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March 4, 2026
The City expands its celebrated public art collection with a new permanent mural exploring South Florida Everglades
Miami Beach, FL – Today, the City of Miami Beach is pleased to announce the unveiling of She Spoke for the Birds, a new permanent mural by Christina Pettersson honoring Marjory Stoneman Douglas at her namesake park. Selected by the Art in Public Places Committee (AIPP), the work commemorates Douglas’s enduring contributions to South Florida and her lifelong advocacy for the Everglades.
The unveiling will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park. The event will include guests from Friends of the Everglades — the organization Douglas founded — as well as members of the Miami Beach Commission for Women.
She Spoke for the Birds is the first of two permanent works by a woman artist to be installed by the City’s AIPP Program during Women’s History Month. It will be followed by the unveiling of BirdHouse, a major new sculpture by Michele Oka Doner in Bayshore Park.
“Miami Beach continues to lead the way in public art. We celebrate the unveiling of this mural during Women's History Month in a park that honors the legacy of Marjory Stoneman Douglas through the vision of another talented woman artist, Christina Pettersson,” said Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner.
Installed on the exterior wall of one of the park’s facilities and composed of concrete vinyl, the mural depicts Douglas immersed in the Florida Everglades — the habitat she spent her life protecting. A Miami native, Pettersson has spent decades exploring the Everglades, and her multidisciplinary practice examines Florida’s hidden histories and endangered landscapes. Rooted in public engagement and collaboration, her work invites audiences to connect more deeply with the natural and cultural narratives of their own communities.
“It has been an honor to create this mural celebrating Marjory Stoneman Douglas, whose life’s work made it possible for generations to experience the Everglades,” said Christina Pettersson. “I am thrilled to unveil this mural to the Miami Beach community and see it integrated into a site of play, nature, and wonder for people of all ages.”
With She Spoke for the Birds, Pettersson joins the AIPP’s distinguished permanent public art collection, which includes works by artists including, Franz Ackermann, Farah Al Qasimi, Sanford Biggers, Amoako Boafo, Elmgreen & Dragset, Anneke Eussen, FriendsWithYou, Bill Fontana, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, Dan Graham, Ellen Harvey, Joseph Kosuth, Roy Lichtenstein, Sarah Morris, Ebony G. Patterson, Jaume Plensa, Tobias Rehberger, Nina Surel, Juana Valdés, Joep van Lieshout and Wendy Wischer.
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About Christina Pettersson
Christina Pettersson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and raised in Miami, Florida. She creates large-scale drawings, videos, installations, and collaborative performances that delve into Florida’s hidden histories and endangered ecosystems. Rooted in public engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration, her practice invites audiences to connect more deeply with the landscapes and stories in their own backyards. Her work reflects a reverence for the wilderness of a bygone era and the haunting beauty of a world in decline.
Pettersson is a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of numerous awards, including a Knight Arts Challenge Grant, a Wavemaker Grant, two Ellies Creator Awards, and three Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowships. Her work is held in the collections of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Bass Museum of Art, the Margulies Collection, and the Four Seasons Hotel.
About the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places Program
Art in Public Places Committee is a seven-member city board responsible for the commission and purchase of artwork by contemporary artists in all media. The program allocates funds totaling 2% of hard costs for City projects and joint private/public projects. Funds from construction projects may be aggregated into the Art in Public Places Fund and allocated for artwork at public sites and for collection maintenance.
Press Contact
cityofmiamibeach@culturalcounsel.com
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