Since its founding in 1986, the South Florida Folklife Center has conducted various field research projects. These projects have lead to the creation of educational products, including research reports and online exhibitions. A selection of these reports and exhibitions is featured here.
Folklife Collection Highlights
A selection of the South Florida Folklife Center’s archival materials is featured in this video produced by HistoryMiami Museum Folklife Intern, Mateo Salas.
What Makes Miami, Miami Project
The What Makes Miami, Miami Project focuses on customs and practices that are unique to Miami, particularly the sayings, occupations, musical styles, dance forms, beliefs, rituals, celebrations, and foodways that are quintessentially “Miami.”
The Guayabera: A Shirt’s Story
The Guayabera: A Shirt’s Story explores the changing uses and significance of the guayabera, a traditional piece of menswear worn by Latin American and Caribbean populations.
At the Crossroads: Afro-Cuban Orisha Arts in Miami
This online exhibition is based on a 2001 temporary exhibition shown at the museum. It contains information on the Orisha religion and its practice in Miami.
Caribbean Percussion Traditions in Miami
Based on research conducted in the late 1990s, this online exhibition provides information on drumming and related arts from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Trinidad and the Bahamas.
Nicaraguan Folklife in Miami
Nicaraguans in the region continue to practice traditions from their homeland. Published in 1993, this report includes information on festivals, foodways and material culture in the area’s Nicaraguan community.
Traditions: South Florida Folklife
This essay provides an overview of the region’s folklife during the 1980s.
