Jurors gathered on Tuesday, October 5 and Wednesday, October 6 at the Coconut Grove Arts & Historical Association in the Shoppes at Mayfair (3390 Mary Street, Suite 128) to select artists to participate in the 2011 Coconut Grove Arts Festival.
Using previous award winning pieces to set the standards for this year’s exhibitors, jurors viewed more than 1,200 applications. The jurying process resembled a digital art collection in itself as images from each of the Festival’s 13 categories covered the walls of the Arts Festival offices for two days straight.
Jurors reviewed work from 49 states and six countries to determine who made the cut. International applications were received from Canada, Peru, Spain, Israel and Italy. A total 397 applications came from Florida artists including, 58 from Miami and four from the Village of Coconut Grove. A whopping 187 new artists, who had never applied to show before, also sent in their best pieces.
Participating artists will be announced November 1. On the heels of last year’s event, which many participating artists claimed to be their most economically successful festival yet, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival announced it will be adding 30 additional booth spaces for the 2011 year, bringing its total participating artist count to 380.
Categories of participation will include 2D Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Digital Art, Printmaking & Drawing, Watercolor, Claywork, Glass, Fiber, Jewelry & Metalwork, 3D Mixed Media, Sculpture and Wood. Last year’s winners were automatically invited to exhibit their art at this year’s Arts Festival.
The 2011 Arts Festival will be held February 19-21. It is produced by the non-profit Coconut Grove Arts and Historical Association. Proceeds help fund year-round arts programs and benefit a building fund that will create a permanent home for the Arts Festival. The association also maintains the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery and presents special exhibitions throughout the year from its location at the Shoppes at Mayfair.
Since its inception in 1963, the assoc iation has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to students who attend fine arts programs in local schools. For more information, or to purchase tickets for the Arts Festival online, please visit www.CGAF.com.
