Broward County Florida
In 2020, I Was Here expanded in partnership with MAD Arts, opening a new chapter where immersive technology meets the arts and humanities. This fusion invites audiences into a layered, interactive journey through memory, ancestry, and national identity in public space.
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 their labor and creative intellignece is woven into our nation’s foundation. Each image becomes a proof of their presence, transforming how we see and move through streets, buildings, and civic landmarks.
How it works
We begin by researching the history of place and gathering narratives through community partnership. The iconic Spirit Portraits are interwoven with archival imagery to create powerful composites. On site, the work is experienced as both a visual installation and an interactive encounter—supported by 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.: Activates landmarks of American architecture while acknowledging the lives and labor that built it.
New York City, NY: Ancestor Portraits resonate against skylines shaped by migration, trade, and memory.
Broward County & Miami, FL: Ancestor Portraits are integrated into the coastal waterways and iconic sites to create a vivid canvas for the power 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 acknowledgement of the power of ancestry, participants craft personal narratives to share. The result is a mix of vision and truth from youth and their elders, speaking together in the public square.
Partners
This work grows through creative collaboration. Recent partners include MADLabs Studio and MADArts along with community organizations acoss the country aligned with education, history, and cultural stewardship—extending the project’s reach while remaining rooted in oritginal vision to honor those who have come before.
Experience it
I Was Here Nationwide turns familiar views into sites of reflection. Stand in history as the Spirit Portraits beome visible and consider what it means to share our nation—and our future—built by many powerful hands.