Talks at Vizcaya: Preserving Vizcaya's Swimming Pool Grotto

Tucked inside the Main House at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, the Swimming Pool Grotto is one of the estate’s most distinctive spaces. Its ceiling showcases a vivid mural by American artist Robert Winthrop Chanler, installed in 1916. Depicting a fantastical undersea world, the mural is both playful and immersive—and one of only three Chanler murals in the United States that is accessible to the public.

Over time, this unique work of art has suffered from significant deterioration due to its original materials and Miami’s challenging coastal environment. In 2024, Vizcaya was awarded a $750,000 Save America’s Treasures grant, administered by the National Park Service and matched by Vizcaya, to begin a major phase of conservation.

Join us for an inside look at the multi-year effort to protect the Swimming Pool Grotto, highlighting the conservation strategies and professional partnerships that have guided this complex project. Attendees will learn how Vizcaya is using innovation and collaboration to preserve one of its most iconic and delicate interiors.

LOCATION: This event takes place in the Main House courtyard and does not feature access to the Swimming Pool Grotto space, which is closed to the public for conservation.

ASL INTERPRETERS: If you require an ASL interpreter or reserved seating, please contact us at vizcayainformation@vizcaya.org at least 3 days before the event.

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with complimentary wine | Talk starts promptly at 7:30 p.m.

TICKETS | $5; FREE for students and Vizcaya Members

Vizcaya Members reserve tickets here.

Featured speaker: Davina Kuh Jakobi

Davina Kuh Jakobi is the Lead Conservator at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. A conservator and museologist, Davina holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Conservation and Art History, with a minor in Art, from the University of Delaware, as well as a Master of Art in Principles of Conservation and a Master in Science in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums from the University College London. Originally from New York City, she has worked with institutions of different sizes all over the world as an objects conservator, collections manager, and preservation specialist. Over the past few years, Davina has worked in several historic house museums and has come to understand the specific conservation and preservation challenges associated with historic house museums. Davina is also specialized in objects conservation, general preservation, collections management issues, and has experience in the conservation of archaeological materials, the conservation of painted and decorated wooden surfaces, the conservation of ship models, technical materials research, and the preservation and collecting of sporting heritage. Since 2020, she has served as a Board member for the Genesee County Historical Society, where she is the grant writer and Head of Fundraising.