PLANTATION, FLORIDA South Florida and the Caribbean diaspora are gearing up for the opening of the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, the new site of archives, events, resources, and information that tells the comprehensive story of Caribbean and Caribbean-American societies. The venue is centrally located in the heart of Broward County at the Westfield Broward Mall, and is set to open during the fourth quarter of 2020. Visitors, partners, and students will enjoy interactive exhibits, informative tours, research facilities, and cultural events in the 1500 square foot museum of history, and the 800 square foot art gallery and event space.
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. 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.
