Adorning the walls of the Historic Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum in Overtown is a series of artworks, each piece a window into the soul of the late Purvis Young, a self-taught visual historian who broke barriers for Black Miami artists.
As part of the ongoing Bars Exhibited [BEing] exhibition, on view through June 28, an event on Friday invited the community to reflect on Young’s layered stories of struggle, spirit and truth, rooted in the life he lived and the Overtown streets that raised him.
The event not only showcased some of Young’s never-before-seen artworks but also featured a powerful panel discussion reflecting on his legacy. Panelists included renowned muralist and restorationist Addonis Parker, multimedia artist Marcus Blake, legacy collector Judy Abercrombie, Purvis Young Foundation co-founder Joe Chirichino, and Young’s younger brother Irvin Byrd. The discussion was moderated by Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, executive director of the museum.
“Bars Exhibited came out of a spatial justice treatment that I’ve been doing to look at how artists are utilizing the space that they live in,” said Cribbs-Lorrant. “Whether that be the upcycling, the use of materials that they purchase, and how they tell the stories within their communities.”
Framing the Legacy
In 1944, Overtown, then known as the Central Negro District, reached a record high within its Black population, with 43,187 people of color in residence. In September of that year, the City of Miami swore in five African American men into the police force, tasked with making the neighborhood a safer place.
In May of 1950, during the Jim Crow era, the Historic Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum was created specifically to serve Black officers and judges as their populations grew. Today, the museum showcases documents, photographs, statues and mementos from the time, including its former structure and jailing rooms. The BARS Exhibit is an intentional addition, sharing symbolic ties to the early life of Purvis Young.
From Overtown to the World
Young, a renowned artist born on Feb. 2, 1943 of Bahamian descent, was raised in Liberty City — one of Miami’s historically Black neighborhoods. Seen as an outsider for circumventing traditional routes, his art emerged not from formal training, but from lived experience and personal studies.
As a teenager, Young served three years in prison at North Florida’s Raiford State Penitentiary for breaking and entering. During his time incarcerated, he explored his passions for art, drawing and studying the works of those who came before him. Upon being released from prison, he fully embraced that passion, producing thousands of drawings on found materials like cardboard, scrap wood and even doors.
Young then moved to Overtown, where he began creating works inspired by the mural movements of Chicago and Detroit. He began by nailing his paintings to boarded-up storefronts in GoodBread Alley. Young’s murals captured the true spirit of Overtown and the testaments of his past. Within his artwork he portrays recurring themes by using angels and horses, but also shackles, cages and needles to reflect both personal struggles and larger social realities…