Located in Miami-Dade County’s Brownsville neighborhood (just 10 minutes from Miami Beach) stands a onetime hotel that is one of the few remaining “Green Book” sites of the Jim Crow era. Historic Hampton House—now a National Historic Landmark—served as a gathering spot during the civil rights era of 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s for influential figures such as Sam Cooke, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Muhammad Ali, Althea Gibson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, and Jim Brown. Now, it’s a museum with galleries and programs in music and art, showcasing a valuable piece of Miami’s segregated history.
Currently, the museum is gearing up for the opening of “Invisible Luggage,” its second annual exhibition during Miami Art Week from December 2–15.
“Invisible Luggage” will draw upon the spirit of Historic Hampton House as safe space and place of congregation during that time for musicians, artists, and entertainers of color. Placing contemporary artworks in sync with the site’s history of music, rest, intimacy, and resistance, the exhibition will pay homage to creators who continue to make new work and new sounds even in the face of institutionalized violence and segregation while recognizing how music as an art form tells stories and creates a dialogue with the legendary musicians who came to this sacred space.
Beth DeWoody and Curb Gardiner at the Historic Hampton House opening of “Gimme Shelter” in December 2023.
Under the creative direction of Curb Gardiner II with the additional perspectives of Zoe Lukov, Laura Dvorkin and Maynard Monrow, “Invisible Luggage” will explore concepts of home, shelter, softness, intimacy, musicality, instrumentation, silence, and noise through a woman’s lens.
Featuring over 40 artists, the exhibition will draw from the collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody, as well as select loans from the Rubell Family collection, Bernard Lumpkin, and Joy Simmons, as well as galleries across the country. It will also feature six special presentations, including four prominent local galleries alongside DeWoody’s collection, highlighting exceptional works and the incredible talent of emerging artists.