To celebrate the long-standing Cuban influence on Tampa Bay, the History Center opens a new exhibit. “Cuban Pathways” is an exhibit that explores how this island has affected much of American culture.
“Cuban Pathways” is the newest traveling exhibit at the Tampa Bay History Center, at 801 Water St. in downtown Tampa. The exhibit explores the rich history of Cuba and the many immigrants who have traveled to and from there from all over the world. The exhibit opened this month and will remain at the Museum until February 2023,
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Over the past 500 years, Cuba has been traversed to Taíno Indians, enslaved Africans, Chinese immigrants, European colonizers, and American tourists. Their experiences and interactions have shaped much of Cuban society today. All these influences tell a story of Cuban history untold until now. The “Cuban Pathways” exhibit explores these stories through art, artifact, written account, and military memorabilia.
What the exhibit includes
The oldest artifact displayed at the museum is a Peter Martyr map from 1511, which identifies the island of Cuba. Other features of the exhibit include:
- A 2021 handmade chug boat used by Cubans to cross the Florida Straits
- Artworks by free black painter Vicente Escobar
- View-master showing travel patterns when Cuba was the world’s top foreign destination
- Receipt for the purchase of slaves in Cuba
- Artifacts from Chinese and European travelers dating back to the 1500s
Dr. Brad Massey, Saunders Foundation Curator of Public History for the Tampa Bay History Center, said, “This is a very ambitious exhibit as it tells 500 years of history in 2,000 square feet. It chronicles diverse groups of people who came to Cuba.”
This will be the first traveling exhibit produced only by the Tampa Bay History Center. After its nearly year-long stay at the History Center, the exhibit will travel throughout the Southeastern United States. It is presented in both English and Spanish.
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