Two new exhibitions at the Coral Gables Museum are giving residents a local lens on the nation's 250th anniversary, with one tracing a century of the city's mayors and the other amplifying immigrant voices from across South Florida.
Both shows opened Wednesday, July 1, at the museum's home at 285 Aragon Ave. They anchor the museum's contribution to America250, the nationwide commemoration of the U.S. semiquincentennial.
100 years of Coral Gables mayors
"Local Leadership, National Legacy: Coral Gables Mayors Across a Century" fills Gallery 109 with portraits and biographical profiles of all 25 individuals who have served as mayor since the city's incorporation in 1925. The exhibition, developed in collaboration with the city of Coral Gables, runs through Sunday, Aug. 16.
The city of Coral Gables promoted the show on its official social media account Thursday, July 10, inviting residents to explore the stories of the leaders who helped shape the City Beautiful.
A Smithsonian partnership with South Florida roots
The second exhibition carries a bigger national footprint. "Many Voices, One Nation: En Nuestras Palabras" was developed through the Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street initiative in collaboration with the Allapattah Collaborative CDC and Florida Humanities. The Coral Gables Museum was selected as one of a handful of organizations nationwide for the America250 program, according to the museum's website, which calls the show a world premiere.
Presented in English and Spanish, the exhibition weaves Smithsonian-curated content with local historical photographs, art, artifacts, video testimonials and oral histories. It draws particular attention to Caribbean and Latin American immigrants whose experiences have shaped South Florida. The exhibition uses the Allapattah neighborhood as a starting point for exploring cultural exchange, identity and belonging, reflecting on the meaning of "E pluribus unum."
"Many Voices, One Nation" runs through Sunday, Sept. 6.
How to visit
The museum is open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Admission information is listed at coralgablesmuseum.org; the monthly Family Day on Aragon offers free entry.
The museum's broader America250 programming also includes the Traveling Fallen Soldier Memorial, presented in partnership with American Legion Post 98 at 303 Alhambra Circle, which marks its own centennial in 2026. A photography contest, Capture Coral Gables: America250 Edition, invites submissions on themes of community, civic life and cultural exchange, with selected images to appear in a juried exhibition.
Upcoming community calendar
- Saturday, July 18 — Family Day on Aragon at the Coral Gables Museum, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free admission, games, treasure hunts and face painting tied to the America250 exhibitions. A Miami Symphony Orchestra concert follows from 5 to 6 p.m.
- Through Sunday, Aug. 16 — "Local Leadership, National Legacy: Coral Gables Mayors Across a Century," Gallery 109, Coral Gables Museum.
- Through Sunday, Sept. 6 — "Many Voices, One Nation: En Nuestras Palabras," Coral Gables Museum.
