Marie Selby Botanical Gardens appoints public archaeology director to enhance programs

Special to the Herald-Tribune
·4 min read
Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton received 20 animals from Gilchrist County Animal Services in the state's Big Bend region less than 24 hours before Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Wednesday. Like many of NHAR’s rural transfer partners, the shelter has limited indoor housing for their animals. "We are lucky to have new construction designed to withstand hurricane forces, and have a responsibility to help the animals in parts of our state who are in a more direct path,” said NHAR director Dari Oglesby, who coordinated the transfer in partnership with Cat Depot. For information about adoption, visit nateshonoranimalrescue.org and catdepot.org.

Selby Botanical Gardens names public archaeology director

Uzi Baram, former professor of anthropology and founder and director of New College of Florida’s Public Archaeology Laboratory, was recently named Director of Public Archaeology for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Uzi Baram, former professor of anthropology New College of Florida, has been named Director of Public Archaeology for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
Uzi Baram, former professor of anthropology New College of Florida, has been named Director of Public Archaeology for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Baram’s focus will be the interpretation and representations of the archaeological and cultural histories at Selby Gardens’ two campuses. He will manage archaeological resources and guide educational efforts to better connect people with the region’s history, Selby Gardens said in a press release.

“With the adoption of the Historic Spanish Point campus, we knew that we had to enhance our team to help protect and share the amazing archaeological record there going back 5,000 years,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Gardens. “Uzi is a tremendous addition and his expertise is just what we need to properly manage and increase understanding of the rich archaeological resources of our two campuses and the wider region.”

Awarded the 2019 Archaeological Conservancy Award by the History and Preservation Coalition of Sarasota County, Baram's career includes exposing and preserving history in Manatee and Sarasota counties. His community-based effort revealed the early 19th-century settlement of Angola, a maroon community of African heritage people along the Manatee River.

Other public projects Baram has organized include archaeology at Philippi Estate Park, educational programs on the Cuban fishing ranchos of Florida’s Gulf coast, and surveys of the Rosemary and Galilee cemeteries in Sarasota. He has written dozens of academic articles and book chapters and lectured extensively on the social significance of heritage.

Baram, who has lived in Sarasota since 1997, earned master’s and doctorate degrees in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from State University of New York at Binghamton.

New College history professor wins $150,000 research grant

New College of Florida history professor Carrie Beneš and her research team have been awarded a $150,000 grant as part of the National Endowment for the Humanities Scholarly Editions and Translations program.

Carrie Beneš is a cultural historian of late medieval Italy at New College of Florida.
Carrie Beneš is a cultural historian of late medieval Italy at New College of Florida.

The grant supports the La Sfera Project, an open-access multimedia edition of Goro Dati’s 15th-century poem "La Sfera" (The Globe). Beneš is leading a research team that includes Amanda Madden of George Mason University, Laura Ingallinella of the University of Toronto, and Laura Morreale, an independent scholar.

Beneš, a cultural historian of late medieval Italy whose research focuses on landscape, urban identity and the classical tradition, will spend the 2023-24 year in Rome as Co-Principal Investigator and Director of Spatial Analysis for the Sfera Project. “Goro Dati’s work reveals fascinating webs of premodern intercultural trade and exchange, and I am glad we will have the opportunity to share it in a more accessible way through this work,” Beneš said.

New CPC grant supports child abuse prevention program

The Child Protection Center was selected by the Matthews Children’s Foundation to receive a grant in support of CPC’s Personal Safety and Community Awareness (PSCA) program. The funds will provide new equipment for presentations on child abuse prevention and personal safety.

“There is an immediate need to provide education to protect vulnerable children,” CPC executive director Douglas Staley said. “Educating teachers, children, and the community must be prioritized to the level of providing food and shelter.”

Established in 1992, PSCA is the longest-tenured prevention program in Florida. PSCA has served over 800,000 individuals in its 30-plus year history. For information or to schedule a CPC safety workshop, visit cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277.

Around and about

Debi Osborne, director of land protection for the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club on Sept. 14 via Zoom. Osborn is former director of real estate for the National Audubon Society. Registration: tinyurl.com/4y7zcw9e.

· The All Star Children's Foundation and DreamLarge will host "State of Mind: A Trauma Informed Experience" on Sept. 21 from 1-7 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre. The event is dedicated to raising awareness of the impact of trauma on individuals and society. Information and tickets: StateofMind.org.

· Better Together will host Parents’ Night Out on Sept. 22 from 6-9 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1306 Manatee Ave. W., in Bradenton. The event offers parents, grandparents and other caregivers access to a couple of hours of no-cost care for children from infant to 17 years old. Info: BetterTogetherUS.org/PNO-Registration; 239-470-2733.

· Registration and sponsorships for the seventh annual Dream Walk fundraiser for Family Promise of South Sarasota County are underway. The Oct. 14 charity walk at Venice Presbyterian Church, 825 The Rialto, Venice, supports FPSSC’s programs for families with minor children. Visit familypromisessc.org/dream-walk. ... Gulf Cove United Methodist Church, 1100 McCall Road, Port Charlotte, is seeking vendors for it annual Craft Fair on Nov. 11. Call 302-563-4479.

Submissions by Karissa Mayer, Greg Luberecki, Nate March, Shelby Marsh, Gerlinde Kohl, Julia Groom, Emily Golden, Stacy Graison, Dana Hanson.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Former New College archaeology professor joins Selby Botanical Gardens