Elisa Benedetti is a Venezuelan photographer based in Miami since 2018. Her work centers on documentary photography, with a focus on people, place, and the deep stories held within overlooked communities. Born into photography through her father’s passion and darkroom practice, she has developed a lifelong relationship with the medium.
She holds a degree in Human Resources from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas and built her photographic career through workshops across Venezuela, including Roraima, Autana, and Mérida. After moving to Miami, she studied at the Roberto Mata School of Photography and participated in international workshops with Alex Webb (New York and Oaxaca), Rui Palha (Lisbon), and Andrea Santolaya (Azores). She later earned a Master’s in Photography with PhotoEspaña and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at Florida International University (FIU).
Since 2019, Elisa has been documenting Miami’s historically Black neighborhoods, Liberty City, Overtown, Brownsville, and Coconut Grove. Her approach is rooted in care, respect, and long-term engagement, spending time walking, listening, and building real connections before photographing. She believes in showing the
dignity, complexity, and strength of the people she meets, offering a counter-narrative to the stereotypes often associated with these communities.
Her work has been exhibited in PhotoEspaña (Sala Alcobendas), the History Miami Museum (WOPHA group exhibition), and in solo shows in Key Biscayne and Coral Gables. She is a two-time winner of the Coral Gables Museum Photography Contest and received the Arturo Michelena Prize, Venezuela’s highest art award. The awarded photograph now belongs to the permanent collection of the Galería de Arte Nacional (GAN).
Elisa works in both digital and analog formats. Her mission is to create lasting archives that reflect the true soul of the people and communities that shape Miami.
Harlem of the South
Inkjet print on foamboard.22 x 33 inches & 23 x 15 inches.
Overtown is a neighborhood with a rich history and culture in Miami, South Florida. During the Jim Crow era of the late 19th through the mid – 20th century, the area was the historic center of commerce and community life for Black Miamians.
After the incorporation of Miami in 1896, the city’s leaders at the insistence of Henry Flagler and his railroad interests, designated Overtown as “Colored Town”. Of the 362 men who voted for incorporation, 168 were Black railroad workers, yet segregation laws confined them north and west of the FEC tracks.
From the 1930s through the 1960s, Overtown thrived. Its businesses, churches, and cultural venues made it a hub of activity, and its nightclubs earned it the title “The Harlem of the South”. Music brought the community together. World – famous artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin performed here. Barred from Miami Beach hotels, they stayed in Overtown, where residents eagerly welcomed them each night. The name “Overtown” itself came from entertainers saying, “I’m heading over to town.”
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended legal segregation, but Overtown soon faced devastation. In the 1960s, freeway construction and urban renewal projects displaced thousands of residents. Once – thriving streets were destroyed, and much of the community was lost. Today, Overtown’s history remains a vital reminder of resilience, culture, and dignity. Elisa Benedetti seeks to honor the lives and history of the community that call it home.
