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This March, Downtown Coral Gables will be transformed into a celestial art experience with “Moon Over The Gables,” an event that brings the internationally renowned “Museum of the Moon” to Ponce Circle Park starting Thursday, Mar. 9. The rapturous presence of our closest celestial neighbor will loom over artistic, scientific and cultural events.
The event is presented by the Coral Gables Community Foundation and the City of Coral Gables, the same team that brought you the unforgettable “Umbrella Sky” experience on Giralda Plaza. The U.K. artist Luke Jerram’s spectacular traveling art installation, “Museum of the Moon” is the centerpiece of attention — a world class exhibit that has been featured all over the globe.
“We are ecstatic to bring this world-class art installation to a world-class city, Coral Gables,” said Mary Snow, foundation president and CEO. “We are so grateful to our donors and to the city for their support in bringing this gift to the community.”
The foundation is developing partnerships with local organizations and institutions that will bring performing arts, music, cultural, and science activations in the park to augment the installation. For example, Books & Books will be the focus of an evening featuring books about the Moon.
Stunning art installation
Measuring 23 feet in diameter, U.K. artist Luke Jerram’s moon features 120 dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each inch of the sculpture represents 8 miles of the moon’s surface. Eight miles is the distance from Ponce Circle Park in Coral Gables to the Florida’s Turnpike Extension or SW 137th Avenue.
Over its lifetime, the Museum of the Moon travels from place to place, and it gathers new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies. It also highlights the latest lunar science. The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones.
Known for bringing nearly a century of arts and culture to its residents, the City of Coral Gables was eager to partner with the foundation in bringing Moon Over The Gables to reality. With strengthening the arts a pillar of his strategic plan for the City Beautiful, Mayor Vince Lago is effusive in welcoming la Luna to Ponce Circle.
“While ‘Moon Over The Gables’ is certain to educate and entertain, I hope it also serves to inspire and embolden the community. I am sure that Coral Gables residents and businesses are eager to see the arts flourish and will come out to see this incredible installation,” Mayor Lago said.
Community impact and value
Other cities that have exhibited the Museum of the Moon as a part of art events and festivals have reported significant visitation numbers and benefits to the local economy. Another city with similar demographics to Coral Gables exhibited the Museum of the Moon for nine days drawing 40,000 visitors leveraging a $2.4 million economic impact for the local community.
Ponce Circle Park will become the center of activity through unique experiences for the entire community. The Museum of the Moon sponsors and their logos will be highly visible for the projected visitors.
Acknowledgement
Museum of The Moon is an innovative international art project co-commissioned by a number of creative organizations brought together by Luke Jerram and Norfolk & Norwich Festival. These include:Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, Brighton Festival, Without Walls, Cork Midsummer Festival, We The Curious, Lakes Alive, Provincial Domain Dommelhof, Les Tombées de la Nuit, Rennes and Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
The artwork also has been created in partnership with the UK Space Agency, University of Bristol and The Association for Science and Discovery Centres.
About Coral Gables Community Foundation
Established in 1991, the Coral Gables Community Foundation inspires impactful philanthropy through charitable funds and programs using local knowledge, expertise and trusted relationships. More at www.GablesFoundation.org.
Event dates:
(Thursday-Saturday)
Mar. 9-10-11;
Mar. 16-17-18, and
Mar. 23-24-25.
Times will vary by date. See Events schedule on website at https://moonoverthegables.com/events/.
Ponce Circle Park is located at 2801 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables 33134.
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