How to get involved in Pembroke Pines art project for nation’s 250th anniversary
The United States celebrates a milestone this summer, and Pembroke Pines wants you to be in on all the fun starting now.
The southwest Broward city is participating America250, a bipartisan initiative seeking to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
But before the July 4 birthday springs up, Pembroke Pines has a series of patriotic festivities, including a community project, educational exhibitions, public art displays and a party ahead of Independence Day.
First up — “CommUNITY: 250 Years in the Making,” a citywide, touring tapestry headed by the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery.
Residents are invited to “create individual fabric patches during hands-on workshops” that’ll take place across Pembroke Pines from April through June.
Each patch will then be assembled into a large tapestry by Brooklyn-based creative Maria Magdalena Marcenaro, who hails from Argentina and goes by Magda Love.
The mixed media artist is famous for co-creating New York City’s largest mural in 2018, a 20,000-square-foot piece at the West Village’s City-As-School.
Here’s where you can catch the “CommUNITY: 250 Years in the Making” workshops:
- Saturday, April 11: The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery, 601 City Center Way
- Saturday, April 25: City Hall, 601 City Center Way
- Saturday, May 2: Studio 18 Art Complex, 1101 Poinciana Dr.
- Saturday, May 16: Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St.
- Thursday, May 21: City Hall
- Saturday, June 6: Southwest Focal Point Community Center, 301 NW 103rd Ave.
- Monday, June 8: Pines Art Center, 901 NW 129th Ave.
The finished work will be accompanied by a large vinyl mural installed at the Charles F. Dodge City Center and commissioned from Hollywood artist Jill Weisberg.
The piece will feature American iconography — think stars and stripes, bald eagles and the Liberty Bell — and an embedded QR code through which viewers can access an audio reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Leading up to July 4, residents can also enjoy patriotic decor and lighting installations at Pines’ City Center, as well as “themed Family Days inspired by the 250-year celebration, offering interactive, arts-focused activities for families.”
Dates and details for these family days are not available as of April 9, but are expected to be announced via the city’s website and Instagram account.
Also planned is Pines Day on April 25, the city’s 66th birthday celebration, which will honor the nation’s milestone with its theme, “Route 66: The Road to 250.”
Expect live music performances, a car show, a free roller rink, rides, food trucks and a “cake-cutting” ceremony featuring 1,000 cupcakes.
The city’s birthday is followed by “Upfront in the Pines,” an exhibition series that’ll find its home in City Hall’s lobby during summer.
Two displays will be featured in the showcase: “Foundations of Freedom: The Founding Fathers and 250 Years of America,” in May and June, and “America 250: The Documents that Built a Nation,” in July and August.
Both will show “highlight key moments and figures” in American history to backdrop the anniversary.
Last is Pembroke Pines’ annual Independence Day bash, held this year at the Pines Recreation Center from 6 to 9 p.m.
Details on the patriotic party are still under wraps, but guests can enjoy staple activities like a craft station, potato sack race, horseshoe toss and cornhole toss, and a fireworks show.
