WORM: A Cuban American Odyssey

Edel Rodriguez

Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey explores themes of migration, displacement, and identity through original drawings from Rodriguez’s acclaimed graphic memoir Worm, bold new paintings, silkscreened posters, and the political art from the covers of TIME and Der Spiegel that made him an international voice. Also on view are personal artifacts, family photos, and visual source material that shaped the book, offering a rich and layered look at a life lived between two worlds.

The exhibition traces Rodriguez’s extraordinary journey—from a boyhood in Cold War Cuba to his family’s escape during the Mariel boatlift, when they were branded gusanos (“worms”) by Castro. Arriving in Key West by shrimping boat in 1980, Rodriguez would go on to become one of the most prominent political artists of our time, known for provocative magazine covers, and artwork that champions truth, freedom, and the immigrant experience.