Thanks to a grant sponsored by UM Libraries as part of the CREATE Grant Fall 2019 grant Cycle Awards, students under the supervision of Professor Robin Bachin (Associate Professor/Assistant Provost for Civic and Community Engagement) conducted interviews with Miami community members in neighborhoods that have undergone significant transformations over the last several decades.

The Race, housing, and displacement oral history collection documents the complicated and significant interconnections among race, housing, and displacement in Miami during the twentieth century. The 6 interviewees are from various neighborhoods including Overtown, Liberty City, and Little Haiti. The interviews were conducted over Zoom during April 2020.

The following individuals were interviewed as part of this collection:

1. Adrian Madriz: Executive Director of the Struggle for Miami’s Affordable and Sustainable Housing (SMASH)
2. Alana Greer: Co-founder of the Community Justice Project
3. Mileyka Burgos: Executive Director of The Allapattah Collaborative, CDC
4. Nancy Metayer: Candidate for Coral Springs Commissioner; member on the Steering Committee of the Miami Climate Alliance; former member of the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District; Co-Founder of the Florida Disaster Preparedness Plan; environmental scientist; community organizer
5. Shirley Plantin, Chief Executive Consultant for U-Turn Youth Consulting Firm and the author of The Backstory of a New Reality
6. Yanick Landess, Director of Homeownership Programs at Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida

The Frost Museum of Science had originally opened in 1950 under the name the Junior Museum of Miami and has since underwent several renovations and relocations. It had also been renamed in 1952 as the Museum of Science and Natural History and once again renamed in 2011 after Phillip and Patricia, two wealthy and influential Miami philanthropists who have donated and supported various educational institutes and museums throughout South Florida, including the University of Miami. In its current inception, the Frost Museum of Science is located in Downtown Miami's waterfront Museum Park and offers a variety of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math)-based exhibits, lectures, and shows. It is particularly well-known for hosting the show Star Gazers with Jack Horheimer (formerly Jack Horheimer: Star Hustlers and Jack Horheimer: Star Gazer).

This collection includes typescripts for the Star Gazers (Star Hustler) planetarium show, research files, exhibit files, exhibit prints, convention proceedings, pamphlets, historical news clippings, ephemera, periodicals, scrapbooks, photographs, event files, administrative records, and other archival documents pertaining to the Frost Museum of Science's day-to-day operations.

"An archive of ephemera detailing the short-lived Miami punk band, Screaming Sneakers, compiled by their drummer Mark Evans. The collection includes artwork, flyers, 28 letters, 12 photographs, maquettes, newspaper clippings, promotional material, and other items collected between 1981 and 1983 by Evans.

These items show the early days of the band in 1979 and their do-it-yourself rise to their only recordings in 1982. Featured throughout are various letters from fans and inquiring music writers including Mick Mercer of the English zines, ZigZag Mag and Panache Fanzine. In his letter he writes to frontwoman, Lisa, asking for an interview and saying, 'you seem to be a special sort of band.' Another letter is a retained copy of a note written by Mark to Blondie guitarist, Chris Stein, asking if his new record label, Animal Records, would be interested in the band. A group of 12 black and white band photos showing them posed around New York is featured here. A promotional poster for the band features a piece from the Miami News on Lisa which reads, 'she is more interesting simply sitting at her table than any of the bands cavorting on stage.'

Formed in 1979, the Screaming Sneakers were a punk, New Wave band based in Miami, Florida. The band consisted of then 17 year-old front woman Lisa Nash, Mark Evans (drums), Bud Gangemi (bass), and Gary Sunshine (guitar). Part of South Florida’s fleeting punk and new wave scene, the band was active mostly throughout Dade and Broward County. In 1982 they cut a four-song EP titled Marching Orders, which prompted new management, a move to New York, and a brief glimmer of fame, but despite their best efforts the band slowly faded into obscurity. Little enough is written on them, though they were recently featured in Gary McLaughlin’s 2012 documentary Invisible Bands, which covers the South Florida music scene between 1979 through the mid-1980’s.

An interesting collection of ephemera following a female fronted Miami punk Band’s short-lived time in the 1980s punk scene." -Between the Covers Rare Books

A rich collection of graphic design prints, transparencies, sketches, mock-ups, and maquettes, as well as promotional materials (pamphlets, flyers, leaflets, brochures, advertisements) created by Erwin G. Harris and his design firm. Included within are commercial advertising materials for hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions in Florida, other parts of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean; wines and spirits; and other companies, such as IGENE Biotechnology, Scopitone, and Mastro Plastics.

The collection also includes correspondence to and from Erwin G. Harris, photographs, advertisement proposals, resumes, biographies, portfolios and other documents pertaining to Harris and Company Advertising, and Inc. and Erwin G. Harris’ other businesses, along with legal documents, correspondence, and news clipping detailing Harris' feud with the Cuban government under Fidel Castro during the early 1960s.

Spec's Music Inc. records is comprised of press releases in the form of newspaper and magazine clippings, business records, photographs, store memorabilia, and framed music posters, and plaques acquired during Ann Lieff's tenure.

The following description of material types and context was provided by JC Bourque, the main designer for Spec's merchandising and ad campaigns:

Promotion to Record Labels
These programs were intended to convince the record labels to allocate advertising revenue, known as “co-op” funds, to Spec’s Music rather than the competitors, or at least garner a larger share of the labels’ promotion budgets. Spec’s would commit to a media schedule, and use these materials to show the labels how much coverage they could get for their co-op dollars.The calendars were created to show the various advertising and store promotion themes that would be employed during the upcoming year. For example, Country Music Month would employ a different media mix than Classical Music Month. Knowing this, the labels might coordinate the release of major artists when the media mix was weighted toward that musical genre.

Promotion to Public
Marketing to the public included radio and TV spots, newspaper ads and inserts, in-store signage and theme art, direct mail, in-store sale flyers and other methods. Typically, a theme would be created and used across all platforms used for a particular promotion. The particular mix of media and other methods would vary according to the particulars of each promotion.

Newspaper Ads and Inserts
Spec’s would often place full-color, full page ads on the back covers of the Sunday lifestyle magazine in various major newspapers in Florida and Puerto Rico. Sometimes, for major promotions, multi-page inserts printed on higher-quality paper were inserted into newspapers instead.

Music Genre Art
These artworks were produced by Impossible Images for use in print materials to denote various musical genres.

Store Signage
Several types of in-store signage were used to reinforce the advertising messaging utilized in radio, TV, and print media.
Posters - There were two types of posters produced. Single-sided posters were used on walls and windows. Double-sided posters were hung from the store ceiling grid so they could be seen from any place in the store.
Danglers - These were also hung from the grid. A single line was attached to one corner of the dangler, presenting a diamond-shaped sign that would rotate in the air currents of the ventilation system.
Genre Signage - These were typically mounted on top of the music bins (gondolas) and consisted of the genre descriptor (Country, Jazz, etc.) and a Spec’s logo. These would identify specific locations for the different types of music. These were used in conjunction with large murals, below, that showed customers the general area of their music preferences.
Retrofit Signage - These were developed by Impossible Products to be added to older gondolas that had not been fabricated with slots for the genre signage holders. These were installed between back-to-back gondolas, with different genre inserts on either side.

Sound & Vision Magazine
This was a periodic publication that would showcase popular music and video releases. The music section was named “Sound &”, while the video section, printed upside down relative to the music section, was titled “Vision &”, so ether side could be considered the front page.

Moon Beach TV Spot
This was a “theme” TV spot (as opposed to a “donut”, below) that was intended to increase “top-of-mind-awareness” of the Spec’s brand, and create a shopping preference in the consumer. It was shot completely under ultraviolet light, and all the props, costumes and makeup were decorated with fluorescent materials.
The script, costumes and props were created by JC Bourque of Impossible Images, Inc. The spot was directed and shot by David Schweitzer. The footage was shot on 16mm film and transferred to electronic media for compositing.
The music was composed after the footage was roughed in. Various visual elements, such as the “frizbee” landing were accentuated in the music track. The musician thought JC was nuts when he proposed attempting this.
Behind the Scenes - Moon Beach TV Spot
These are photos of the shoot during production.

“Dominoes” Video TV Spot
This is an example of a “donut” spot introducing Spec’s entry into the video market. The donut would be distributed to the various TV stations, and the “hole” would be filled with promotions for specific video titles, with the visuals and narration supplied by the station. These insert would be different and various stations depending on demographics, time slot and label co-op purchases.

Special Promotions
Various themes, such as “Instant Hits Blitz,” “Mother’s Day Deals,” and “Saving Season” were developed and deployed across most or all of the media and store displays.Music... Serious Business This was a campaign to get prospective employees interested in the retail side of the music industry. I believe these were used at job fairs and other venues where people were looking for careers. The poster was designed similar to a playing card, with the two interlocking aspects of the music industry: the music, and the business.The brochure was a take-away for the prospect and included in-depth information about the business side of the industry.

The Florida Ephemera collection contains posters, political tracts, programs, pamphlets and other ephemera relating to the history of Florida.

This growing collection consists of cassettes, vinyl records, and documents pertaining to the Miami underground music community. The music in this collection was assembled by the WVUM staff and mostly dates to the 1990s.

Submission Packet for 2012 Charter Awards. Islamic Enclave.

The Katy Sorenson papers document the career of Kathryn “Katy” Sorenson, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner (District 8) for 16 years, from 1994–2010. As commissioner she was concerned with human rights, the environment, child welfare and the arts.  After leaving the County Commission, Sorenson founded the Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami to cultivate strong political leaders in South Florida. The collection consists primarily of campaign files, along with a number of scrapbooks and government and other documents relating to Sorenson’s terms as commissioner.

This collection documents Book Are Nice and the organization's involvement in the literary culture of Miami. The collection currently includes materials from two editions of Pages & Spreads, a series of pop-up reading room events that Books Are Nice has helped organize.

Submission Packet for 2004 Charter Awards. Design District, Miami, FL

This collection includes regional and historic maps, original drawings, plans, elevations, photographs, and blueprints of residential and commercial architecture, community project plans, city/town plans, historic restoration plans and aerial photographs.  The bulk of the materials are focused on, but, not limited to the areas of Miami-Dade, Coral Gables, and Miami Beach.

The records contain legal cases, research files, correspondence, audio-visual materials (VHS, CD-ROM, audiocassettes, microcassettes), and trial notes from the Miami Community Justice Project. Topics covered include development for low income housing, gentrification, public housing, and privately run detention centers. In particular, the materials discuss the Scott Homes/Hope VI housing revitalization plan and the Reese v. Miami-Dade County court case; the Sawyer's Walk (Overtown) and Crosswinds (Overtown) redevelopment projects; the Manuel et al. v. city of Lake Worth court case; and the Miami Workers Centers Transit HUB. Other organizations mentioned in the files include Power U Center for Social Change and Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC).

Photographs and records of the Miami food distribution company, 1938-1970s.

Edward C. Dougherty was a Government Administrator and United Nations Expert in taxation for Latin America, as well as a private practitioner of law in the Miami area, specializing in Latin American matters. His papers consists predominantly of materials concerning real estate in Brazil, in the form of letters, maps, notes, photocopies, clippings, photographs, pamphlets, and reports.

The Bernhardt E. Muller collection is a compendium of newspapers, architectural drawings, renderings, and photographs related to the design and construction of Opa-locka, Florida, the nation’s largest concentration of Moorish Revival architecture. The city, incorporated in 1926, was the third Florida suburban real estate development of Glenn H. Curtiss, aviation pioneer and millionaire developer. Opa-Locka is the only known city in the United States that used Moorish Revival architecture as its original theme.

The contents of the Muller collection fall into two distinct groups: architectural materials related directly to buildings designed by Muller and his staff; and supporting materials presumably collected by Muller that pertain to his work and the city of Opa-Locka. The vast majority of these materials are directly concerned with Muller’s work in the Opa-Locka and Miami area between 1925 and 1928. Supporting materials, including magazine extracts, brochures, and newspapers, date mostly from 1926 and 1927, with a few items from 1928, 1930, 1959, and 1960.

The Muller collection’s importance concerns its detailed documentation of the progress of Opa-Locka from a developer’s dream to a constructed city. Opa-Locka was designed according to a specific theme: a combination of Arabic, Persian, and Moorish architectural styles. It is also the first known instance of a town developed from interpretations of a literary work, The One Thousand and One Tales of the Arabian Nights.

The collection contains construction documents, sketches, renderings, and photographs of Opa-Locka’s first buildings. Extensive material exists on the designs of the Opa-Locka Company’s administration building, now the City Hall, as well as plans for seventeen institutional and public projects, including the Archery Club, Bathing Casino, and Observation Tower, with unbuilt designs for a Golf Club, school, and Mid-Winter Southern States Exposition.

Eighteen commercial buildings are found in the Muller collection, including many stores and apartments, as well as an unbuilt Chinese hotel. Sixty-three private residences of various sizes and designs are included in these drawings. It is probably that most of the work Bernhardt Muller ever did for Opa-Locka is contained in the collection. The majority of these drawings and materials date from 1926 to 1927, with only three drawings dated later than 1927.

The Muller collection is significant for its documentation of the history and development of South Florida. The volume of work designed and media contents demonstrate and describe the magnitude of the Florida Land Boom, which peaked early in 1926, just as construction began on Opa-Locka.

The Muller collection contains newspaper articles describing the hurricane that struck South Florida on September 17 and 18, 1926. The storm’s direct effect was a loss of 372 lives and $159 million in property, but its long-term results included the onset of the land “bust” and an economic decline that preceded the Great Depression of the 1930’s.  There are numerous articles and photographs of the hurricane's destruction.

The Plymouth Congregational Church records contains historical records created and maintained by the church from around the 1910s through 2010s. The collection contains (but is not limited to) church records on baptisms, weddings, and funerals; architectural drawings of the building and grounds (including the Little Schoolhouse); church bulletins; educational materials; organizational records, including minister files, records maintained by church organizations (eg. Music Committee, Women's Fellowship Circles), and information on governance; ephemera related to events; press clippings; scrapbooks, photographs; and sermons and memorial tapes.

The Funding Arts Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the arts in Miami-Dade County through publicly funding grants for various art-related institutions, events, projects, and educational initiatives. The organization originally formed in 1996 under the name of Fifty over Fifty, Inc. with the initial goal of recruiting 50 members who would each contribute $1,000 a year to form a pool of $50,000 that would be endowed to the arts. Both the award pool and membership grew considerably over time, and by 2018, they had funded over 108 art organizations and had awarded $4,822,600 in grants. Their records contain past grant applications, newsletters, correspondence, contracts, awards, audio-visual materials, press clippings, bylaws, reports, minutes, membership lists, and other administrative documents for the organization.