For forty years strong, one of the
oldest Key Biscayne traditions re-emerged as yet another Key Biscayne Art
Festival was again a tremendous success. The 40th Annual Key Biscayne
Art Festival was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne, and United
Capital Markets ( a John Devaney Company) and was held, as usual, from
10A.M. to 5 P.M. on the southern most section of Crandon Boulevard (accross
the street from the Post Office and Towers Condomium, just before the entrance
to Cape Florida State Park).
The Admission is free and once again,
there is no parking provided which means that cars will be parked illegually
all over the place. The best way to enjoy the Art Festival is to
bike ride, walk, take your Golf Cart, Segway, or Rollerblades. You
may spend as much trying to find an illegal parking spot as time spent
in the showgrounds.
This year, there are more than 150 regional
and nationally known artists who will be participating in presenting original
artwork that will compete for cash awards that total over $6,000.
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All types of art were presented at
this years Key Biscayne Art Festival. There was water color, acrylic,
oil and pastel paintings along with all types of hand crafted jewelry,
garden sculptures, pottery, wood carvings, rock engravings, photography,
stained glass, blown glass, fine arts and folk arts. Crandon Boulevard
transforms overnight from a sleepy section of road into nearly a half mile
of tents, trucks, and trailers parked strategically along side one another
to project a seamless display of art which is as different as it can be
one booth to the next. There would have to be something for everyone
here and for those very very hard to pick for friends or family members,
you will find that unique one of a kind type of art, be it a door knob,
a painting, a wood carving, an eagle etched into rock, a glass frog, a
ceramic cow, a brass butterfly, and everything in between and beyond.
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As one who is not easily persuaded
to attend art fairs or festivals or shows or anything that says art in
front of it, I would have to say that it was truly refreshing and enjoyable.
The wonders of Key Biscayne were on display from the Barry Howe exhibit
that collaged photographs from the past with the Key Biscayne of today,
abstract painter Carol Napoli, tropical watercolor painter Eileen Seitz,
Key Biscayne tropical seascapes by pastel artist Lynne Libby, and oil paintings
by Fedrico Caroisio whose "Island Paradise" was selected for this year's
official art festival poster. Artists from around the country were
also present selling their wares and there were a few exhibits that looked
like they just came in from New Mexico or Colorado with the whole leather,
bead, feather, indian thing happening, and it would be curious to know
how well they did here on Key Biscayne.
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For someone who has lived out here
for over 40 years and has an equal number of friends, enemies, strangers
in their life, they would be able to see most all of them in one place.
The Key Biscayne Art Festival not only gets better year after year, it
has not lost that characteristic that makes it the most worthwhile event
on the Key Biscayne Calendar (along with the 4th of July Parade) and those
charateristics are that it is a neutral environment in which to see
old friends, meet friends of old friends, meet family of old friends, hide
from old girl (boy) friends, and basically spend as much time "catching
up" as looking at or purchasing art. It is one of the adhesives that
bind this community like no other place on earth.
There is plenty of food and entertainment
for the children and loads of room for them to play in traffic without
actually have that traffic harm them (or have them harm the artwork!)
There is music from the world famous Key Biscayne Chowder Chompers who
have a history probably just as long as the Key Biscayne Art Festival and
who play the same tunes everytime they perform. To listen to the "Battle
Hymn of the Republic" in a tropical paradise instead of some Carribbean
rythmns mixing with the salt air that rustles through the palm fronds,
is truly a surreal experience. If they were really any good, it just
would not be the same. There is something rustically genuine "old
Key Biscayne" as the Chompers swig warm beer at 10 AM in between losing
their place in the tune because the conducter is trying to make eye contact
with anything female, while another band members child's arm is stuck in
the beer cooler which is being held close with a Bass drum and set
of cymbals.
Thankfully the sets are as short and once
the "music" stops, the silence of the natural beat of the Key, sounds more
beautiful than ever.
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If you were to take all of these components,
mix in warm sunshine, the smell of suntan lotions, oils, perfumes, human
skin warming in the day, the occasional whiff of carinval food, laughter,
children doing the "happy monkey dance", Harley's, Rolls Royce, the hum
of golf carts, small dogs that fit into baskets barking little barks, children
squealing, crying, laughing, yelling, every 15 minutes a speaker on wheels
from the Mainland will roll past in the lanes of Crandon leading to the
state park with non-English speaking males making various gestures and
animal sounds as if they have been living in a closet, Ray Bans, Gucci
bags, Revo, Rolex, and rings that came out of the gum ball machine, along
with a dash of good hearted fun, and add some cold hard cash if you want
to purchase anything, and you have the Key Biscayne Art Festival.
Try to make it next year. You will be glad that you did. We
can also thank the other sponsors of this years affair who include The
Sonesta Beach Hotel and Resort, Euro Com Telefonica, Eagle National Bank,
Eagle Brand Foods, Mashan Contractors, La Isla Spanish newspaper, The Miami
Herald, WKAT- Classical 1360AM, TropiCulture Miami, Key Life Realty, and
The Village of Key Biscayne.
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