By Coral Gables Gazette staff
Photographer Robin Hill will appear at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Thursday, October 23 at 7 p.m. to discuss his new book, That’s the Way I See It: Miami’s Public Art. He will be joined in conversation by Amanda Keeley, founder of the Miami-based publishing nonprofit EXILE Projects. The event is free and open to the public, with books available for purchase on site.
A visual record of Miami-Dade’s outdoor museum
Hill’s new work celebrates Miami-Dade County’s Art in Public Places program, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. The book features fifty public artworks photographed through Hill’s distinctive approach—intentional camera movement that produces abstract, kinetic images rather than literal documentation. His process emphasizes how installations interact with light, landscape and urban space rather than simply recording their form.
Each image is paired with a short reflection or anecdote from Hill. The tone is informal, personal and often humorous, drawing on decades of photographing the region’s evolving public art landscape. The book includes a fold-out map of the featured pieces, encouraging readers to visit the installations in neighborhoods across the county.
The collection is framed by essays from Hill and architecture critic Alastair Gordon. Together they place Miami-Dade’s public art program in the broader context of city identity, placemaking and cultural investment. The book was designed and published by EXILE Projects, the small press Keeley founded in 2014 to support experimental publishing in South Florida.
An artist who helped shape the way Miami is seen
Hill was born in Nottingham, England, and began his photography career in retail portrait studios before moving into architectural and art photography. His photographs have appeared in Architectural Record, Vanity Fair and museum collections including the Guggenheim in New York and Bilbao. He has lived and worked in Miami for decades and has become one of the city’s most consistent documentarians of design, architecture and the built environment.
His work often bridges art and urbanism, making him a natural fit to chronicle Miami-Dade’s investment in public art as a civic asset. In recent years he has photographed major installations at the Arsht Center, Metrorail stations, museums, transit hubs and municipal buildings.
Moderator with deep ties to Miami print culture
Amanda Keeley, who leads the conversation, founded EXILE Projects to support artists, writers and community groups through printed media. Her organization produces limited-edition books, posters and catalogs that showcase Miami-based voices and experimental visual language. EXILE has collaborated with museums, universities and cultural centers across the region. Keeley’s background in curating and publishing makes her an ideal guide for a conversation about how public art is experienced and remembered.
A community venue for arts and ideas
Books & Books at 265 Aragon Avenue has long served as a gathering spot for Miami authors, visual artists, and cultural advocates. The Coral Gables location frequently partners with local presses, universities and museums on talks and launches tied to the region’s creative history. The store’s events often draw both regular patrons and newcomers who follow Miami’s design, art and literary scenes.
Thursday’s event will take place in person and does not require a purchased ticket. Seating is first come, first served, and doors typically open about 30 minutes before the program begins.
A book rooted in place and public memory
That’s the Way I See It positions Miami-Dade’s public art not as static sculpture but as something that shifts with movement, time of day and neighborhood context. Hill’s use of motion blur and angled exposures turns familiar works into abstract forms, reflecting his view that public art lives differently when encountered on foot, in passing cars, or against changing skies.
The pairings of photographs and vignettes give the book a tone closer to a travel journal or personal essay collection than a catalog. Readers will find reflections on discovery, humor in missteps and notes on how pieces age into their surroundings.
By placing the works within a map and including essays on policy and legacy, the book functions as both a record and an invitation. For those who live in Miami-Dade or travel through its neighborhoods, it offers a way to see the city as an outdoor museum layered with memory, architecture and daily life.
Event details
An Evening with Robin Hill and Amanda Keeley
Date: Thursday, October 23
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables
Admission: Free; books available for purchase
For those who follow Miami’s arts scene or collect works tied to its history, the evening offers access to both the artist behind the images and the publisher who helped shape them into a book. It also brings another cultural event to Aragon Avenue—just steps from the Gables’ museums, galleries and performance venues—as the fall arts season continues.
