Pérez Art Museum Miami Expands Caribbean Cultural Institute Through $5 Million Gift from the Green Family Foundation
- camilarosiaz
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) has received a landmark $5 million gift from the Green Family Foundation (GFF) to support and expand its Caribbean Cultural Institute (CCI). The contribution—comprising both operating support and endowment funding—secures the long-term future of the program and extends its reach throughout Miami-Dade County. In recognition of this commitment, the initiative will be renamed The Green Family Foundation Caribbean Cultural Institute.
2023 CCI Fellow Shannon Alonso. Photo: Lazaro Llanes.
“The Green Family Foundation has always championed access, equity, and cultural exchange,” said Dr. Kimberly Green, President of GFF. “Supporting CCI means investing directly in the next generation of thinkers, scholars, and artists shaping our future.”
The gift deepens the Foundation’s longstanding relationship with PAMM and establishes new collaborations with Florida International University’s Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center (FIU LACC) and Green Space Miami, GFF’s arts platform. Through the partnership:
CCI Fellows will gain access to FIU’s extensive Caribbean and Latin American research collections.
FIU will publish fellows’ research, expanding its academic and global reach.
Paid undergraduate internships at the Institute will be created for FIU students.
Green Space Miami will co-present exhibitions, public forums, and annual gatherings that strengthen cultural exchange between Miami and the Caribbean.
“We are honored by the Green Family Foundation’s extraordinary commitment,” said Franklin Sirmans, PAMM director. “Their support ensures that CCI can continue to expand its research, programming, and community initiatives—work that reflects Miami’s identity and deep ties to the Caribbean.”
The initiative is also bolstered by a new $2 million gift from the Mellon Foundation, reinforcing collective support for CCI’s mission and programs.
2025 CCI + WOPHA Fellow Celia Irina González & Iberia Pérez González, Andrew W. Mellon Caribbean Cultural Institute Curatorial Associate. Photo: Lazaro Llanes.
“Our goal is to deepen the cultural and intellectual ties that connect Miami to the Caribbean,” said Dorothea Green, PAMM trustee. “These collaborations open doors for students, artists, and communities across the county.”
The latest cohort of CCI Fellows reflects the Institute’s multidisciplinary vision:
Artist Fellow M. Florine Démosthène, whose work explores Black female subjectivity, ancestral memory, and myth through lush mixed-media compositions.
Research Fellow Rianna Jade Parker, a writer, curator, and historian examining under-recognized Caribbean and diasporic legacies.
CCI + WOPHA Fellow Celia Irina González, whose visual anthropology practice investigates archival gaps, migration, and memory, informed by her participation in major international biennials.
Together, these artists and scholars embody the future the Green Family Foundation and PAMM seek to nurture: one that amplifies Caribbean voices, expands access to research and creative resources, and strengthens Miami’s role as a global center for Caribbean arts and culture.