Landres said in an interview that he suggested converting the show to virtual programming, but was declined, a statement that Carvajal denied. Part of the Knight Foundation’s $ 120,000 donation was then used, with the foundation’s blessing, to create a different online experience, “I Remember Miami”, in which people shared memories of the city.
“We want to create content that is meaningful, that creates unity, that reminds us all of the beautiful moments in our city,” said Crujeiras in an online discussion about the arts in Miami. She described the Forensic exhibition for viewers as “sophisticated, beautiful”, but said it had “very complex elements” that made it difficult to present online during a pandemic.
Ms. Landres said that as disagreements over the Forensic exposure deepened, Ms. Carvajal falsely accused her of acting without authorization and of blowing up the “Faithful to Scale” budget. Then, in May, Landres said, Crujeiras told her that she was being put on paid leave and that her contract, which expired in June 2020, would not be renewed.
College and museum officials said they could not discuss the reason for not renewing the contract, calling it a personal matter.
In an email to The Times, Landres said he believed the effort to “balance” the Forensic exposure was designed to placate some of the college’s most conservative curators. But a curator, Marcell Felipe, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said he was unaware of the program.
“I don’t think it was ever discussed” by the council, he said.
Now back in New York, Landres said the museum had failed to live up to its ideals and its commitment to the group whose work it was exhibiting.
“They removed any possibility that we would actually get any closer to the truth about Homestead,” she said. “This is political censorship and also a form of artistic censorship.”