Gifford Lane Art Stroll back for 21st year

Now that the February art festivals are over, get ready for another! The Gifford Lane Art Stroll will return for its 21st year on Sunday, March 3. 

The annual stroll, on sleepy tree-lined Gifford Lane will take place from noon to 5 pm between Oak and Day Avenues. 

Grovite Glenn Terry will be there as always, he says, “In a world getting too fast and way too big, this slow, small show in the Grove is absolutely perfect.”  Along with Glenn showing his work, 72 artists will line the street showing and selling their art. 

Nathan Kurland, neighbor and one of the Stroll organizers for many years, says, “As far as I can tell, the Gifford Lane Art Stroll is Coconut Grove.”  Others have described the Stroll as “the Grove the way the Grove once was.”  One out-of-state visitor said,  “The people that come to this little festival are themselves the main attraction.  It’s happy, communal, and relaxed.  I think It’s about how these people see themselves.”

Artists come to sell; people come to buy.  It’s all here: sculpture, portraits, landscapes, jewelry, tile mosaics, the world’s most unusual potholders, large abstract paintings, nudes, mixed media, photography, found art objects, boiled books, seascapes, and what can only be termed “whimsies” with no category name.  In short, it is just the sort of stuff you might want to place in your home.  All afternoon you‘ll see people proudly--almost defiantly--marching up the lane with art acquisitions tucked under their arm. Make a deal with the artist, they are there to wheel and deal.

The Gifford Lane Art Stroll is put together by an energized group of some 30 neighbors.  

Each year, neighbors divide up all of the responsibilities that make the event a success.  Folks clamber up ladders to hang cross-street banners and strings of colorful pennants.  People get together to peel and slice hundreds of cucumbers and limes for the famous event beverage, the Cucumber Punch, the Stroll's main attraction it seems.  

This year's poster art.

This year’s Stroll poster is by artist Sheri Friedman who ran Blu Moon Studio in Coconut Grove for many years.  Posters will be available at the event.  Also this year the Stroll is proud to include an additional band in the mix -  Jon Sullivan and Friends, known for their classic country tunes.

The live music at the Stroll provides a  soundtrack for the afternoon as it wafts through the crowd.  This year, featured as the band for the eleventh straight year, are the Grove's own Solar Dogs.  Band members are Eric Wagner (vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo), Anthony Dick (bass player), Zip Robertson (guitar, harmonica, vocals), and Bill Kunz (fiddle, banjo, mandolin).  You haven’t danced until you’ve closed out a Stroll dancing in the street with someone you may not even know to their amazing music.

As it has for each of the past 21 years, at the end of the day, the Gifford Lane Art Stroll will give away all of its money including a percentage of each artist’s sales to two Coconut  Grove charities: the St. Stephen’s AIDS Ministry and the St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center in the Village West.  Over the years, many thousands of dollars have been donated.

Participating artist, and one of Coconut Grove’s most respected painters,  Karen Deilke describes the day, “The Gifford Lane Art Stroll is the cream of the crop.  The old Grove at its best.  Laid back and fun!  Music, art, special punch, a trip back in time.  What more could you ask?  It is my favorite art show.” 

The Gifford Lane Art Stroll unfolds  under the huge trees that arch over a tiny Grove lane named after one of the most important environmentalists in the history of Florida, Dr. John C. Gifford. 

Bring the kids.  Have fun.  Sip the magic punch.  Buy the art.  Come as you are.  Be part of the show!  It comes but once a year.  Sunday, March 3, noon until 5:00 pm.