The whimsical characters are bright and funny

One of our favorite artists at Monday's Art Basel Night, was Aisha Blakey, a top Art Basel award winner. Her whimsical work is on display at the Max in the Grove Gallery (2996 McFarlane Road).


The little set of birds are really cute. They're like 3-D cartoons. Aisha's work will be at the Max Gallery throughout the month and there is a lot of fresh contemporary art by new young artists also on display at the gallery.

Decking the Grove out for the holidays

The holiday decorations have been going up all over town. The BID had the snow flags put up last week and the flower baskets have been changed out for the season, but the bulk of decorations are going up this week.

Louis has the info booth in the center of town all decked out. There's garland and lots of hanging ornaments and of course, Christmas lights.




The banks and restaurants and almost every store has something up. From Mayfair (above) down to Commodore Plaza, it's getting all Christmassy.


The Blond Tulip at the Mayfair Arcade is decked out in lots of red poinsettias. The ultimate has to be the big lighted sign above The Bookstore which says, "Happy Everything!"

Silverado opens on Fuller Street today

Silverado Custom Belts and Jewelry opens today at 3092 Fuller Street. The accessory store is a little taste of the South West and completes the little boutique street where you now can find almost anything boutique-y.


Jacquie, the owner, showed us around. They have top of the line items. There is vintage Navajo and Zuni jewelry and belts, sterling silver and gold belt buckles and name brand Clint Ormes buckles and ranger sets, they also carry Alex Califino belts and buckles.


The belts consist of cobra, pytyon, singray, lizard, crocodile and alligator.


If you're looking for a special color belt, they most likely have it.


And if you're in the market for a special cake, they will do that, too! Jacquie's son, Darren, is a baker who worked on the 40th birthday cake of Prince Charles in England. So stop by with your special orders. For more info, you may reach the store at 305-744-2447.

Art Basel Night draws many art lovers to Grove

At times it seemed like a solo event, but other times Monday's Art Basel Night in Coconut Grove had thousands of people in the galleries. It was amazing how many people came out on a Monday night.


It seemed to be contained to one area of the Grove, for some reason, visitors did not head toward Commodore Plaza or past CocoWalk, most stayed at the Mayfair area and mostly in the Atrium where the new Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery opened along with the original Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery. There were the large John Angee sculptures and the After Party at the back of the Atrium, with two bands and lots of liquor.


The new Arts Festival Gallery seemed to draw the most people. At one point you could not move around for all the people. Young and old came out and enjoyed the art.


The free trolley was fun and lots of people took advantage of that. The trolley picked up and delivered at each gallery location. Above Donna Sweeny and Kent Tate hop on for a spin.


Melonice Robinson drove the trolley all night. At right, Armando Paz and his sister Raquel with Kati McCain enjoyed the art, music and people watching. One great thing about these large Grove events is that so many locals come out to enjoy and it's like Old Home Week with all the familiar faces out and about.


Art imitating life: The Max Gallery on McFarlane Road had a lot of great new art.


There was lots of Florida Highwaymen art featured at many of the Galleries. From the 1950’s through the 1980’s a group of 26 African-American artists painted beautiful landscapes that displayed the serene, undeveloped Florida landscape of their time, they were known as The Highwaymen. Many of the artists were present themselves. Above, a whole wall features Highwaymen art at the new AC Fine Art Gallery.


Charles Walker, one of the Highwaymen, displayed his art at the Artway66 Gallery. Above with Charles is his wife Gertrude Walker and daughter Charlene Walker. Gertrude owns the Gertrude Walker Gallery in Fort Pierce., which features Charles' wildlife landscapes and marine art. Charles was born in Fort Pierce and was known for his wildlife art well before he was known as one of the Highwaymen. He was inducted into the Florida Artist Hall of Fame in 2004.


Artway66 had a nice crowd, they usually bring in lots of people for their mix of eclectic art. This Saturday during Gallery Walk, they'll present their usual art along with the ballet and other performances.


Fred and AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt flank Nicky Prince at the new Arts Festival Gallery.


The trolley rolled late into the night. It was a nice addition to the Grove and would be a great regular thing to have on Gallery Walk nights and perhaps every weekend. Again, aside from the lack of visitors to the Commodore Plaza end of the Grove, the Mayfair Atrium event was a huge success. People partied late into the night at the After Party at the Atrium.

City's Menorah Lighting Celebration is Wednesday

Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and Commission Chairman Marc Sarnoff join Rabbi Hector Epelbaum and Cantor Julie Jacobs, of the Beth David Congregation, for a special public celebration of Chanukah.

The community is invited to Miami City Hall (3500 Pan American Drive), Wednesday, December 1, from 5 to 6 pm for the symbolic lighting of the first menorah candle. Elected officials and community leaders are expected to attend the ceremony and will assist in kindling the menorah.

The public is invited to participate.

Students present weekend Musical Review

The students at the Arts and Minds School are presenting "What Happens in 402(A)," A Musical Review, on Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4. The presentation is at 7 pm both nights at the Abanico Theater (3138 Commodore Plaza).

Admission is $5 at the door for the general public and free for students with ID. For info, please call 305-448-1100.

The GroveHouse, 50 years later

You all know the GroveHouse at the Mayfair Promenade, the co-op art gallery run by local artists. But did you know the original GroveHouse started in 1960? I recently was privy to lots of old documents, newspapers and other items, showing the history of the GroveHouse and many Grove entities.

The GroveHouse was started by James Merrick Smith, Otto Holbein and Lester Pancoast who were concerned about giving local artists an outlet for their work. GroveHouse became an incorporated non-profit marketplace for their work. (Click on the invitation here for larger view).

The original GroveHouse was at the original Coconut Grove Bank Building (now H&H Jewels on Main Highway) and later moved into a two story yellow house at 1 Playhouse Alley, where it offered a homey open porch and large rooms. Eventually they moved to larger quarters because their membership was over 500. A school at the back of their new facility on Main Highway was a school where students learned from professional artists. Everything was taught from photography to painting, sculpture, etc. There were over 30 workshops and seminars at one point.

The GroveHouse branched out and had annexes at Mercy Hospital and Suniland. Members did shows "on the road," like at FIU. Movies were shown at the GroveHouse in collaboration with The Experimental Cinema of Miami.

In the early 1970s, Erika King, local artist, was the interim director. She tried to bring in modern art but the crafts people felt threatened and thought it was too far out, which may have been the beginning of their problems, since they refused to move with the times.

By the mid 1970s, the GroveHouse started having financial problems. You can see the front page report in this June 8, 1974 issue of The Village Post (the Grove's newspaper at the time, please click on the image for larger view). The paper said it was due to a lack of community support, which seems hard to believe now since we have always considered the Grove to be an arts center of Miami.

By June 29, 1974, a headline in the Miami Herald proclaimed "Grove House Saved" and Grace Wing Bohne proclaimed in her article that over 700 people showed up for the GroveHouse "Rescue Party" event on June 27, 1974. They raised $10,000 in one night, which went to their $12,000 debt. Grace said, "Old-timers and new-timers joined the throng. Founding mother Mary Whitlock reminisced with attorney John Gunn who drew up the charter in 1960."

The Grove House's newsletter in September 1974 proclaimed, "Sun's Out!" and reported on the success of the June rescue party. Also part of the newsletter is an announcement of a modeling sketch class, only $1.50. (Click on the newsletter for larger view).

Eventually the GroveHouse folded due to lack of funding and years later was resurrected in 2005, to the entity you see today. They were first on Main Highway at St. Stephen's and now at the Mayfair Promenade next to The Improv. What's old is new again.

Above and below is the GroveHouse today. They really come alive on Coconut Grove Gallery Walk nights, the first Saturday of each month, and they'll be part of the Grove's Art Basel night on November 29 and Concierge Night on November 30.

Lots of new art to see tonight for Art Basel night

The large sculptures by John Angee are in the Mayfair Atrium, there are three of them, near where the bull used to be. The bull is now pushed back and stands behind them. They will be premiered tonight during the Coconut Grove Art Basel event.


You can get an idea of the size with Nicky standing under them. They are sure to be the spot for most of the picture taking tonight.


Outside the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery, is recycled lawn furniture, you may remember these items from Park(ing) Day. The Arts Festival Gallery has two spaces for Art Basel, their usual location in the Atrium and the former Palm Produce spot out front on Grand Avenue. The Atrium is also the place for the after party tonight.


12 galleries will be showing their best tonight for Art Starts in the Grove, to welcome Art Basel to Miami. The Blu Moon Studio will be featuring the works of Sheri Friedman, Aleloop, Atena Komar, Peter Barreda, Carolina Nelida Gauna and Lourdes Orta.

Above is work by Aisha Blakey, a top Art Basel award winner. She will be on hand tonight at the Max in the Grove Gallery (2996 McFarlane Road).

All the galleries will be showing off special works and as much as I didn't want to like it because they took the space of the Windisch-Hunt Gallery, I do like the new AC Fine Art (2911 Grand Avenue). Having just come back from New York and visiting the Museum of Modern Art, I really like seeing the pop art all over the new gallery.

There will be drink and dinner specials all over town from 7 -10 pm. The galleries will be open until 11 pm. Then there is the After Party at the Mayfair Promenade which begins about 9ish. Parking is only $1.00 for the whole night at the Oak Plaza Garage, which is right near the Atrium. Get a pass at the BID office.

During the week of November 29 - December 5, all galleries will be open until at least 9 pm.

Palm Produce Resortwear has two locations in Coconut Grove. One is at the Shoppes at Mayfair, right next to The Bookstore on Grand Avenue and the other is on the first floor at CocoWalk, next to The Gap.


They carry sportswear and accessories for men and women, including bathing suits. One popular feature are Sandra Roberts handbags for $68.00.


The clothing line is always being updated, so check in weekly for new items. At left are items always in stock, men's Bamboo Cay shirts ($62) and Dorfman Pacific hats ($32).


Little purses in fun shapes make great stocking stuffers ($12 to $14).


Beach bags and hand bags are always updated. They start at $42.


Palm Produce has a nice women's show line. Here are Dr. Scholl's shoes ($59.99).


Wicker bags by Michael Carrato and Sheila Dubrofsky are in stock. The wicker bag at left is $42; the one at right is $48; the Sue Cox scarf wrapped around the one bag is $18.


And for visitors and toursits, and even proud locals, Palm Produce offers Coconut Grove souvenir clothing. The baseball cap is $14.50; the Hoodie sweatshirt is $$38; the t-shirts with embroidered lettering are $18.50.

Palm Produce's Mayfair store may be reached at: 305-448-0777 and the CoconWalk location at: 305-445-5533.

Bacardi Sailing Week coming back to Grove

Norway’s Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen at 2010 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week.

Following a successful inaugural year, Bacardi Miami Sailing Week (BMSW) will return to Coconut Grove, for its second annual running from March 6-12, 2011.

Featured at the week-long regatta will be the 84th running of the historic Bacardi Cup for the Star Class. The Bacardi Cup was conceived in 1927 as a three-day event with less than ten boats competing for the Trofeo Bacardi as part of Cuba’s Mid-Winter Championship. The regatta continued for 30 years until political unrest forced the Cup to move in 1962 from Havana to the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Coconut Grove. Since continuing ever since in the Grove, the Cup has grown into an internationally renowned sailing spectacle with as many as 200 world-class sailors representing 23 different countries, all channeling the grand tradition of camaraderie that has made the event so cherished by its participants.

The event will be a six-day experience that will gather national and international sailing classes together in a fun-filled week of regattas, awards ceremonies, parties, and cultural exhibits. The racing begins on March 7, with events scheduled daily through March 12. The prestigious Coral Reef Yacht Club will coordinate on-water activities in collaboration with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The U.S. Sailing Center and Shake-A-Leg Miami will also support the event. Racing will be held on three separate courses approximately two miles out on Biscayne Bay. Event registration is online at www.MiamiSailingWeek.com.

Photo by Cory Silken.

Art Basel starts in the Grove Monday night

Spend the first night of Basel week in Miami's first art district. Coconut Grove welcomes art enthusiasts on November 29 to celebrate the creative process with a variety of media and subject matter in Miami's original art scene. Ten of the area's fastest growing galleries are presenting an array of work ranging from world renowned sculptures to South American fine art pieces to emerging, local contemporary collections. Guest galleries will also be exhibiting on this special night.

The night starts at 5 pm, where restaurants and bars in the Grove will be offering specials for this evening only. At 6 pm, trolleys begin running through the Grove from gallery to gallery. The After Party at the Mayfair Atrium Sculpture Garden, with works by acclaimed artist John Angee starts at 10 pm.

Food, drink, wine tastings, live music, DJs and more will fill the night. It's all free and open to the public.

Have you grown your stash for Movember?

Grove Cares is presenting Movember Happy Hour in the Grove on Friday, December 3 at The Grove Spot (3324 Virginia Street).

During November, the Ride My Stache team, brought to you by the FestiDan guys, has dedicated their facial hair to show support in the fight against cancer. Their mustaches become their "cancer ribbon" for men's health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men.

Just like a walk-a-thon or run for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing their mustache for 30 days. The idea for Movember started in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia. The idea was to bring the mustache back as a joke, but at the same time, to do something for men's health.

They didn't raise funds in 2003, but the guys behind the Mo realized the potential a moustache had in generating conversations about men’s health. In 2004, they got serious about raising money, especially for prostate cancer treatment. $55,000 was raised by 432 Mo's.

The Movember movement has grown each year since and has become a worldwide event. In 2009, global participation of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas climbed to 255,755, with over one million donors raising $42 Million US equivalent dollars for Movember’s global beneficiary partners.

The Grove Spot Happy Hour is from 6 to 10 pm. Drinks will be half off from 6 to 9 pm. There are also prizes and giveaways in a raffle.

To donate to the cause, please go here. Info on Movember is here.

The tourists love Barracuda for more than just beer

Barracuda on Fuller Street is known for their fish sandwiches and Magic Hat beer, also now for their Pumpkin Carving and Pet Costume Contest, but one thing you may not know is that it is the most commonly photographed building in the Grove by tourists.

They love the bright pink building and neon signs, they are constantly taking pictures there. Wouldn't it be cool if the Grove was known for this -- if all buildings were brightly painted like in Bermuda and the Bahamas? It's something to think about.

Memories . . . ads from back in the day . . .

These ads came from a 1970 publication put out by the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce.