BECOMING TOMORROW’S DREAM EXHIBITION
Feb 11, 2026 10:00 AM | Can we bring a place out of obscurity and expose it to renewed scrutiny? A promising starting point is to delve into its intricate history. Uncovering the hidden history of a place is akin to finding a way back into the place-world, allowing us to savor the rebirth of place even on the most resistant terrain. In this exhibition, we embark on a temporal journey, speculating about the people, places, and times of the 1850s to the present. Born before the end of US enslavement, Shabaka’s paternal grandfather and other family members migrated to St. Lucie County around 1920. They carried with them tales of lives filled with hope, redemption, and reconciliation. Onajide Shabaka’s artistic endeavors are deeply influenced by a fusion of historical and biographical content, particularly drawing inspiration from the southern United States population comprising African and Native American descent. Additionally, his practice incorporates elements reminiscent of Florida’s unique ecology, which holds profound significance in relation to the history of medicinal plants and folk healing practices. Sponsored by Gene and Lee Seidler, the Wasmer Endowment, WGCU Public Media, and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Wasmer Art Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The gallery is closed during university holidays and breaks and during the summer. Image credit: Onajide Shabaka, He bathed in the river's floral scent, 2020, Archival ink photographic print (edition of 5), 13.25 x 20 in., Courtesy of the artist.
