Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Tower of Snow

Enrique Martínez Celaya

— American (born in Cuba, 1964) —

The Tower of Snow Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

1. The Tower of Snow Marker

Inscription.
2012, Bronze 132 x 89 x 64 in. The Tower of Snow by distinguished Cuban-born artist Enrique Martínez Celaya honors the 50th anniversary of Operation Pedro Pan, which brought thousands of Cuban children, without their parents, to the United States in pursuit of freedom and stability.

“For years, feelings of displacement and foreignness had seemed specific to my experience, then I began to read about the ‘Operación Pedro Pan’ and I found my story in many of their accounts. This recognition brought along a new sense of belonging to a group larger than myself, a group whose longing did not fit in any one heart.” —Enrique Martínez Celaya

Erected 2012 by Miami-Dade College Permanent Art Collection.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Hispanic Americans • War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 2012.

Location. 25° 46.798′ N, 80° 11.363′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. Marker is at the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard (U.S. 1) and NE 6th Street, on the right when traveling south on Biscayne Boulevard. It is at the southwest corner of the intersection, on the same side as the Freedom Tower museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Biscayne Blvd, Miami FL 33132, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Port of Miami (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tequesta (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gesu Catholic Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Menendez on Biscayne Bay (approx. 0.3 miles away); Christopher Columbus (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Art Deco Tower (approx. half a mile away); Dade County (approx. half a mile away); Judge Lawson Edward Thomas Law Office (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miami.

Regarding The Tower of Snow. The statue depicts a boy on crutches carrying a house on his back. He is heading towards the Freedom Tower, just across the street. This is a smaller copy of the original sculpture at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Freedom Tower, during the height of the first Cuban exodus in the 1960s, was used by the federal government to process, document and provide health services for Cuban refugees. Today it is a museum of contemporary art associated with Miami Dade College. The 1925 Mediterranean Revival style building was the headquarters and printing facility for The Miami News until 1957.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . . Monumental sculpture inspired by Cuban exodus unveiled at Hermitage. Herencia Cultural Cubana website entry:
2012 article by Anny Shaw.

The Tower of Snow and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

2. The Tower of Snow and Marker

“According to Martínez Celaya, who left his native Cuba as a child, the work is about his own experience of exile, but also about Operation Peter Pan, when more than 14,000 Cuban children were sent to the US between 1960 and 1962 by parents who feared the Cuban government would take away their right to decide how their children should be educated. ‘It’s about the anguish of those children,” Martínez Celaya says. ‘I wanted to memorialise that event.’ ” (Originally published in The Art Newspaper) (Submitted on February 23, 2014.)

The Tower of Snow image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

3. The Tower of Snow

2012 Bronze by Enrique Martínez Celaya is 11 feet tall.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

4. The Tower of Snow

The Boy of The Tower of Snow image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

5. The Boy of The Tower of Snow

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

6. The Tower of Snow

The façade of the Freedom Tower is to the left of the boy.

The Boy, Arriving at the Freedom Tower image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, February 10, 2014

7. The Boy, Arriving at the Freedom Tower

Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 23, 2014, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,989 times since then and 423 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 23, 2014, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.