Women of a New Tribe  

Miami-Dade Aviation Department
Miami International Airport
Division of Fine Arts & Cultural Affairs
Present

The Soul of a People
If you seek the soul
of a people, look to
its women.

For it is at their bosoms
that the seeds of love,
compassion and courage
are first planted
and nurtured.

Look into their faces
and see what was
and what will be.

Jerry Taliaferro, Photographer
Women of a New Tribe Project

Women of a New Tribe is an exhibition created by North Carolina photographer Jerry Taliaferro, designed to honor the physical and spiritual beauty of the Black American woman, emphasizing her soulfulness – her spirit of hope, compassion, love and nobility. Taliaferro presents his subjects in the dramatic, high-glamour style reminiscent of Hollywood photography from the 1930s and 1940s. The photographs, which now consist of more than 200 images, explore different themes such as tribal beauty, portraiture and family relationships. Taliaferro explains that the exhibition title was inspired by hearing author Toni Morrison refer to African Americans as “new world Africans” in an interview on National Public Radio. This resonated with him as he believes that “African Americans are a new people born of the American experience.”

Miriam Adderley Cash Management	Margaret H. Moss Real Estate Management	Althea Coleman Human Resources
Sonia Bridges Human Resources/Risk Management		Sharon Weekes Human Resources

As Women of a New Tribe travels throughout the United States, each community hosting the exhibition is offered the option to have local women photographed and to have their portraits included in the core exhibition. As such, we invited our Miami-Dade County Aviation Department community to nominate women from our Department to participate in the project, and as a result, contribute to the growth and diversity of the exhibition.

Gina Thomas Facilities Management	Bobbie Jones-Wilfork Human Resources	Lorraine Washington Information Systems
Tametria Harris Concession Business Development	Michelle Charles Fine Arts & Cultural Affairs	Gail Seay Human Resources

Seventeen women were nominated by their peers, colleagues and/or supervisors and selected for inclusion based on a strong record of service to the Aviation Department, as well as community service and volunteerism. Every one of these women fulfills a unique and vital role in the Department and within her community. Through this exhibition, we hope to honor and recognize their contributions to the workplace and their charitable service to the South Florida community.

Michele Raymond Properties Management	Cynthia Manuel Human Resources/Risk Management	Katherine James Cash Management
Stephanie Momplaisir Human Resources/Risk Management	Lauraine Murray Marketing	Cynthia Collins Human Resources

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We are grateful to Jerry Taliaferro and his wife, Debra, for their dedication to this project and for their generosity in helping make this exhibition possible at Miami International Airport. I would also like to personally acknowledge their openness and generosity of spirit as I know, all of us involved with the project were touched by their presence. Jerry and Debra gave of themselves in ways that cannot be quantified here.

Yolanda Sánchez, Ph.D.
Director
Airport Fine Arts & Cultural Affairs

 
North Terminal D,
by Gate D26

For more information please contact
The Division of Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs
or call 305-876-0749.

In the News:

August 19, 2012

Photo Exhibit Shows Beauty in Ordinary Women

View photos (Miami Herald)

There is a photo exhibit at the Mia Galleries at the Miami International Airport that is a must-see for everyone in Miami-Dade County. The exhibit is called "Women of a New Tribe," and features women selected from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. Photographed by noted photographer Jerry Taliaferro, the "Women of a New Tribe" photo exhibit premiered in June of 2002 at the Afro-American Cultural Center in Charlotte, N.C. Since then, the exhibit has traveled to several cities, where local women have been photographed to include in the exhibition. The women were chosen for contributions they have made to their respective communities, and include teachers, businesswomen, wives, mothers and grandmothers. The Mia Galleries includes the photos of women selected from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. In a press release Taliaferro said of the women he has photographed: "The exhibit has been billed as a celebration of the physical and spiritual beauty of the black American woman. Indeed, many of the subjects featured possess incredible physical beauty. Yet, many of them also possess the kind of beauty that does not result from ‘line and curve,’ or some other random confluence of physical traits. Many ... are also beautiful because of their strength, their compassion, their courage and their love." The exhibit, which now consists of more than 200 images, explore different themes, such as tribal beauty, portraiture and family relationships. Taliaferro said the title of the exhibit was inspired by hearing author Toni Morrison refer to African Americans as "New World Africans," as she was being interviewed on public radio. According to Yolada Sanchez, director of Airport Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs, the 17 women selected for the Mia Galleries exhibit were nominated by their peers, colleagues and/or supervisors. Their inclusion was based on a strong record of service to the Aviation Department as well as community service and volunteerism. The Mia Galleries is in the North Terminal, near Gate 26. Taliaferro and his wife Debra, lie in Charlotte. Continue