Artist's Statement
for Miami Riverbank (Manatee Mural) Project,
Miami Florida -- 2001
The Riverside Garden is indeed a
special space: I wanted to "elevate" the river -- to give pedestrians and truck
drivers a "view" of what lies beyond the walls of the cargo and shipping
companies at the river's edge. A view that would invite them to walk to its edge and
explore the river from a beautiful vantage point. The space is also symbolic: As commuters
rush across the bridge from a residential neighborhood to the hustle and bustle of their
downtown businesses, the garden below the bridge summons them to pause and reflect.
MY CONNECTION TO THE RIVER:
I personally have a great
connection to it-- having gone to elementary school in downtown Miami, crossing the river
was a twice daily routine for much of my life. After school, we went to Centro Mater day
care, back when it was located at the river's edge (site of today's Jose Marti Park). I
remember looking in amazement as big ships and tug boats went by.
For a while, we lived in West
Little Havana's Grapeland Heights neighborhood-- two blocks from the river. I remember as
a kid going with friends to places and spaces along the river, and its bridges and flood
control locks. It was as close to wilderness as anything in my Miami.
Our family bought a used boat. I
remember taking it on a trailer to the boat ramp near Curtis Park and seeing Miami slowly
move by us from a wildly new perspective although it was we who were moving!. The wake of
passing boats rocked us, moving me to reflect upon a thousand untold stories of this
meandering waterway.
