Broward County Florida
In 2020, I Was Here expanded it’s partnership with MAD Arts, opening a new chapter where immersive technology meets the humanities. This fusion invites audiences into a layered, interactive journey through memory, ancestry, and national identity—placing lived stories inside public space in ways people can see, hear, and feel.
In this installation, Ancestor Spirit Portraits are woven into historic images from four American cities—Washington, D.C.; New York City, NY; Miami, FL; and Lexington, KY—much as the labor and brilliance of their ancestors are woven into the nation’s foundation. Each image becomes a site of remembrance and presence, transforming how we move through streets, buildings, and civic landmarks.
How it works
We begin by researching place histories and gathering personal narratives through community partnership. Artists then interlace Spirit Portraits with archival imagery to create striking composites, which are prepared for large-format display and digital activation. On site, the work is experienced as both a visual installation and an interactive encounter—supported by tools such as guided content, soundscapes, and location-based access—so visitors can engage with context as they stand in the very places where history unfolded.
The cities
Washington, D.C.: At the Octagon Museum, the installation engages a landmark of American architecture while acknowledging the lives and labor that built it.
New York City, NY: Images resonate against a skyline shaped by migration, trade, and memory.
Miami, FL: Coastal light and layered cultures create a vivid canvas for voices of ancestry.
Lexington, KY: Downtown corridors and the Historic Courthouse frame a public reckoning with place and past.
Community & process
The installation is built with, not just for, community. Through workshops that cultivate story, leadership, and voice, participants craft personal narratives that inform the final artworks and accompanying portraits. The result is a collaborative record—youth and elders, artists and partners—speaking together in the public square. I Was Here Project
Partners
This work grows through creative collaboration. Recent partners include MAD Arts and community organizations aligned with education, history, and cultural stewardship—extending the project’s reach while remaining rooted in the ethics of care, accuracy, and inclusion.
Experience it
Nation Builders of Broward County turns familiar views into sites of reflection. Stand before the image, listen to the story, and consider what it means to share a nation—and a future—built by many hands.