January 28 – August 13, 2025 | Latin American and Caribbean Collection
El Centenario de José Martí: historia y tesoro de una biblioteca
Considered by many the national hero of Cuba, José Martí (1853-1895) was a patriot and a renowned writer. In 1953, Cuba celebrated the 100th anniversary of Martí’s birth. Cuban officials wrote to María Mantilla de Romero, his presumed daughter, detailing their plans. As part of the celebration, they proposed a national library named in his honor: la Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí. Curated by Margarita Vargas-Betancourt.
February 3, 2025 – April 25, 2025 | SMATHERS LIBRARY GALLERY
We are the Girls of Old Florida
Even before the University of Florida’s (UF) founding in 1905, the women in UF’s community were and continue to be resilient advocates for and agents of transformation. This exhibit honors these women students who carved their own path at UF as their voices shifted from the margins to the center of campus life. Curated by Dalia Bronisas Dooley and Sarah Coates.
MARCH 3 – DECEMBER 31, 2025 | FLORIDA HOUSE ON CAPITOL HILL
Sunshine Stories: Maps from Smathers Libraries
Maps of Florida tell stories of battles, exploration, growth, and advertisement. They reflect centuries of change and discovery. The maps in this traveling exhibit are only some of the stories of the Sunshine State. Curated by Carol McAuliffe, Map Librarian and designed by Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler, Exhibits Director.
March 28, 2025 – March 13, 2026 | Albert H. Nahmad Panama canal gallery
An Ensemble Performance at the Panama Canal
It takes thousands of individuals working together to move ships from one ocean to the other through the Panama Canal. Some of the jobs get the glory, while others go unnoticed. Yet, they are an ensemble. All are important parts of one mission. This exhibit highlights the people and a few of the essential tasks that have made transiting the Canal safe and successful. Curated by Elizabeth Bemis.
June 16, 2025 – September 15, 2025 | SMATHERS LIBRARY GALLERY
Florida is Calling and I Must Go
Florida has long captured the world’s imagination. Artists and authors have depicted it as an untamed wilderness on the edge of empire and a beautiful paradise. Adventurers, investors, laborers, soldiers, and pleasure seekers responded to this call. Some even made the state their home. No matter what drew them to Florida, many visitors created travel diaries, with race and class dictating their experiences and perceptions of Florida. Curated by Bridget Bihm-Manuel.
August 14, 2025 – january 19, 2026 | Latin American and Caribbean Collection
On the Road to Urbanism: Cuba 1900-1950
Within Cuban history, the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s is heavily researched, but little is said about the pre-1950 era. People often note that the island seems frozen in time, but how did its cities grow? Between 1900 and 1950, Cuban cities grew due to factors like the countryside’s economy that centered on sugarcane and tobacco, population shifts to urban areas, and public works for export infrastructure such as roads, railways, and ports. Curated by Isabel C. Paz under the guidance of Margarita Vargas-Betancourt.
September 24, 2025 – December 12, 2025 | SMATHERS LIBRARY GALLERY
Zora Neale Hurston: Leave Your Mark
Zora Neale Hurston’s impact is not limited to her anthropological, ethnographical, and literary contributions. It extends to her ability to persevere through trials and tribulations. By observing Hurston’s works, we reinforce her significance. This exhibit calls you, the visitor, to be empowered to do what Hurston and so many of our ancestors had to do during incomprehensible times. LEAVE YOUR MARK! Curated by Genesis Leonard under the guidance of Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler.
November 15, 2O24 – May 1, 2026 | Education Library
Museum Wonderlands in Children’s Literature
Children’s books introduce readers to museums through colorful illustrations and creative dialogue. They present museums as a place for exploration, discovery, and cultural acknowledgment. Curated by Jorge Arcia under the guidance of Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler.
November 22, 2O24 – April 13, 2026 | MARSTON Science Library
The Science of Coffee
Coffee unites the world. It grows in more than 70 countries, primarily along the equator. An estimated two billion people drink it every day. Is that perfect cup of coffee an art, a science, or a little of both? Curated by Jean Bossart, Robin Fowler, and Angie Price.