MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I would start at the Ball and Chain in the heart of Little Havana’s Calle Ocho. It was a big key to the turnaround of this famous main street of Miami’s most famous neighborhood.

I live within walking distance.

The owners are super community minded. They buy historic buildings and rebuild them — so they don’t fall prey to the wrecking ball.
The music, drinks and bar food are great too.

I would then go on a walking tour of Shenandoah — the part of Little Havana that I’ve lived in for 20+ years. There are tons of unique houses and apartments. You can see Spanish Mission, Mediterranean, Art Deco, Belvedere Bungalow and all kinds of unique, built from scratch homes from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s.

For a great meal and a fair price, I’d go to La Camaronera on Flagler Street. I remember when this was a little standup counter with maybe a half dozen total food items — all fresh from the sea. The seafood is still fresh caught, but now there are more than a dozen tables. And along with the signature fried fish and shrimp sandwiches, there are some gourmet plates and even craft beer. It’s a nice transition of a very longtime family business into one that’s perfect for locals and visitors.

I’d also take a stroll north of Calle Ocho toward the Miami River. This area also has great old 1920s apartments, houses, churches and businesses. It’s still a bit hard scrabble, but perfectly safe. My photo exhibit at the Miami Beach Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive at 10th Avenue showcased my images of this area.

I would enjoy the heart of Calle Ocho — roughly between 12 and 17 Avenues — though a lot of new development is heading east of 12th — and stop at SW 13 Ave. There, you can walk a meandering path among mature trees and many public monuments that cover the history of the Cuban exile experience in Miami.

Many of the old homes have been restored, though there are not any shops or restaurants on the area known as Cuban Memorial Boulevard. When you reach Coral Way on the south end of the path, you are rewarded by another tree-lined main street with tons of mom and pop restaurants, bakeries and shops.

Everybody knows Miami Beach and nearby Little Havana neighborhoods of Coconut Grove and the city of Coral Gables, so I’ll reserve my tips solely for la Pequena Habana.

 

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

For more than 20 years, I have been the go-to writer on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — through the lens of a better built environment for people with disabilities — for the National Association of REALTORS.

My Pulitzer-nominated, award-winning writing has been featured in Planning Magazine, the publication of the American Planning Association.

I have been a speaker on Universal Design and inclusion at a nationwide APA conference.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

I have had the privilege of working as a featured contributing writer to the United Spinal Association and its New Mobility Magazine for more than two decades. 

United Spinal is the premier nonprofit for people with spinal cord injuries and all who use a wheelchair for mobility.

I very much enjoyed writing legislation and create public policy for the better part of a decade for Miami City Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who represented Little Havana.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

My disability advocacy was rewarded when I co-created the groundbreaking Universal Design course for graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Miami School of Architecture.

My advice is to turn your passion into your career. 

You may not get Bill Gates rich, but you will have a very rewarding career.

I’ve also learned to be flexible. 

When I started at a newspaper, I figured I’d work as a daily journalist for more than half a century…till I slumped over my desk after filing a front page story.

The internet greatly reduced the profitability of newspapers, so I later pursued careers in public service, marketing, business development, content creation and creative arts.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

Learning about town planning and urban design shaped my career as a writer.

I have published thousands of stories about how to make our cities a better place to live — for all people of all abilities, backgrounds and incomes.

I bought a camera to illustrate my stories, even though the Columbus Dispatch newspaper had a staff of top-nothing photojournalists.

When I moved to Miami in 2000, I started having exhibits of my photos — from my trips to Spain and South and Central America.

I got to work with the greatest photographer of the 20th century — Ara Guler, The Eye of Istanbul. 

I edited the English language version of his biography.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

I am from Ohio, so I am grounded, loyal and show up on time.

My late mother struggled with severe mental illness for her entire adult life.

I became a writer because I wanted to tell the stories of all people — including those that struggled each day of their life.

I later became a leading disability advocate, clearly an outgrowth as a child who served as his mom’s caregiver.

I started out as a daily newspaper reporter for a large paper in my native Ohio.

I wanted to be a pro sports team beat writer, but got started covering suburban government and zoning meetings.

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

A STORY IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Steve Wright's photography effectively emphasized the need to preserve Little Havana's cultural and architectural treasures from the influence of modernization.

His images will serve as a reminder of their timeless beauty and the crucial significance of protecting them for future generations to possibly and really Save My Little Havana.

 

 

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

A STORY IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Next to the Save My Little Havana art display, the gift shop exhibited Steve Wright's photographs that could be bought.

The exhibit also had artworks for sale, and half of the profits went towards supporting the Miami Design Preservation League's cause. 

The exhibit runs through Thanksgiving and is on display 9 AM to 5 PM at the art deco welcome center seven days a week and the center is free to Miami-Dade residents

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

A STORY IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Steve Wright noted, "My photos are not the most technically perfect, but they are filled with passion." 

He compared the efforts to preserve historic buildings in Miami Beach to the importance of safeguarding the architectural treasures of Art Deco, the Mediterranean, and Old Florida styles found in Little Havana.

The event, held on August 24, provided attendees the opportunity to immerse themselves in the captivating imagery that depicted the heart and soul of Little Havana. 

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

Steve Wright's photographs may not be flawlessly polished, but they are filled with a clear sense of dedication that shows his strong attachment to Little Havana.

As a respected public speaker, organizer, and journalist committed to improving access to urban areas for individuals with disabilities, Wright's display demonstrated his identity as both an artist and a supporter.

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

A STORY IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

In the late 1990s, Ohioan Steve Wright moved to Little Havana in Miami to escape harsh Ohio winters.

He found solace in the historic Bryan Park area and made his home in a classic 100-year-old residence.

He found inspiration in his new surroundings and started taking long walks to take pictures.

With his camera, he was able to capture the true essence of the community, exploring beyond the popular areas and discovering hidden treasures in the neighborhoods, businesses, churches, and homes of La Pequeña Habana.

SAVE MY LITTLE HAVANA

A STORY IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Miami Beach witnessed a remarkable celebration of culture, history, and architectural heritage.

Steve Wright, an accomplished Artist, Activist, Writer, and Planner, unveiled his captivating photography exhibit titled "Save My Little Havana."

The MDPL's Local Artist Program hosted this exhibition at the Art Deco Welcome Center, showcasing lesser-known aspects of Little Havana through the lens of Wright.

ARA GÜLER -- 3

PHOTOJOURNALIST

Though I have seen him quoted as saying he's not a photojournalist or artist -- he's an historian with a camera -- Ara Guler is arguably the greatest photojournalist of the 20th century.

And he continue to document his beloved Istanbul, well into the 21st century, well into his 80s.

When I found out there's a book on him, I couldn't want to order it.

Amazon screwed up the first delivery. Hoping the second order arrives before the weekend.

Here's a mini blurb on the book:

Photojournalist, a book by Nezih Tavlas, provides a compelling and in-depth look into the life of Ara Guler who is regarded as one of the most accomplished documentary photographers of the 20th century and the pioneer of photojournalism in Turkey.

http://photojournalistaraguler.com/

ARA GÜLER - 2

I DON'T HAVE HEROES, BUT I MET AN IDOL

Yesterday's post introduced the reader to Ara Guler, the 88-year-old Turkish Armenian photographer belovedly known as the Eye of Istanbul.

His understanding of humanity, captured in black and white film -- as well so some color and moving images -- is unmatched.

He is, without question, the greatest living photographer on earth.

Burdened with a heavy, but well worth it hardback edition of his photos of trams, I was heading down Istlikal Caddesi for another night of roaming the backstreets of Beyoğlu.

I do my own photography -- digital, color, never improved with PhotoShop -- of Istanbul's constantly changing streets.

I was near Galatasaray, when I decided to stop into a cafe to get some tea, or perhaps limonata, for the privilege of using a nice clean restroom before heading out for that golden light.

I sat down, ordered and next to me, was an octogenarian, bald, bearded man who looked a lot like an older version of the legendary historian with a camera who I idolize.

Knowing Guler had opened Time-Life's branch in Turkey in the late 50s, I figured he must know some English.

My phrasebook Turkish is just not adequate.

So I took a sip of Çay, took out the fine bound book I'd purchased hours earlier, and told Guler that I thought he was an artist.

A bit hearing impaired, he leaned forward to ask me to speak up.

Thankfully, he (1) was actually Guler and not a look alike, (2) does speak English and (3) didn't run me off for imposing on him.

I scooted over to the table -- clearly, he was having a bottled water and unwinding from a day in his nearby studio before meeting friends -- and chatted a bit.

He asked me what I thought of Istanbul.

I said it is one of my favorite cities on earth, but I feel it is getting too modern too rapidly.

He observed that it has to find room for 20 million people.

I agreed, but I said not at the expense of an old neighborhood getting sacked in return for high rise tomb stones.

He nodded.

I told him no artist in any medium captures and understands humanity better than him.

He appreciated it.

I handed over my book.

He studied each image.

Many looked to be about a half century old.

He told the story of some of them.

His aged hands glided over the pages, as if he was still looking for some imperfection, some magical angle of light, some way of doing even more brilliant story telling with his still images.

Two men arrived. Much younger than him, but not college age.  Contemporaries? Protegees?, or simply neighbors or friends?

I didn't want to over impose. We'd chatted quite a bit about light -- how a photographer's eye for it is 100 times more important than any fancy camera body, zoom lens, filter, etc.

We also talked about humanity. How humanely portraying people in pictures is important on dozens of levels.

From a pure artistic standpoint, introducing humanity into pictures is one thousand times more useful than the most advanced photo editing software -- we agreed.

Getting ready to pay for me tea and limonata -- I ordered both -- and let the great photojournalist get on with his life, I bashfully asked him if he would sign the book that I had purchased at a book fair part of a Ramazan carnival earlier.

His told me he know I wasn't some Ebay profiteer, pretending to befriend him so I could up the value of a book with the autograph of a famous person.

He lovingly inscribed the book.

Till the end of the trip, on the flight and on the taxi ride home, I clutched the signed Guler book like it was more important than my passport.

Classic Ara Guler photo of trams in Beyoğlu, 1960 -- four years before I was born.

http://photojournalistaraguler.com/