It’s that time of year! In
February, the prestigious Miami Beach Festival of the Arts returns to North
Beach’s beautiful seaside promenade – Ocean Terrace. For the first time,
North Beach Development Corporation is producing the annual festival – the
perfect "artplace" with paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics,
glass, and jewelry – right on the beach. The 29th Annual Festival
of the Arts will feature the work of more than 100 talented artists from
across the country, juried into the show by a panel from the City of Miami
Beach Fine Arts Board.
But the art is only the best
part of all the fun. The festival also features entertainment by South Florida
art groups, a delicious international food court and plenty to do for the
kids. Music at the festival will be provided by South Florida’s new
classical radio station, 1360 WKAT. Food vendors and local restaurants abound.
A children’s gallery will feature hands-on arts & crafts – several
Miami-Dade County elementary schools are creating youth exhibits. And if you
haven’t visited Ocean Terrace lately, you’ll be delighted by the new view
of Miami Beach’s beautiful blue waters. It’s the perfect environment for
an art show: classical music, great food and lots of fun on the beach.
Each year the festival features
one distinguished artist (Kenny Sharf, Nam June Paik, Herbert Hofer, just to
drop a few names from years past) chosen to create the festival poster artwork
– and this year is no exception. "The image is spectacular!" says
Laura Bruney, Festival Chair, "Michael McKeever captured the energy that
is happening right now in North Beach." The vividly colored work includes
North Beach’s famed landmark, the charming Normandy Fountain and that beach
girl reminiscent of the 1950’s – when North Beach was mostly developed.
McKeever has worked with the Miami Film Festival, Coconut Grove Arts Festival,
Chicago Theatres on the Air, and Radio City Music Hall’s Easter Extrvaganza
events. He’s not only a visual artist but a playwright, actor and set
designer as well – a true renaissance man. McKeever was recently initiated
into the Fort Lauderdale Art Institute’s Hall of Fame. You can catch
McKeever’s North Beach masterpiece on the west wall mural of the Byron
Carlyle ArtCenter on 71st Street in the North Beach Town Center.
This event comes but once a
year, so collect your friends and make it a weekend in North Beach: watch the
sun rise, relax on the beach, enjoy the festival, and explore North Beach’s
fabulous hotels and restaurants.
The Miami Beach Festival of the
Arts takes place on February 8th and 9th on Ocean
Terrace between 73rd and 75th Streets off Collins Avenue
10am to 6pm. . Michael McKeever will be on-hand both days between 12noon and
2pm for poster signing. The festival is produced by NBDC with support from the
City of Miami Beach Fine Arts Board and the City’s Office of Art, Culture
& Entertainment and with the funding and support of the City of Miami
Beach and the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more
information, call NBDC at 305-865-4147 or visit website www.gonorthbeach.com.