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The Vasari Project

A Compendium of Collections and Collecting in Miami

Email The Vasari Project

The Vasari Project is a library collection dedicated to documenting, collecting and preserving Miami‑Dade County's art history from 1945 to the present. It is a living archive that grows through contributions from artists, art professionals, exhibition spaces, galleries, institutions and private donors.

The Vasari Project is a resource for ongoing research, scholarship, publications, artists' projects, exhibitions and events. The archive collects documentation rather than original works of art comprised primarily of printed matter: correspondence, press clippings, photographs, posters, books, exhibition catalogs, artists' files, oral histories and other ephemeral materials.

Art critic, historian, and writer Helen L. Kohen and the Library’s former Art Services Manager Barbara N. Young conceived the Vasari Project in 2000. The collection is named for Giorgio Vasari (1511‑1574), the artist and historian whose book, Lives of the Artists, shaped the discipline of Western art history. Made possible by a partnership between the Library and the County's Department of Cultural Affairs, the archive's purpose is to preserve and build upon Miami's transformation into a major hemispheric art center.

Miami Moments 2012
The Library's Three Graces in the Arts

Using the Archive

Reference Questions
You can e‑mail or call us with your reference questions about art or artists in Miami.

Visiting the Archive

Plan to conduct all of your research in a designated area at Main Library. The collection is open to the public Monday ‑ Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. by appointment only. Call or e‑mail for more information.
Note: Items in The Vasari Project may not be checked out of the library.

Collection Policy & How To Contribute

The Vasari Project welcomes materials donated by members of the arts community and the general public. Donations are accepted based on their relevance to the purpose of the archive and the library's ability to accommodate special conservation and storage space needs.

For galleries, museums, organizations, and artists with mailing lists, the easiest way to contribute is to add The Vasari Project to your mailing list, email or otherwise. You may also make an appointment to bring in materials.

Art at the Library

Exhibitions at the Library
Temporary exhibitions to selected annual themes and/or highlight the library’s special collections. Permanent Art Collection
A collection of over 7,000 works with focus on African American, Latino, and Miami artists. Virtual Art Exhibitions
Virtual exhibitions highlighting works from the library's art collection. Each exhibit features high-resolution scans of the artwork and is searchable.

Collection Highlights

Cuban Performance Art
Page (detail) from mimeographed catalog for Cuban Performance Art of the 1980s at Miami‑Dade Community College's InterAmerican Campus, 1998. Collection of the Vasari Project Archive, Miami‑Dade Public Library System.
Volunteer Button
Christo and Jeanne‑Claude Button and woven polypropylene fabric, Surrounded Islands, 1983 Collection of the Vasari Project Archive, Miami‑Dade Public Library System
Artmobile
Miami‑Metro Dept. of Publicity and Tourism Barbara Young in front of Florida Flowers Artmobile painted by Lowell Nesbitt, 1976 Collection of the Vasari Project Archive, Miami‑Dade Public Library System
Surrounded Islands
Christo and Jeanne‑Claude Christo with former Library Director Edward Sintz at Documentation Exhibition, 1983 Collection of the Vasari Project Archive, Miami‑Dade Public Library System