Every Artist's Journey Begins With One Application

Every year around this time, my inbox starts to disappear under a familiar, wonderful kind of clutter: artist applications for the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.

I'll admit it — reviewing these applications is my second favorite part of this job. First place still goes to the festival itself: seeing artists I've known for years set up their booths again, meeting new friends among the 285 artists who join us, and watching families stroll the grounds and leave with a piece that will hang in their home forever. There's nothing quite like watching a child walk away from the Young Collectors Club clutching their very first piece of art.

But none of that happens without this part right here. Every artist at the festival got there because someone — me, first — sat down and read their application before our judges made their selections.

Each application is an artist saying, in their own way:"Here is what I've been working on, here is what matters to me, I'd like you to see it." I read their statements, look through their images, and imagine how their work might sit in our space — how it might catch someone's eye or stay with a visitor long after they've left.

Some applications come from artists we've shown before, and it's a pleasure to see how their work has grown. Others are applying for the very first time, and there's a particular excitement in discovering a new voice — like last year’s Best in Show winner, Nathalia Toledo Barcia. I invite you to learn about the artist application process, key dates and deadlines, the jury process, and more.

It's a genuine privilege to be one of the first people to see the 2027 show take shape. I can't wait to share what's coming with all of you.

Warmly,

Camille Marchese

Lola Garcia: From Classroom to Boardroom

Lola Garcia has spent more than 30 years shaping young minds in Miami-Dade County Public Schools — and if you know anything about middle schoolers, you know that takes equal parts patience, passion, and a gift for bringing people together. The sixth of nine children in a proud Miami family, Lola found her way to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival through a friend, a volunteer shift, and a genuine love for community.

As Secretary of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Board of Directors, she brings the same consensus-building instincts she honed in school hallways and administrative groups to one of South Florida's most beloved cultural institutions.



We sat down with Lola to talk about her journey, her pride in the Festival's outreach, and why she is already dreaming of the day she can chase great art around the world.

Drawing the Natural World in Stunning Detail

Bobby Goldsmith is a self-taught photorealistic artist born in Oklahoma and now based in Mississippi's Gulf Coast. His graphite and pencil drawings capture the quiet drama of the natural world with remarkable precision.

Working from his own photographs, Goldsmith renders surreal cloudscapes and serene landscapes using an unconventional toolkit—sandpaper for texture, erasers and graphite powder for atmospheric effects, and liquid charcoal for richness and depth. His original works are created on custom-primed panels and finished in handmade wood frames crafted to resemble raw steel. Visit Bobby's website to explore his work.

A celebrated presence on the fine arts festival circuit from Florida to Minnesota and Texas, Goldsmith's accolades include the Gold Award at the 2026 Coconut Grove Arts Festival and Best of Show at the 2025 Beaux Arts Festival, among dozens of other top honors.