a group of video interviews from the ArtSpeak archives with prominent people in the arts, who are connected to the Miami and South Florida areas.
Beginning March, 2020, the videos below were recorded via Zoom. Click on any video link (below the images). You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
Astronaut Winston Scott: A Musician in Outer Space
WINSTON SCOTT is a former NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain. Scott performed a total of five spacewalks on two missions to the International Space Station. Scott grew up in Miami, Florida and is an excellent trumpet player. As a teenager, he sat in with several major bands and performed at the Hampton House in Brownsville. Today, Scott still plays trumpet and performs with the Winston Scott Cosmic Jazz Ensemble.
Interview: Nicole Henry — Jazz Vocalist
NICOLE HENRY is an award-winning American Jazz singer. Since her debut in 2004, she has been one of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. This year, she will perform in the new musical “A Wonderful World,” the story of Louis Armstrong, debuting at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach, FL.
Franklin Sirmans: Director, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)
Director FRANKLIN SIRMANS came to the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) from Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where he served as department head and curator of contemporary art. As a curator, writer and editor, Sirmans has established himself as one of the leading voices in contemporary art.
Khalilah Ali, a Remarkable Journey
KHALILIAH ALI is the second wife (1967-77) of Muhammad Ali. Born Belinda Boyd (1950), Khalilah Ali was raised in Chicago where she attended Islamic schools. Her parents were members of the Nation of Islam. Boyd married Muhammad Ali on August 18, 1967, at the age of 17. After their marriage, she changed her name to Khalilah Ali.
Video Chat with Robert Battle: From Liberty City to the Big Apple
Miami-born dancer, choreographer ROBERT BATTLE became artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in July 2011 after being personally selected by Judith Jamison, making him only the third person to head the Company since it was founded in 1958. Mr. Battle has a long-standing association with the Ailey organization.
Rosie Gordon-Wallace: Founder, Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI).
ROSIE GORDON-WALLACE is a recognized curator, arts advocate, community leader and pioneer in advancing contemporary diaspora art. She founded the Diaspora Vibe Culture Arts Incubator (DVCAI) to serve as a local and global laboratory dedicated to promoting, nurturing, and cultivating the vision and diverse talents of emerging artists from the Caribbean Diaspora, artists of color, and immigrant artists.
Ludlow Bailey: Cultural Curator
LUDLOW E. BAILEY is a curator of “culture as art.” As an art broker, writer, and art advisor, he is extremely passionate about contemporary global African Diaspora art and culture. Bailey is the founder and managing director of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (CADA).
Dr. Yanela McLeod: Author, Educator
DR. YANELA G. MCLEOD, Ph.D. is director of Communications and Alumni Relations for the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, where she is also an adjunct professor of history. McLeod has spent her professional career as an educator, journalist, and social historian. Her research specialty is the history of the Black Press, particularly in Florida. McLeod is the author of The Miami Times and the Fight for Equality: Race, Sport, and the Black Press, 1948- 1958.
A typical night at the Hampton House. Circa 1958. Courtesy of Historic Hampton House Community Trust.
In the 1950s and ’60s, when Miami Beach was still segregated and African-Americans were not allowed to sleep there, the HAMPTON HOUSE was an oasis for African-American leaders, activists, performers, and professional athletes, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali. The Hampton House was also the setting for the play and feature film, One Night in Miami.
