Pinta Miami returns to The Hangar, the “Village Voices” photo exhibit profiles people in the Grove, and Vizcaya honors the landmark’s original artistic advisor.
Coconut Grove’s reputation as an artist’s haven has been strong enough to survive even a long drought. Today, developers might be the most active players in the Grove, but the ever-Bohemian neighborhood continues to lean into the arts, especially during Art Basel Miami Beach and Miami Art Week, the High Holy days for the arts in Miami.
The overlapping events, happening next week, invite us to think about the Grove as a place where art can and does happen – not just in December, but 12 months a year.
“We just have to have the imagination and drive to do it,” said Mike Eidson, founder of Sanctuary of the Arts, the organization that restored St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church on Frow Avenue in the West Grove as a performing arts space.
Pinta Miami is the Grove’s biggest visual arts influence during Miami Art Week. The international art fair made the Grove its home a decade ago and returns with another impactful exhibition at The Hangar. Smaller events going on during Miami Art Week in the Grove are worth paying attention to as well. Here are some to put on your calendar.
Pinta Miami Returns to the Grove
It’s been 10 years since the Pinta international art fair moved its headquarters from New York to Miami. Thanks to the repurposed and remodeled Pan Am hangar at Dinner Key, the art exhibition will return for its third-straight year to The Hangar with art from 45 galleries representing 15 different countries from Latin America and Spain.
Pinta Miami has become a fixture for local art lovers and visitors in town for Miami Art Week and Art Basel. The event begins Wednesday December 4 with a private viewing for collectors and opens to the public starting Thursday December 5. Tickets are available on presale, starting at $29 for general admission.
Location: 3385 Pan American Drive
When: December 5-8
Tickets: Available online at Pinta Miami
Village Voices at Shake-a-Leg
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Patrick Farrell sent eight photojournalism students out to capture images of people in the Grove. It was more than a graded project for his class at the University of Miami’s School of Communications. The assignment turned into an exhibit. The best of these works will be shown at a show titled “Village Voices” at Shake-a-Leg, the Coconut Grove-based nonprofit organization that serves individuals with disabilities. The exhibit seeks to capture the people and places that make the Grove unique. It tells the story of Coconut Grove, with each student telling a visual narrative of a different topic. Photo sales benefit Shake-a-Leg.
Location: 2620 South Bayshore Drive
One Night Only: Thursday December 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Bernice Steinbaum Gallery
Eleven artists featured by the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Coconut Grove will be exhibited at Pinta Miami (see above). You can get an up-close look at more of their work at her gallery on Tigertail Avenue, before and after Pinta. Featured artists include: Garcia De Marina is a Spanish conceptual photographer. Shelly McCoy uses fabrics to create artwork that emulates paintings. George Rodríguez addresses serious social-political issues with tongue-in-cheek ceramic sculptures. Monica Lundy’s project, “Deviance,” is inspired by the incarceration of Italian women and girls during Mussolini’s reign. And Troy Abbott explores concepts of captivity using multimedia.
Location: 2101 Tigertail Avenue
Hours: Steinbaum Gallery is closed during Pinta. It is regularly open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Pastiche” at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Miami-based artist Lauren Shapiro took on the challenge of creating art with a specific place in mind: Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. Shapiro created sculptures that explore the work and legacy of Paul Chalfin, Vizcaya’s original artistic advisor, who was born 150 years ago this year. Shapiro studied Chaflin’s use of pastiche – blending styles to create a cohesive style — at Vizcaya. Her works in glass and ceramic reflect Vizcaya’s seaside landscape, with neon pinks, blues and greens. “Pastiche” opened in October and runs through May 19, 2025.
Location: 3251 South Miami Avenue
Hours: Vizcaya is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tickets: Adults $25, children $10, free for veterans and active military, SNAP card holders and persons with disabilities at Vizcaya’s website
Editor’s note: Photographer Patrick Farrell is a member of the Spotlight’s editorial team.
