Many intellectuals held conferences at the Lyceum. Vanguard artist of the period were also given the opportunity to exhibit their art at the institution. Artists such as Wilfredo Lam had their first national exhibitions at the Lyceum, and Lydia Cabrera, preeminent Cuban ethnographer of Afro-Cuban religions, was amongst its members and contributors. Literary contests for adults and children, the creation of a public library, and publications sponsored by the Lyceum made this an all encompassing cultural institution.

Jorge Mañach y Robato was one intellectual who participated in programs at the Lyceum. He was born in Sagua la Grande in 1898 and died in Puerto Rico in 1961. Mañach was a philosopher, professor, keen observer and promoter of Cuban culture. His major works focused on the Cuban condition as he saw it. La Crisis de La Alta Cultura en Cuba and his seminal works on José Martí are examples of his contributions to the development of Cuban values and a national consciousness. His work on Martí is considered one of the best interpretations on his oeuvre as well as his political thought.

The picture shown was taken in 1953 at the Lyceum's commemoration of the centenary of José Martí at which Mañach was a key speaker. His presentation, "Significación del Centenario Martiano," was published in Revista Lyceum. Shown in the photograph from left to right are: María Luisa Guerrero, Ofelia Veulens de Alvarez, Jorge Mañach y Robato, Luis A. Baralt, and Elena Mederos de González.

This photograph forms part of the Lyceum and Lawn Tennis Club Collection of the Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC) of the University of Miami Libraries. This collection was compiled in the late 1980s by the librarians of the Cuban Heritage Collection by canvassing former Lyceum members to donate materials related to that organization. It includes events and exhibitions programs, monthly newsletters, and photographs, particularly of the Lyceum's famous flower shows.