Meet the Community Advisory Committee

Lecture

Panel Discussion Meet the Community Advisory Committee

Tara Backhouse
Tayina Deravile
William “Popeye” Osceola
Annabelle Tometich

In celebration of The Baker Museum’s 25th anniversary, the exhibition There & Here: New Perspectives of the Permanent Collection highlights both well-loved and lesser-known artworks, presenting them through new narratives that focus on how individuals continue to connect with their ancestry and lands despite being geographically displaced. The panel discussion will feature Tara Backhouse, Tayina Deravile and Secretary William “Popeye” Osceola, with an introduction by Annabelle Tometich.

This presentation is part of the exhibition There & Here: New Perspectives of the Permanent Collection.

All museum lectures and public programs of The Baker Museum include same-day admission to The Baker Museum.

Tara Backhouse

Tara Backhouse

For 17 years, Tara Backhouse has served the Seminole Tribe of Florida in various positions, including research assistant, registrar, collections manager and curator.  She has extensive experience in managing large historic collections and making them accessible to an underserved community. In her various roles, she has spearheaded numerous large collections management-based endeavors, including five grant-funded projects, four of which were focused on cataloging and contextualizing objects to increase accessibility to support tribal sovereignty. Backhouse has a master’s in anthropology from Eastern New Mexico University, a Graduate Certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care from George Washington University and a master’s degree in library and information studies from Florida State University. 

Tayina Deravile

Tayina Deravile

Tayina Deravile is a cultural practitioner, arts professional and curator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Nova Southeastern University. While attending graduate school, Deravile began her career in arts administration in Fort Lauderdale. She is currently the Gallery Manager at Girls' Club, the only private collection in the world that primarily exhibits contemporary art by women, and the director of community engagement at FATVillage Arts District, a nonprofit that strives to generate an inclusive art community located in the FATVillage Arts District.

William “Popeye” Osceola

William “Popeye” Osceola

Secretary William Osceola taught language, culture and digital arts at the Miccosukee Indian School before he was elected secretary of the Miccosukee Business Council in 2021. In his early 30s, he is the council’s youngest member, balancing tradition and modernity with a creative flair. Born in Florida and raised in different camps inside the Miccosukee Reservation; Osceola and his family moved to Connecticut when he was five. Living there for seven years gave him a new perspective on the outside world and increased his appreciation for his Tribal community. As secretary, he oversees all aspects of communication within the Tribe, including recordkeeping, handling correspondence, publishing notices about meetings and events, and keeping track of Tribal membership. Some of his goals include shaping future leaders by placing an emphasis on education, increasing community involvement and investing in infrastructure to improve roads, sidewalks and important buildings within the reservation.

Annabelle Tometich

Annabelle Tometich

Annabelle Tometich: Annabelle Tometich went from medical school reject to line cook to journalist to author. She spent 18 years as a food writer, editor and restaurant critic for The News-Press in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Her first book is The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony (April 2024, Little Brown). Tometich’s writing has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, Catapult, the Tampa Bay Times, and many more outlets. She has won more than a dozen awards for her stories, including first place for Food & Travel Writing at the 2022 Sunshine State Awards. She (still) lives in Fort Myers with her husband, two children and her ever-fiery Filipina mother.