Connecting & Painting Community
Dancing Umbrellas
- Date
- 2025
- Medium
- More than 250 crocheted umbrellas and 100 hula hoops, made by the community
- Location
- North Miami Beach, Florida
- Partners
- Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) of North Miami Beach, North Miami Beach Library, local sponsors
- Participants
- 50+ senior residents, crocheting weekly for 5 months
Dancing Umbrellas is the second annual art installation of the Connecting and Painting Community program. After the success of its debut in 2024, which decorated the palm trees of North Miami Beach with crocheted squares, the 2025 chapter took the installation into the sky with more than 250 crocheted umbrellas and 100 hula hoops, all handcrafted.
More than 50 senior residents gathered weekly at the North Miami Beach Library to crochet custom pieces over five months. Each design is inspired by the backgrounds and stories of its creators: their traditions, emotions, feelings and needs. Some came to make friends and find sisterhood in a shared hobby; others found peace and a sense of belonging during times of grief.
Larger community workshops brought together people who serve the city, including the NMB police, public works, parks and recreation, the Community Redevelopment Agency, code compliance and the library, uniting different parts of North Miami Beach in one creative effort.
Yarn bombing, a global movement that wraps everyday spaces in handmade crochet, here rises into the air as umbrellas that move with the wind. Dancing Umbrellas invites viewers to pause, look up and experience a sky full of patterns and vibrant colors.
Led by Alicia María Vallejo and made possible by the CRA of North Miami Beach, generous sponsors and the participants.