Art in Public Places Board approves 'Sepia Vernacular' exhibit for restored Lawson E. Thomas Building

The Art in Public Places Board voted 5-0 to approve a resolution authorizing the temporary installation of a photographic exhibit titled Sepia Vernacular: Overtown's Photographic Journey at the Lawson E. Thomas Building, 1021 NW Second Avenue in Overtown, Miami. The board authorized the city manager to negotiate and enter into an agreement in a form acceptable to the city attorney between the City of Miami, the Max Waldman archive (and/or its manager) and the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency for the exhibit at no cost to the city.

Indra Alain, planning department staff, told the board the exhibit highlights day-to-day life in historic Overtown using images from a photographic archive held by the Library of Congress and other historical materials, and was first shown in the Miami Riverside Center lobby in November 2024. “The purpose of this item is to seek formal approval from the AFPP board,” Alain said, describing the planned installation and its location in the recently designated Lawson E. Thomas Building.

The Lawson E. Thomas Building, at 1021 NW Second Avenue and north of the Lyric Theatre, was designated in 2022 and has been restored, Alain said. The building is described in the presentation as a modest masonry vernacular commercial structure that represents a second generation of neighborhood buildings in Overtown from the 1930s. Alain noted the site’s historical connection to Judge Lawson E. Thomas, saying the downtown courthouse is named in his honor and that he practiced law at the site until his death in 1989.

Alain said the exhibit walls have already been transported to the Lawson E. Thomas site and vendors are being engaged to print and install new material. “The CRA will be funding, fully the exhibit as is over there,” Alain told board members when asked whether additional city funding was required. Board members and staff discussed coordinating publicity and opening timing with the Southeast Overtown Park West CRA and the District 5 commissioner’s office; the CRA is contemplating an opening around May or June that would include programming tied to Juneteenth.

Board members noted the exhibit’s prior run at the Miami Riverside Center drew steady foot traffic there; Alain said the lobby installation in 2024 was on display for about three months and received thousands of visitors who paused to view the work while visiting the center for permitting and other business. The board also heard that the Lawson E. Thomas installation will be the first public programming in the restored building since its designation and rehabilitation.

The board approved the resolution by voice vote. The meeting record shows the vote as approved 5 to 0, with the following members recorded as voting yes: Christina Cuervo, Maria Napoles, Gary Feinberg, I. Valadez and Chair Francisco Heretiz. The motion’s second was recorded as Maria Napoles; the meeting transcript does not clearly identify who made the motion to approve.

In other business, planning staff provided an update on a storm-drain art collaboration with Florida International University and the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy. Andrea (last name not stated), staff, said FIU graphic-design students produced initial designs and analog stencils for the project; those designs will be presented to staff digitally and later returned to the board for review. Board members asked that the designs be reviewed by the Art in Public Places panel before installation.

Board members also discussed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Pavilion installation and landscaping. A member expressed that the pavilion as installed feels “plopped” and suggested a walkway, native-plant garden and lighting to help the public understand the piece; staff said permitting and landscaping submittals are underway with the parks and capital-improvements offices and that native species had been requested from the vendor. Staff committed to bringing updated landscape plans to a future meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of Resolution (File ID 17384) authorizing installation of Sepia Vernacular at Lawson E. Thomas Building; motion approved 5–0; mover not specified on the record; second: Maria Napoles; outcome: approved. - Approval of minutes from March 10, 2025 regular meeting; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Acceptance of absence waivers for three members; outcome: approved (voice vote).

The board said staff will notify the public about the Lawson E. Thomas opening once the CRA finalizes the schedule and will return to the board with further updates on the pavilion landscaping and the FIU storm-drain project.