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Coral Springs Museum “Ancestral Lines” Exhibition Celebrates the Beauty of Diverse Heritage

Ancestral Lines. {Photos by Gaellynn Laguerre and the City of Coral Springs}

By Gael-lynn Laguerre

The Coral Springs Museum of Art successfully opened its “Ancestral Lines” exhibition on April 4, 2025.

The exhibition had nearly 120 to 130 entries exploring themes of ancestry and heritage through various art forms. Featured artwork of more than 60 individual fabric artists belonging to members of the Fiber Artists Miami Association (FAMA) was selected and displayed across the gallery. They studied their familial traditions and ancestral heritage, which they then interpreted through thread, fabric, and traditional craftsmanship to honor the generations before them.

The exhibit theme had been carefully organized and executed by Coral Springs Museum Director Juliana Forero, who developed the showcase theme through personal infliction and uncovering the significant meaning behind each FAMA artist’s submission.

FAMA members posing for a photo the April 4 opening, which also happened to mark the association’s fifth anniversary. An accomplishment celebrated with cake and refreshments.

“Some of the artists were already working and thinking about their ancestry, Forero explains. “So I joined that quest and wanted to learn about my own. Many of these artists move here as immigrants, first or second generation, and when we move here as immigrants, we have to work every day. So we disconnect from that part of us, and then it takes time to realize, wait, where are my roots? What are my traditions?”

Forero, who immigrated to the United States from Colombia 20 years ago, shared a sentimental connection to her background that impelled the showcase’s theme and the intentionality behind placing art pieces on display.

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“When I work with artists, I tell them thank you for trusting in me,” Forero states. “Doing my art is putting the show together, composing, and working with negative space. So it’s not just putting things on the wall.”

FAMA founders Aurora Molina, Evelyn Politzer, and Alina Rodriguez-Rojo worked cohesively to further establish the importance of available fiber workshops as an outlet for artists to continue highlighting new talent and ideas in the textile world after creating the association amidst the 2020 pandemic. The association also caught the eye of Forero, who believed they would be perfect for theme execution.

“Emotional Rescue” by Dana Donaty.

“Fiber art really took off when the pandemic hit,” stated one of three founders, Aurora Molina.” So this has just created a platform for all kinds of people that love to do things with their hands. Some of them think that to be an artist, you have to have a professional career, but there’s so much talent trapped in between this border.”

FAMA members were encouraged to combat the harmful effects of their extensive isolation through artistic expression during COVID-19. The online community began gathering online to support one another during unprecedented times, resulting in the passionate collective desire to develop textile art and other immersive outlets for the creative community.

“It really created a bigger community, now we are at 300 members,” Molina continued. “Artists get excited when they see an institution and a platform that opens a door for them. We are creating those links and a space for artists that might not be possible otherwise.”

All featured artists uniquely illustrated their personal connection with their ancestors through weaving and embroidery techniques of each selected fabric piece, further adding meaning to the exhibition, as it deeply reflects the complex yet strong nature of human relationships.

Some had either used direct personal traditions in which they grew up participating or alluded to the brief cultural knowledge of their past that had completely eroded from popular memory as each generation passed on. Regardless, the art is almost a bridge between raw emotions of love, grief, or gracious longing for an unknown hereditary connection. Down are a few highlighted pieces where featured creatives shared insight on their artistic processes when making their pieces.

Diane Arrietta, a ceramic sculptor and wildlife biologist, honored her Susquehanna Indian and European Descent through this piece and focuses on the symbolism of animals and the importance of nature in Native American traditions. Arietta also shared her challenges in researching her Iroquois heritage specifically due to lack of documentation and assimilation through boarding schools enforced on natives during the 1800s.

Diane Arrietta posing with her piece, “Good Little Soldiers” April 4, 2025

“They stripped them of their hair and identity, made them wear uniforms and convert basically into their culture,” stated Arietta. “It’s a really important subject to the descendants all the natives are connected in all the symbolically civic law. We must try to address past, present and even future iconography that blend the histories together because we’re all one.”

Ashnide discussed her journey into art, initially making wigs to boost her self-esteem and confidence. Jean Baptiste spent two months creating the piece blending inspiration from her Haitian heritage, and honors her late grandmother. Adorned with vibrant beading and shiny fabrics found at thrift stores. The Haitian American artist expressed how her work bridged a gap with her parents and the art world, and they feel a sense of belonging in the fiber art community.

“My parents never wanted me to pursue art,” Jean Baptiste insisted. “They wanted me to pursue something else. But over time, when they saw my work, it really brought me closer to not only them, but it brought them closer to the art world. It has honestly bridged that gap there.”

Colombian-American artist Dana Donaty showcased a piece filled with family heirlooms, exploring the body’s interior spaces that hold childhood intergenerational memories. Emotional rescue featured a heart-shaped structure with symbolic elements like Slinkies and rosary beads suspended from a high ceiling to represent the heart chakra. Donaty reflects on her personal experiences, including a cancer diagnosis, grief, and the importance of honoring ancestors and women’s struggles.

“I wanted to have intergenerational materials from childhood through adulthood,” Donaty explained. “A lot of these things belonged to different people in my family. My grandmother, [and] mother, I just think that honoring lineage is really important, and learning from what has come before us. “

Through her piece, Mila Hajjar expresses her desire for viewers to recognize the essential qualities of unity in humanity despite our diverse and cultural backgrounds. Hajjar also pinpointed the ways broad aspects of identity have influenced her life as she lived in Venezuela for some time and married a Lebanese man.

“Thread Heritage” by Mila Hajjar

“We are all one,” Hajjar emphasized. “It’s not just one DNA or another kind; this is all of humanity. We are strong. The fabrics are all different because each person is not the same. As humanity, as one, we are colorful and strong. Together, we can reach any possibility.”

The Italian artist immersed a multitude of colorful fabrics, jewels, and silk together, forming a replica of the human DNA.

The night ended with an interpretive dance by Rosa dos Ventos and a celebration of FAMA’s accomplishments in its five years of existence. Ancestral Lines aims to create a sense of connection and belonging among its visitors, allowing each to find a piece that best relates to their story. Museum Director Julian Forero hopes the exhibition will inspire others to explore their ancestry and traditions.

“Art communicates,” Forero expressed. “ It bypasses the brain and bridges a connection from the heart to the hands. My hope is that when people come they at least find one piece that mirrors, there’s a piece that talks to them, I have succeeded.”

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