An artsy weekend to spend in Coconut Grove

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival and St. Stephen's Art Show open at 11 am today and take over the streets of Coconut Grove until 6 pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I ran into poster artist Marilyn Liedman (with family and friends) who did this year's Coconut Grove Arts Festival poster. Earlier I ran into Carlos Cuban, too, who was setting up his booth at St. Stephen's show, he did the poster art for that.

Marilyn is set up right across from where she got her inspiration for the poster art, the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel. Marilyn has been doing the Grove show for five years and during the first year, in 2007, she stayed at the Sonesta. As she was having breakfast one morning, she glanced at the view from the 8th floor restaurant and saw a pastoral scene of the actual Coconut Grove Arts Festival, "before the tumult and crowds," as she put it.


She snapped the photo and it became a painting a few years later, when she dug it out and painted it. She was quite surprised and pleased when she got a call from the festival office this year, telling her that she was the featured poster artist. It's a great scene of S. Bayshore Drive from above, with the art tents and Sailboat Bay below. It's called "Festival Sunrise." The posters will be sold at the festival at booths, which you'll surely see as you stroll around.


Yesterday afternoon, there was quite a hustle and bustle as artists got their booths ready for this weekend's shows.


The buzz was exciting, especially since I was only walking around taking pictures and not actually doing the heavy lifting.


I loved the dancing pig with the ballarinas, which is at the sculpture end of the festival on S. Bayshore Drive.


The Mayfair Hotel & Spa has a booth, as well as CocoWalk, the Sonesta, Fast Signs and so many other businesses from around the Grove.


All the work is now done, it's time to enjoy. Enjoy the art, live music, people watching and food, lots of great food! See you Saturday, Sunday and Monday along S. Bayshore Drive, up Pan American Drive and McFarlane Road, into the St. Stephen's grounds, from 11 am to 6 pm, all three days.

More on the Coconut Grove Arts Festival here.

More on the St. Stephen's Art Show here.