Seventeenth Annual Gifford Lane Art Stroll
Sunday, March 1st, 12 noon to 5:00 p.m.
Gifford Lane
between Oak and Day Avenues (3200 block)
Coconut Grove, FL
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Free Valet Bike Parking!

World’s Smallest Arts Festival Rocks On

Each year the artists gather here beneath the trees. Every year, people flock here for a good time and to grab up the art. And unlike almost any other event in Florida, each year at the end of the day, they give away all the money. They’ve got great karma.

Everything takes place on Gifford Lane along one residential block near the Kirk Munroe tennis courts, between Oak and Day Avenues (3200 block) in Coconut Grove. There will be no vehicular traffic permitted along the lane during the event.

The event features work by seventy artists positioned along the lane with artwork displayed on fences, in front yards, on clotheslines, in trees and on ladders. Some of the finest artists in the region will be in attendance. Residents often describe the Gifford Lane Art Stroll as the “Grove the way the Grove once was.” Neighbor Nathan Kurland, a central organizer of the event for the past eight years, says, “As far as I can tell, the Gifford Lane Art Stroll is Coconut Grove.”

“The thing is,” says Trina Collins, a painter and one of the founders of the Stroll who lives on the block, “at lots of arts festivals, artists are primarily interested in just having their work seen. But at the Gifford Lane Art Stroll, artists come to sell. The price is right. The quality’s good. You see tons of people going up the lane with a new treasure tucked under their arm.”

It is a freewheeling art marketplace. Sculpture, portraits, seascapes, landscapes, jewelry, tile mosaics, large abstract paintings, photography, mixed media, found art objects, and several art forms that as yet have no names—it is all here and readily available.

Each year artists apply to the Stroll to be included and each year there is a waiting list. A request also goes out to artists for submissions to be considered for the annual poster. The entire planning committee of 30 residents selects the winner. This year’s honor goes to multi-award winning artist Eileen Seitz, a NYC-born, long-time Groveite. Eileen’s artwork is seen internationally and is visible throughout the Grove—from her hand-painted Ambassador kiosks in the Village Center to her collaborative contribution to the Children’s Mosaic of glittering underwater tilework on the side of the U.S. Post Office here.

The live music at the Stroll provides the perfect soundtrack for the afternoon—when it is loud, people dance in the street; and when it sways gently, people chat and stroll the lane. It is nonstop good times. This year, featured performers appearing for their sixth year at the Stroll will be regional favorites, the high energy folk rock tunesmiths Solar Dogs. Band members are Eric Wagner, Zip Robertson, Bill Kunz, and Robert Grabowski. Solar Dogs strikes the perfect tone of sweetness and good vibrations that the Stroll crowd loves. Who could resist dancing when these lads light it up?

Coconut Grove music legend Bobby Ingram will be performing his wonderful solo vocals and guitar. Bobby has performed with David Crosby, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jimmy Buffet, Fred Neil, Gail Garnet and many others. We are truly honored to have Bobby back performing at the Stroll. Also featured this year will be popular Grove musician Ronnie Brooks in his first Stroll appearance.

Each and every year, the Gifford Lane Art Stroll gives away all of its profits to Coconut Grove charities. A percentage of every piece of art sold, and all of the proceeds from contributions for the now-famous (written about in The New York Times, Miami Herald, and The Miami New Times) cucumber punch, not to mention substantial funds from the sale of delicious food selections goes directly to charity. Over the last sixteen years, the Stroll has donated all of their money– more than $40,000– to two Grove charities, the St. Stephen’s AIDS Ministry and the St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center in the Grove Village West.

The true heart and soul of the Gifford Lane Art Stroll are some thirty neighbors who each year meet over potluck dinners to undertake all of the many small details that make each year a success. Everyone is a volunteer, including Founding Director Trina Collins. This year, Barbara Tejada, an oil painter and herself director of the Grove House Artists, is the Art Stroll Facilitator responsible for coordinating all of the details of the event with Trina Collins and Velvet Rothe, the Stroll’s government relations coordinator.

Peggy Quattro, a marketing professional who volunteers with the Stroll, says there are many art forms included in the Gifford Lane Art Stroll, but one of the most important is “the art of commun-ity.” Participating artist, Uta, says, “I can’t think of a sweeter party that fuses art, music and joy.” Jugglers and a bounce house are always big draws for families with children.

This year, for the first time, will feature free monitored bike valet parking sponsored by Bike Coconut Grove on the swale at the intersection of Gifford Lane and Oak Avenue. Simply leave your bike with the bike valet, take a numbered ticket (the other half of the ticket is attached to your bike), and enjoy the Stroll knowing your bike is being watched in a secure setting.

The 17th Annual Gifford Lane Art Stroll will delight those in attendance on Sunday, March 1st, from 12 until 5:00 p.m. in Coconut Grove under the beautiful trees among the welcoming artists along sweet Gifford Lane.