"City
Hall Murals"
Miami, FL


Xavier
Cortada presents his mural before Commissioner Sanchez, Commissioner
Gonzalez, Mayor Diaz and Commissioner Winton in Miami City
Hall at noon on July 28th, 2005, the City's 109th birthday.
(Click here to read
press release.) Click on images below to see
murals.
|
|
|
|
|
Xavier Cortada,
First Encounter: 1566
96” x 78”, acrylic
on canvas, 2005 (www.cortada.com).
“The
First Encounter: 1566” depicts Pedro Menendez de Aviles landing at
the edge of a mangrove forest on the north bank of the Miami River.
Upon spotting Menendez unfurl his flag, a young Tequesta releases
leaves into the winds of change that have brought a Spanish galleon
to his shores. Between them a whirlwind of activity emerges:
exchanges, education, friendship, disease, war, emotions surround
the Miami Circle. In 1566, a year after settling St. Augustine,
Adelantado Menendez has
arrived to establish the first of three Jesuit missions near the tip
of the peninsula he governs for Spain, a spot that will be governed
by four other flags and will eventually become Fort Dallas and the
City of Miami.
Donated to the City of Miami by the Goldman Family, the Mirmelli Family
and the Kodsi Family. |
|
|
|

Xavier Cortada,
The Incorporators: 1896
96” x 78”, acrylic on
canvas, 2005 (www.cortada.com).
“The
Incorporators: 1896” depicts city founders Julia Tuttle and Henry
Flagler surrounded by the incorporators and images of Miami’s
birth: Flagler’s railroad and its workers, the orange blossoms
Julia Tuttle sent Flagler to persuade him to bring the railroad to
frost-proof South Florida, and the old pool hall where 368 men –many
of them from the black community - voted to create the City of Miami
on July 28th, 1896. The setting is Biscayne Bay with
mangrove roots serving as a metaphor for the community they built
and settled. In the background, an ephemeral skyline begins to
emerge from the clouds. Their work is the precursor to building our
magic city.
Donated to the City of Miami by the Goldman Family, the Mirmelli Family
and the Kodsi Family. |
|
|
I believe that these City Hall murals will do more than imbue
our seat of government with beauty and color; they will also
serve to educate residents about their City’s history and its
multicultural origins. By learning about our past we can build
a future filled with mutual respect and understanding.
Xavier Cortada
|
|