MIAMI, November 26, 2024 – The Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum is honored to announce the opening of “Grief Not Guilty: Reclaiming My Time,” an evocative art exhibition featuring celebrated fabric artist and activist Gary Tyler and local floral designer Quantavia Love. This impactful exhibition, showcasing Tyler’s poignant journey through 41 years of wrongful incarceration, will occur on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the museum in the heart of Historic Overtown. “Grief Not Guilty: Reclaiming My Time” confronts critical issues of systemic injustice while celebrating the human capacity for growth and healing. Through his art, Tyler invites audiences to reflect on the actual cost of mass incarceration and the resilience required to transcend it.
The exhibition serves as a testament to resilience, justice, and transformation, featuring two intricately designed quilts created by Gary Tyler. His pieces A Moment of Reflection, 2023, Quilting Fabric, Burlap, Thread, and Batting, and one of the World’s Wonders, the African Giant Swallowtail, 2023, will be displayed for attendees.
“As someone who has been following Gary Tyler’s journey since before his release in April 2016, curating this exhibit and titling Grief Not Guilty: Reclaiming My Time carries a very personal message and sends an even more profound statement that not everybody who has been convicted [of a crime] is guilty. The grief that we carry post-trauma can often be underscored by how we respond. In Gary’s case, he has chosen to lean into his gift for sewing quilts ” – Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, Museum Executive Director.
“The Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency is dedicated to creating spaces where art and history unite to encourage conversation and change. Gary Tyler’s exhibition shows how art can highlight important issues and inspire future generations to keep pushing for equality and freedom.” – James D. McQueen-Executive Director.
“During Art Week in Miami, creativity meets canvas all over Greater Miami and Miami Beach. We celebrate bold expressions of visual and visionary art. Gary Tyler’s work is a vibrant addition to our Art of Black Miami platform, highlighting the power of art to inspire resilience and the spirit of overcoming.”- Connie Kinnard, SVP Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Event Details
- Date: Thursday, December 5, 2024
- Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST
- Location: The Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum
- 480 NW 11th Street, Miami, FL
Schedule:
1:00 pm – VIP Reception: An exclusive event featuring hors d’oeuvres and refreshments sponsored by Black Art Guide (B.A.G.). Limited tickets are available; RSVP is required.
2:30 pm – Artist and Panel Discussion: Join Gary Tyler and a panel of experts for a conversation about the exhibition’s themes, moderated by Exhibit Curator/Museum Director Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant.
Sponsored by Art of Black Miami-GMCVB
4:00 pm – Public Exhibit Opening: The exhibition will be open to the public, and visitors will have the opportunity to explore Tyler’s deeply personal and symbolic works of art.
About the Artist: Gary Tyler
Gary Tyler’s story embodies resilience in the face of profound injustice. Convicted at the age of 16 and sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, Tyler spent 41 years incarcerated in Louisiana’s Angola prison before his release in 2016. His case has become a symbol of the systemic racial inequalities in the U.S. justice system. While incarcerated, Tyler turned to quilting for self-expression and healing. His quilts, celebrated for their intricate beauty and profound symbolism, use the butterfly as a recurring motif, representing transformation and liberation. “I saw my time in prison as a cocoon,” Tyler explains. “Now that I am free, I feel like a butterfly, embracing a new life filled with hope and purpose.”
About the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum
The only museum of its kind in the nation, the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum, located in the historic Overtown community in Miami, FL, was once an active police station and courthouse serving South Florida’s Black community. Today, the museum’s mission is to collect, preserve, and display the history of Black Law Enforcement that served in the City of Miami Police Department during the pre-Civil Rights era. The museum houses artifacts, documents, and archival images that share the stories of the men and women who worked there. Currently, the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum is working on an oral history collection effort aimed at preserving stories of those who worked in the precinct and courthouse when it was active.
The Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 am until 3:30 pm. Guided museum tours are provided by retired City of Miami police officers. For more information, visit https://