At 1900 SW 25th Terrace, a planned mural will bring a Cuban-American story to two exterior walls in Miami's Silver Bluff neighborhood. La Victoria Miami Collection selected Jerónimo Gauna, a Miami-based architect and multidisciplinary artist, for the commission after reviewing submissions from local and international artists. The company expects the work to be completed within the month.
The mural, titled Rooted in Cuba, Rising in America, Strength in Gratitude, will stretch across two walls among five modern art deco buildings at 1900 SW 25th Terrace, according to Miami's Community News. The imagery will include flowing flags, José Martí's white rose and a tocororo in flight, alongside Cuba's island, palm trees and sea, plus three women muses depicted carrying their history forward. La Victoria Miami Collection is co-owned by Laura Antuña Capestany and Jimmy Capestany, and the company says it maintains both an interior art collection and exterior public art partnerships as part of a broader commitment to honoring Cuban culture through art, preservation and community-centered development.
A Global Search That Started With a Viral Post
The hunt for an artist began on June 23 and wrapped up on July 13, per the same account, after a viral Instagram post on the company's @lavictoriamiami account drew submissions from local Miami creators as well as artists worldwide. The search generated what the outlet described as widespread attention across the international art community. Gauna, who was born in Chaco, Argentina, and graduated from the National University of Architecture and Urbanism of the Northeast, now lives in Miami and holds degrees spanning architecture and visual arts, according to the report.
Gauna's own artist statement, posted on his website, describes his practice as an intersection of fine art and design, with a focus on finding beauty in the chaos of patterns and lines. His portfolio includes a mural unveiled at Pítusa's Wynwood flagship store during an Art Basel kickoff and the official poster for the 2023 GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado, per the same source. He has also shown work locally, exhibiting at Art Sea Gallery's A Night in Wynwood and at SUPERCRASH Gallery's Rebel Visions show, both in February 2023, according to his profile on Saatchi Art.
Backers Say the Work Will Anchor Neighborhood Identity
The project has drawn support from local arts, education and civic organizations. Geo Darder, curator of La Victoria Miami Collection's internal artwork and founder and president of Copperbridge Foundation, served on the selection committee and described Gauna as a new voice in Miami's art community, according to Miami's Community News. The project also includes City of Miami District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rafael Rosado, The Underline, Florida International University and Copperbridge Foundation. Rosado, whose Arte D4 public-art initiative has brought more art to District 4, said the mural is intended to create a lasting sense of place for Silver Bluff residents and visitors.
Other project partners connected the mural to the neighborhood's Cuban history and broader cultural diversity. Rina Gitlin, public art curator for The Underline, said the piece reflects both. Laura Antuña Capestany, who also serves on the board of FIU's Institute for Cuban Studies, said the mural honors Cuba, the United States and the communities that helped Cuban families rebuild. The announcement identified Sebastián A. Arcos as director of FIU's Institute for Cuban Studies at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs; FIU's own faculty page, by contrast, lists Sebastián A. Arcos as interim director of the university's Cuban Research Institute.
Gauna's Vision for the Finished Piece
Gauna said he wants viewers to feel movement, optimism and freedom when they see the finished mural, according to the announcement. The mural is expected to be completed by the end of September, with updates on the unveiling to be posted on the company's Instagram account. La Victoria Miami Collection previously worked with six artists on an art deco-inspired interior collection, part of the same push to weave Cuban heritage into the fabric of the Silver Bluff development.
Miami's Long History of Cuban Public Art
The Silver Bluff project joins a long tradition of Cuban artistic expression woven into Miami's public spaces. A 2014 lecture at FIU's Frost Art Museum examined more than 100 sculptures, monuments, murals and art installations created by Cuban artists and permanently installed across the city. Those works, found in parks, on bridges, in public buildings, at Metromover stations, and around condominiums and open spaces, were the subject of a talk exploring how Cuban art has shaped Miami's urban landscape and helped preserve Cuban heritage over time. The new Silver Bluff mural adds another chapter to that citywide pattern, this time anchored to a specific block where Gauna's brushwork is meant to greet residents daily.
The Demographic and Historical Context
The mural's focus reflects the scale of Cuban identity in South Florida. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Florida had the nation's largest Cuban population in 2020, with 1.5 million people, and nearly half of Miami-Dade County's Hispanic population identified as Cuban. Earlier public memorials provide a precedent for Cuban-focused work in Miami. Miami-Dade County records show that a separate Cuban Memorial Monument at Tamiami Park was completed in 2011 as a tribute to people who died fighting for or seeking freedom and democracy in Cuba, predating the Silver Bluff mural.
