Xavier Cortada, Flower Force: America 250, hand-painted ceramic on concrete, 4′ x 4′ x 15′, 2026
Comissioned by the City of Doral Art in Public Places program
FLOWER FORCE: AMERICA 250
America turns 250 on July 4, 2026.
To mark this historic birthday, Miami artist Xavier Cortada created Flower Force: America 250, a public art sculpture in Doral, Florida, covered with 250 unique, hand-painted ceramic flowers. One flower for each year of the nation’s history.
Now, we invite you to help complete the artwork.
The sculpture is finished, but for Cortada, a public artwork is only truly complete when it is activated by the public.
Through “Flower Force: America 250,” Doral residents and community members are invited to plant Firebush, a native Florida plant with bright red-orange blooms, and place a commemorative Flower Force garden flag beside it.
Together, we are creating 250 Firebush gardens across the community to celebrate America’s 250th birthday with living color, pollinator habitat, and a renewed commitment to the land we share.
Firebush (Hamelia patens) attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Its brilliant blooms offer a lasting kind of Fourth of July color that keeps growing long after the fireworks fade.
How to participate
1. Plant firebush in your yard, garden, school, or community space.
2. Place your Flower Force: America 250 garden flag beside it.
3. Take a photo of your planting.
4. Post it on social media using #FF250 and tag @CortadaFoundation.
By participating, you become part of a living public artwork: 250 flowers on the sculpture, 250 firebush gardens in the community, and 250 acts of stewardship for America’s 250th birthday.
The sculpture: about the obelisk
Flower Force: America 250 is a ceramic obelisk hand-crafted by Miami artist Xavier Cortada, bearing 250 unique hand-painted flowers. It stands permanently installed in Doral, Florida, as a public monument to America’s 250th birthday and a tribute to the native plants and pollinators that sustain our natural world.
At the entrance of a new development at NW 41st Street and 112th Avenue, the sculpture anchors what will be known as the Plaza of Independence, a space dedicated to marking this historic milestone.
The sculpture connects the beauty and resilience of native Florida plants, the power of civic engagement, and the shared responsibility to protect our natural environment for the next 250 years.
About flower force
This project builds on Cortada’s decades-long practice of engaging communities through art, including his 2013 collaboration, Flor500, with Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs and public libraries to commemorate the state’s quincentennial. It also extends Cortada’s Flower Force body of work, which uses art, flowers, and public participation to invite residents into simple, meaningful acts of environmental stewardship.
our community partners
