I had the pleasure of attending the 2023 Coconut Grove Arts Festival. On Friday while they were setting up for the event Marshall Steingold was kind enough to spend some time talking to me about the history of Coconut Grove Arts Festival and what to expect this year. I learned so many interesting things from Marshall from how the CGAF got its start to some awkward moments with artists in the past.
The Coconut Grove Arts Festival started in 1963. This tradition began as a publicity stunt for the show Irma La Douce to advertise the the play and turn the already artsy streets of Coconut Grove into a “Left Bank”(A district in Paris on the southern/left bank of the Siene River that has long been noted for artistic and intellectual life.) Charlie Cinnamon invited about a dozen artists to display their artwork at a clothesline art show filled with local art to publicize the new show at the Playhouse. Little did he know that this publicity start would snowball into one of the nation’s top outdoor arts festivals, bringing art lovers, collectors, artists, families, and children to Coconut Grove to enjoy the best in festival food and music – but mostly amazing art!
There were so many artists to see at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival that Unfortunately I couldn’t talk to all of them however some of the artists that stood out to me are in this gallery below. Click on their names to check out their websites and support the artists! And stay tuned for a new Legacies of Tomorrow Podcast with one of the artists below!
Gravy Creations 
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