Above: Artist rendering of Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, opening late 2020 at Westfield Broward Mall.
Island SPACE Caribbean Museum is the property of Island SPACE-a nonprofit organization whose mission is to facilitate the creation of artistic, cultural, and socially conscious initiatives that educate the public about the valuable contributions and positive significance of the Caribbean community. “According to 2017 Census data, one in four South Floridians are born in the Caribbean,” says Lloyd Stanbury, Vice President of the Island SPACE Board of Directors. “The museum fulfills the need to create a unified space for exploring and celebrating the ancestry, heritage, and common traditions shared by Caribbean nations. This is an exciting time! We are working to ensure that this venue becomes a place for increased tourism, education, visibility, and awareness of the cultural and economic impact of Caribbean people. Mall spaces are some of the vibrant places where people hang out, and hence a good area to exhibit such initiatives. Commercial music systems (you can look here for more info), for instance, can help properly amplify the audio requirements of the exhibition. It will strengthen the common cultural and historical bonds between American immigrants from the Spanish, French, English and Dutch speaking countries of the Caribbean,” Stanbury stated.
Community members are encouraged to get involved in this undertaking through volunteerism, donations, sponsorships, and ambassadorships. Donations in the form of artifacts from around the Caribbean are being actively sought, and cash and in-kind services are greatly needed. Thus far, the project is made possible by the generous support of more than 150 Founding Funders who have given individual donations from $10 – $1,000, and by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund, David and Francie Horvitz Family Fund, Ann Adams Fund, Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund, Blockbuster Entertainment Unrestricted Fund, Robert E. Dooley Unrestricted Fund for Broward, Harold D. Franks Fund, and Jan Moran Unrestricted Fund. Additional funding is needed to develop the location, facilitate research, create exhibits, cover the cost of staffing and utilities, and maintain a high quality experience that the community can be proud of. In most cases, donations are tax-deductible.
An interactive website currently allows interested parties to view virtual exhibitions, support individual projects, volunteer and donate. To learn more about the planned projects of the Island SPACE organization, visit : www.islandspacefl.org.
