Grove Galleries Celebrate Anniversaries and Milestones, While Others Debut New Artists
Coconut Grove Gallery Walk Returns Saturday, May 7

The Coconut Grove Gallery Walk returns Saturday, May 7 with an array of exhibitions spotlighting internationally renowned artists. These monthly gatherings are legendary for their festive character, but this month’s Walk marks a particularly special celebration: the one year anniversary of one of the Grove’s newest galleries – RodezArt.com.

In a world full of wars, natural disasters and uncertainties, it is refreshing to know that Chaos can sometimes also be a symbol of positivism and beauty. Looking back on the year that was, gallery owner George Rodez, along with artists Vicente Dopico-Lerner and Daniel Garcia, present “The Order of Chaos: A Group Exhibition.” The Vernissage event celebrating RodezArt.com’s one year anniversary at its CocoWalk location will begin at 7 p.m.

“With a sense of composition, form, enmeshed colors, straight and jagged lines, light and depth, these artists come together to bring order into the spoken word of Chaos,” said George Rodez, artist and owner of RodezArt.com. “To view the work is to see the frenetic reality that life can sometimes be, but with the same token, it also offers a sense of serenity and the beauty of knowing that life is exactly what it should be at all times.”
The Order of Chaos is on view from May 7 to May 30.

Gallery “Walk-ers” can travel to Commodore Plaza to celebrate yet another milestone for one of the area’s great galleries. Cristina Chacon Gallery returns to the Walk on the heels of its ArteAmericas debut this past March. At one of the art world’s most prominent events, Chacon presented a mix of established and undiscovered Latin American artists to a global audience. Bringing this same international magnetism back to the Grove this month, Chacon will present “Synergy” – an exhibition of three young artists, each with a different artistic strength and offering. Milena Arango (Colombia), Patricia Michelangeli (Venezuela) and Keiko Gonzalez (Paraguay) combine their talents to form a true synergy of art.

At the Mayfair Center, Grove Retrospective Gallery will present a temporary exhibition, displaying original French vintage posters from 1889 to 1938. The contemporary, pop art hub specializes in Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali originals and also offers more than 1,000 square feet of space for workshop, classrooms and special art education events.

Next door, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery II continues its “New Work” exhibition, presenting the art of George Bethea, a classic modernist and abstract artist who lives and works in Miami, characterized by sensuous, congested, textured surfaces and luxuriant color in his works.

Bethea composes his abstract paintings by using flexible, transparent acrylic mediums which allow him to spray, pour and pile on the paint. Exhibited and reviewed in North America and Europe, his work can be found in numerous public and private collections. The exhibition will remain open until May 20.

Other galleries featured in the Walk include ArtWay 66, Blue Moon Studio of Art, Dharma Studio, Frameworks Studio, GroveHouse Artists and Max in the Grove.
The Grove Gallery Walk begins at 7 p.m. and continues through 10 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be made available at participating galleries, while live music can be found at some locations.

Art inspired events such as these are provided by partnering galleries and the Coconut Grove BID. The Coconut Grove BID exists to improve the quality and financial success of the Grove’s commercial core. It enhances Grove parking, lighting, sanitation, marketing, and safety, as well as supporting special events.

For more information on the Coconut Grove BID or to see a map of participating galleries, visit www.coconutgrove.com or call 305-461-5506.