I have lived in Coconut Grove longer than any other place in my entire life. The time span represented in PLACE AND PURPOSE/ Art Transformation in Coconut Grove, was recent history when I moved there in 1992, on the heels of Hurricane Andrew. I am grateful to the Frost, Amy Galpin, Jordana Pomeroy, and their remarkable team for filling in this history of the Grove.
I earned a MFA in Printmaking at the University of Miami in 1994, and worked in three museums in Miami as well. MDCPS kept me around for over twenty five years in Title I Public High Schools as an art teacher. I have worked with kids all over the city. Still… The Grove was my neighborhood. Coconut Grove is and always has been a small town: A neighborhood, a place where people come together, an artist’s haven, with places to walk, with lots of trees and public parks.
Many artists gravitated to the Grove, and I have met hundreds, if not thousands, who participated in the Coconut Grove Art Festivals over the years. I have met wood carvers who lived in trees (Sundog), Mango Kings (Glen Terry), and librarians who knew their patrons so well, that they ordered books for them, before they were requested. Many of my friends preceded me to the Grove and moved on.
The work on this page represents a selection of the exhibition, links to Frost Museum’s site with educator resources, Making Space (2021) created in response to the exhibition that reflects my neighborhood now, Can’t See It From My House (2008) my book in the exhibition, a poster created for a demo on Juneteenth 2021 at the FIU Frost Art Museum, and other work that is Grove-centric from my time here. I love this town.