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On April 2, 2022, art aficionados gathered at South Miami’s Dante Fascell Park for the unveiling of six colorful sculptures created in Colombia and donated to the city by the artists. The day featured Colombian dancers, traditional foods and fragrant flower arrangements in honor of South Miami’s new sister city relationship with Medellin, Colombia.
The new sculptures grace the park’s new Colombia Sculpture Garden and can be admired up close by parkgoers and by cyclists and motorists from Red Road. Four more sculptures will be added to the park in the near future.
The Colombia Sculpture Garden is the brainchild of South Miami Commissioner Josh Liebman, whose first visit to Medellin, Colombia in 2016 ultimately resulted in the two municipalities becoming sister cities in 2018.
“South Miami is almost 100 years old and has never had a sister city, which is a relationship with an international city to promote cultural ties,” says Liebman. “When I broached the subject with Medellin officials, they were excited about the idea. Since improving South Miami’s parks is a great interest of mine, I thought bringing Colombian art to our city would be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our new sister city relationship.”
To honor the event, Colombian-American State Senator Annette Taddeo of Florida’s District 40 dedicated April 2, 2022 as “Feria de las Flores Day.” The proclamation mentions that Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez visited South Miami’s Dante Fascell Park in 2019 for a celebration announcing the formation of the Colombia Sculpture Garden initiative.
Commissioner Liebman envisions further artistic expression throughout South Miami’s park system. “I’d like to see an “art mile” that frames the Underline through South Miami,” he says. “We could feature works from other countries that are represented in our city’s diverse population.”
Dante Fascell Park is the crown jewel of South Miami’s park system, featuring the latest playground equipment, a walking/running path made from recycled car tires, a popular tennis complex, gazebos and the new Colombia Sculpture Garden. It is located at 8600 Red Road, South Miami, Florida 33143.
