Over the course of Spring 2024 – from February through April, the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab collaborated with the Writers Room at the Betsy Hotel in South Beach and IPC ArtSpace in Little Haiti on a new installment of the 'Overture to Overtown' Jazz Series. We hosted jazz artists and poets in an intimate setting to listen and converse about crucial issues of the day, from living in the Jim Crow era to thinking through the relationship between immigrant communities and a sense of home.
The musicians, through their captivating renditions of classic jazz standards and their seamless integration of poetry and dialogue, not only entertained but also deepened our appreciation for the rich tapestry of jazz and its profound connections to South Florida's cultural mosaic.