History at High Noon - The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat

Excavated from a waterlogged archaeological site on the shores of subtropical Florida by legendary anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing in 1896, the Key Marco Cat has become an icon of Florida’s history and heritage.   Join us as Austin Bell, Chief Curator at the Museum of Florida History and author of The Nine Lives of Florida\’s Famous Key Marco Cat, explores nine periods in the life of the small wooden carving, including how and why it was sculpted by its Calusa creators, its route to the Smithsonian, and its modern-day role as a coveted ambassador of Florida\’s past.   The Nine Lives of Florida\’s Famous Key Marco Cat is the winner of a 2021 Florida Book Award in the Florida Non-fiction category. Florida’s History Shop will be on hand to sell signed copies of the book.   The program is free and open to the public and will be held is the Gallery for Innovation & the Arts at the R.A. Gray Building.