STELLA M. HOLMES ART RESEARCH CENTER ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AT UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI’S LOWE ART MUSEUM

CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA (April 30, 2015)—The Stella M. Holmes Art Research Center, a new teaching laboratory in the heart of the Lowe Art Museum, gives University of Miami art students unique opportunities for hands-on learning about the museum’s world-class collection.

More than 200 guests recently attended the prestigious opening event, including Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason; Ambassador Francisco Jose M. Talento Cutrin, Consul General of Argentina; Ambassador Helio Vitor Ramos Filho, Consul General of Brazil; Mr. Jürgen Borsch, Consul General of Germany; Mr. Shinji Nagashima, Consul General of Japan; and Mr. Leo K.P. Liu, First Secretary, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

“The Stella M. Holmes Art Research Center will allow student curators in ArtLab to see and feel artifacts from the cultures they are studying more intimately than ever before,” said principal benefactor Stella Holmes, a UM alumna and supporter whose generosity also launched the museum’s innovative ArtLab series in 2009. “First-hand experience is a very valuable tool in museum studies, because it helps students to understand the soul of the art through investigation of its origins.”

University of Miami President Donna Shalala; Sergio M. Gonzalez, senior vice president for University Advancement and External Affairs; and Leonidas G. Bachas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, were on hand for the official ribbon cutting. Mayor Cason presented Ms. Holmes with the City Seal of Coral Gables, and both Coral Gables and the Lowe awarded her certificates of appreciation.

Home to a world-class collection of nearly 19,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of human history, the Lowe has long been committed to providing opportunities for the firsthand experience of works of art and enrichment of the community through education about arts and culture.

Ms. Holmes, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, surprised guests with the premiere of the trailer for her new film, A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala, which documents an encounter between ArtLab students and the indigenous Guna people of Panama’s San Blas islands in preparation for curating the Lowe exhibit “From Ancient Art to Modern Molas: Recurring Themes in Indigenous Panamá.” A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala will debut on WPBT2 later this year.