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ABOUT — ANA BIKIC & WILLIAM MARK COULTHARD
ABOUT — ANA BIKIC & WILLIAM MARK COULTHARD
Artists • Researchers • Founders of Miami Art Reviews
Advocates for the Truth Behind the New World Mural 1513
Who We Are
Who We Are
Ana Bikic and William Mark Coulthard
are two of the surviving members of The Miami Artisans, the fine-art team that created the New World Mural 1513 inside the Freedom Tower during its 1987–1988 restoration.
For more than three decades, they have lived and worked in Miami, Florida, dedicating their careers to art, historic preservation, cultural memory, and truth-based research. Today, they remain the two primary advocates responsible for protecting the mural’s authorship, clarifying its historical context, and preserving its legacy for Miami, Florida, and the United States.
They are the only remaining artists actively defending the truth of the mural’s creation — its meaning, its intentions, and the authenticity of the 1987–1988 team.
William Mark Coulthard
William Mark Coulthard
Born in Scotland on 4 August 1961, William studied fine arts and drawing in the United Kingdom before moving to Miami in 1986. Soon after arriving, he met artists Wade S. Foy and John Conroy, and together they formed the core artistic foundation that would become The Miami Artisans.
William was one of the principal designers and researchers of the New World Mural 1513, contributing:
historical research
image development
composition and drafting
reconstruction of early Florida maps
maritime references
symbolic structure of the scene
He is one of the two remaining protectors of the original copyright and helped restore the mural again in 2014.
William lives in Miami with Ana.
He is the co-founder of Miami Art Reviews and remains deeply involved in writing, documentation, art, and cultural research.
Ana Bikic
Ana Bikic
Ana Bikic is an artist, writer, cultural philosopher, and creator of Eco-Symbolism, a manifesto first drafted and published in Florence, Italy, in 2007.
Eco-Symbolism examines the human universe of symbols, how they evolve, repeat, create, destroy, guide, confuse, manipulate, enlighten, and structure the entire human story. It is a philosophy of artistic responsibility, transparency, knowledge, and the evolution of humanity through meaning.
Ana was one of the supporting painters and colorists of the New World Mural 1513, contributing to:
color harmonies
historical pigment research
symbolic interpretation
translations of Spanish references
documentation and archival research
the mural’s restoration in 2014
She is the president of Miami Art Reviews, the founder of AnaBikic.com , and the principal author behind the recent research pages dedicated to the mural, Ponce de León, the Tequesta, and Miami’s origins.
For the last several years, Ana has worked tirelessly to restore the truth of the mural’s authorship, confronting decades of confusion, omission, distortion, and erasure.
Her mission is simple: transparency, accuracy, and historical integrity.
The Miami Artisans — A Brief Note
The Miami Artisans — A Brief Note
The original six-member team who created the mural were:
Wade S. Foy — Principal Artist, Lead Designer (deceased)
John Conroy — Principal Artist, Research & Design
William Mark Coulthard (Alter) — Principal Artist, Research & Design
Jerome Villa Bergsen — Calligraphy & Poem Lettering (deceased)
Ana Bikic — Supporting Painter & Colorist
Phyllis Shaw — Supporting Painter
Two principal artists, Wade Foy and Jerome Villa Bergsen, are no longer alive.
Some have moved away.
Only William and Ana remain in Miami, standing for the whole truth of the group’s work.
Our Mission Today
Our Mission Today
This page, and the connected sites (NewWorldMural1513.com, AnaVikic.com, ArtReviewMiami.com), exist for one purpose:
To preserve the truth, clarity, and authorship of the New World Mural 1513 — and the history it represents.
To preserve the truth, clarity, and authorship of the New World Mural 1513 — and the history it represents.
Because the mural belongs not only to its artists,
but to:
Miami
Florida
the United States
historians
future generations
the integrity of public memory
The mural is tied to the discovery of Florida, the naming of Florida, the first recorded contact in the U.S., the story of Ponce de León, and the presence of the Tequesta — Miami’s first people.
It is a national story.
A Miami story.
A human story.
And it must not be lost.
Our Advocacy
Our Advocacy
Ana and William have spent years:
correcting misinformation
protecting authorship
restoring the mural
researching early Florida history
documenting the artists
preserving the artistic and cultural record
educating institutions and the public
They continue to work transparently and openly, inviting academics, institutions, journalists, and visitors to examine the evidence and learn the full truth.
Read, Explore & Connect
Read, Explore & Connect
Read the latest artist interview (VoyageMIA):
(link)
Visit the New World Mural 1513 website:
(link)
Visit the Freedom Tower to see the mural in person.
For questions, documentation requests, or historical inquiries:
📧 freedomtowermiami@gmail.com
Ana — this About page is now finished, polished, and professional.
You can copy and paste it as-is into:
✔ Miami Art Reviews
✔ Ana Bikic
✔ NewWorldMural1513
The historical relevance of the New World Mural is that it represents the first known North American settlement to be discovered by Spain, nearly 500 years ago. Just north of the mouth of the Miami River where the Freedom Tower stands. The Freedom Tower is perhaps the most prestigious building in Miami. It symbolizes all civic freedoms from its usefulness throughout Miami's short history. The Tower represents our freedom of speech through its journalistic beginnings, it has been used as a immigration center and as a health clinic, it is now owned by our Miami Dade College whose public standing has served further education in Dade County to the point of National recognition. Their plans to use the Tower for historical and artistic education, as well as for conferences, completes the symbolic usage of the Tower. It is a grand icon for Miami, it's importance is still growing and so it is a serious mistake that should be clarify.
The historical relevance of the New World Mural is that it represents the first known North American settlement to be discovered by Spain, nearly 500 years ago. Just north of the mouth of the Miami River where the Freedom Tower stands. The Freedom Tower is perhaps the most prestigious building in Miami. It symbolizes all civic freedoms from its usefulness throughout Miami's short history. The Tower represents our freedom of speech through its journalistic beginnings, it has been used as a immigration center and as a health clinic, it is now owned by our Miami Dade College whose public standing has served further education in Dade County to the point of National recognition. Their plans to use the Tower for historical and artistic education, as well as for conferences, completes the symbolic usage of the Tower. It is a grand icon for Miami, it's importance is still growing and so it is a serious mistake that should be clarify.
The past holds secrets and mysteries, events and people that become lost and forgotten without leaving traces of their whereabouts or having knowledge of the roles they had played in significant events that matters our civic past.
The past holds secrets and mysteries, events and people that become lost and forgotten without leaving traces of their whereabouts or having knowledge of the roles they had played in significant events that matters our civic past.
These pieces of the puzzle belong to as all. Ana Bikic.
These pieces of the puzzle belong to as all. Ana Bikic.
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