Recognizing Barbara Neijna and the Art of Place in South Florida

March 2026

March is Women’s History Month — a time to celebrate remarkable women whose creative visions have shaped our community in lasting ways. In South Florida, one artist who made an extraordinary impact as a sculptor is Barbara Neijna.

For more than six decades, Neijna helped define Miami’s visual landscape through large-scale public works that merge sculpture, architecture, environment and poetry. Her career reflects both artistic excellence and the growing leadership of women in public art, particularly in major civic commissions.

Born in Philadelphia in 1937 and educated at Syracuse University, Neijna moved to South Florida in 1962. As Miami-Dade County’s art scene began to emerge, she built a career that would span more than 50 public art commissions nationwide.

Her work is included in major collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Pérez Art Museum Miami, though her greatest impact is found in the public spaces of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Neijna believes art should be a part of daily life, integrated into airports, civic buildings and urban environments, encouraging reflection and a deeper connection to place.

One of her most celebrated works, Foreverglades, is a monumental installation at Miami International Airport (Concourse J).

Installed in 2007, the work transformed 65,000 square feet of terrazzo flooring into a luminous tribute to the Everglades. Glass ribbons, abstracted plant imagery and text from The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjory Stoneman Douglas created an environment that travelers could experience as they moved through the space. Rather than standing apart from its surroundings, Foreverglades became part of the architecture itself, echoing the movement and quiet power of South Florida’s landscape.

In 2010, Foreverglades received the International Art & Work Award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, recognizing the project’s innovative integration into the built environment and affirming Neijna’s vision and cultural impact in Miami-Dade County.

Neijna’s contributions are preserved through the Library’s Vasari Project. Dedicated to documenting Miami-Dade County’s visual arts history dating back to 1945, the Vasari archive maintains artist files, exhibition materials and press coverage that traces the region’s artistic evolution. Neijna’s inclusion ensures her role in shaping local art history is formally preserved for future generations.

Neijna’s work shows that art can do more than serve as decoration — it can define a place and elevate daily life. Through projects like Foreverglades, she captured the spirit of South Florida while highlighting the vital role of women in shaping public spaces.

This Women’s History Month, celebrating artists like Neijna is also a celebration of Miami-Dade itself, a County shaped in meaningful ways by visionary women.

Explore more materials from Barbara Neijna in the Library's Digital Collections, or research her work in greater depth using our finding aid, available here.