Arts and Humanities People and Community

April guide to the arts at the U

Interested in the arts? Check out this comprehensive list of digital arts-related content that is available this month.
A City of Miami News Bureau photograph of Miami International Airport, showing the Pan American terminal and National Airlines planes. A few travelers walk between the main terminal entrance and the airplanes.
City of Miami News Bureau photograph of Miami International Airportshowing the Pan American terminal and National Airlines planesPhoto: University of Miami Libraries/South Florida Postcards Collection

Libraries across the country are closed because of the spread of COVID-19, but the University of Miami Libraries wants to remind everyone that it houses thousands of online resources that are accessible electronically.

The UM Libraries Digital Collections provide online access to primary source materials to support teaching, learning, and research at the University and worldwide. Laura Capell, head of digital production and electronic records archivist, said that the collections offer something for everyone. 

“What we strive to do is to digitize unique and rare materials, so that they are available to the UM community and researchers around the world 24-7,” she said. “We focus on digitizing materials that are one of a kind and that aren’t available anywhere else.”

Digital resources include documents, manuscripts, books, periodicals, scrapbooks, photographic images, slides, maps, prints, posters, architectural plans, audio, video, and oral histories. One of Capell’s favorite collections is the Pan American World Airways Records, which features annual reports, brochures, directories, periodicals, and timetables digitized from the Printed Materials series of the Pan Am records.

“It’s a large collection that is used heavily by researchers around the world on all sorts of topics including aviation history; gender studies; tourism; 20th-century political, social, and economic studies; and globalization,” she pointed out. “It’s the largest corporate airline collection that is publicly available in the nation, so it’s a great resource.”

Gabriella Williams, digital projects librarian, who has worked extensively with the collection, said she has learned so much throughout her time digitizing it. 

“I’ve realized how deeply Pan American has touched the lives of so many people across the globe. Something that really intrigued me was their role in helping the government in various military operations during World War II,” she remarked. “Pan Am also helped the U.S. get to space. I’m so grateful for all the contributions that they have made in aviation. It’s truly astounding the amount of accomplishments they were able to make.” 

The library team also recommends people explore the newest collections including, the Malaika Handbooks or the SCORE Magazine collection, both of which were recently uploaded to the digital collection site. 

“The Malaika collection is a handbook published by the United Black Students organization and documents their history at the U. What I have seen is truly amazing, and it was a project that was well worth our time,” said Williams. 

For those interested in learning more about Cuban culture, Capell recommended diving into the collections from the Cuban Heritage Collection. It is the largest repository of materials about Cuba outside of the island and the most comprehensive collection of resources about Cuban exile history and the global Cuban diaspora experience. 

“It’s important that these materials are not only available for just students and faculty, but for the community as well. There are so many different topics to explore and learn about,” Capell said. 

Williams believes that now is the perfect opportunity to take the time and learn new things. 

“Have fun with it. There’s so much to see and so many collections to get involved in. There is truly something for everyone,” she said. 

For more information visit https://merrick.library.miami.edu/ 

Frost School of Music 

Concerts for the remainder of the season had to be cancelled; but during this time of uncertainty, music is necessary to soothe the soul, inspire, and bring joy to the heart. Music brings us together, even when we need to be far apart. In that spirit, Frost has selected some of their favorite concerts from this past year to share with everyone. 

Join Frost every Friday at 7:30 p.m. 

April 3

Frost Chorale's “Chiaroscuro”

Originally performed on October 25, 2019

Bookmark Now

April 10

Frost Symphony Orchestra's “A Hero’s Life” 

Originally performed on February 6, 2020

Bookmark Now 

April 17

Frost Studio Jazz Band's “The Music of Duke Ellington"

Originally performed on February 13, 2020

Bookmark Now 

April 24

Frost Wind Ensemble's “Memories”

Originally performed on March 1, 2020 

Bookmark Now 

April 30

Frost Opera Theater's “L’enfant et les sortilèges” 

Originally performed November 20, 2019

Bookmark Now 

The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami has also partnered with the City of Coral Cables for a live virtual six-week concert series, direct from the living room of faculty, students and alumni. Live at City Beautiful premiered April 1 and continues every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00-6:15pm on the live feature of the City’s Instagram channel, @cityofcoralgables.

Upcoming Schedule:

April 6 – Kid’s Concert/Telemann’s “Gulliver Suite” performed by Scott Flavin and Margaret Donaghu

April 8 – “Hot Fiddle” performed by Dan Strange and Ashley Liberty

April 13 – “The Jazz Side of Broadway” performed by Shelly Berg

April 15 – “New Songs” performed by Raina Murnak and John Redmond

April 20 – “Bang on a Bassoon” performed by Gabriel Beavers

April 22 – “Lecuona Favorites” performed by Sandra Lopez Neill

April 27 – “Bach Cello Suite” performed by Ross Harbaugh

April 29 – Award-Winning Classical Pianist, Lindsay Garritson,

You can also visit Facebook or Instagram and search #FrostiesPerformForU to experience some performances from students at home. You can also visit their YouTube playlist called FrostiesPerformforU on the Frost channel to see other student performances.

Lowe Art Museum

The Lowe Art Museum team launched #LoweOnTheGo, a new digital resource that delivers a single work of art from the permanent collection directly to a newsletter subscriber’s inbox. The curated selection can also be found on their social media platforms.  

The Lowe Art Museum is also connecting with audiences by inviting them to: 

Explore the Lowe’s remarkable permanent collection, which spans 5,000 years of human creativity on every inhabited continent. 

Browse, read, and download Lowe publications.

Learn about the museum’s digital engagement resources, such as virtual tours and 3D printed objects from the collection. 

Recharge with weekly Mindfulness sessions led by the Lowe Art Museum Education staff, Alice Lash, founder of Mindfultime, and UM Professor Scott Rogers, founder of UM’s Mindfulness in Law Program.

Cosford Cinema 

Although the Cosford Cinema is closed, Trae DeLellis, director, is continually posting recommendations for movies and shows on streaming services for April. You can keep up with the recommendations through Instagram.

Below are his recommendations for six different streaming sites.

Cosford Cinema recommendations

Wynwood Art Gallery 

To feature student art, the University of Miami Gallery in Wynwood is continually posting student work on their Instagram page. Visit umartgalleries for more content.