Coconut Grove Arts Festival

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival® (CGAF) is one of the oldest and most prestigious outdoor juried fine art festivals in the United States. Founded in 1963 by Charlie Cinnamon as a publicity stunt for the Coconut Grove Playhouse, it quickly became a treasured yearly event. We will celebrate the 60th festival this President’s Day Weekend, February 17-19, 2024. 

This year more than 1,000 fine artists from across the nation applied for one of the coveted 285 spaces. Our jury, composed of art professionals, reviewed and scored each applicant. The top 243 were invited to join the 42 award winners from 2023 –  with media ranging from clay, glass, and wood, to painting, photography and digital arts.  

In 2023, a vastly improved family area was introduced, renamed “Inner Artist.” We installed easels so families could experience the joy of painting, we added art projects and introduced family entertainment. Our very favorite new addition, is our Young Collector’s Tent.

In the words of CGAF President Monty Trainer, “As much as we need to encourage young artists, we also need to encourage young patrons to appreciate and purchase their art.” Artists generously donate a small piece that children can purchase for $5, the only rule is that the child must be the one to choose the art. In this way, we instill a passion for collecting early on.

Last year also saw a complete revamping of the annual Emerging Artist program. Many artists choose shows like CGAF as their career path because it is a viable option for earning a living and its two-year mentor program is designed to help them navigate the complexities of road shows. The first year, 14 emerging artists were taught everything from how to apply to shows, how to price and display their work, and even got valuable tips on how best to transport their work from more than 40 mentors who volunteered their time over the weekend. These young artists will show their work this year in a joint Next Generation tent. Each year a new group of arts will be selected to join this revolving program. 

We were also able to earmark funds for up to $75,000 in scholarships for graduating students in the Miami-Dade County school system and students at Florida International University. We plan to continue to strengthen this initiative.

For 2024, we will see our nationally recognized Visiting Artist program return. Festival artists will be invited to local schools to introduce their art practice. More than just bringing art to the schools, we are encouraging students to pursue art as a career option. Mixed media artist Ben Frey, the Festival’s 2023 poster artist, recently shared a success story: A young woman recently approached him at a festival. Eight years ago, after attending a class during which Ben shared his mixed media magic, she was so moved and inspired that she became a mixed media artist herself. She is now finishing up her BA. This is precisely why we do this.