Miami Art League Donates 100 Works of Art to Coconut Grove Arts Festival’s Young Collectors Club

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival (CGAF) presented by First Horizon Bank is thrilled to announce the donation of 100 unique works from the Miami Art League. These incredible pieces will be featured as part of the festival’s much-loved Young Collectors Club, a program in its third year designed to inspire young art enthusiasts aged 5 to 12 to step into the world of art acquisition.

A longtime staple of Miami’s cultural scene, the festival showcases exceptional talent and draws art enthusiasts from across the globe. Through the Young Collectors Club, children can make a $5 purchase of original paintings, drawings, and mixed-media art–all donated by current and past festival artists and, for the first time–Miami Art League members. “We have collected 100 paintings from the Miami Art League artists hailing from many corners of the world, including Japan, the Middle East, South America, and North America,” said Linda Winters, Miami Art League Board, Vice President. “The donated paintings represent what we each do as individual artists finding and developing our voices at Miami Art League.” The local, non-profit studio offers an open space for artists to explore creative visual arts, with or without instruction.

In this age of social media, collecting art allows young people to engage in a more enriching, thoughtful experience that fosters a deeper appreciation for creativity, culture, and history, a stark contrast to the fleeting and often superficial nature of creating a piece of TikTok content or liking a post on Instagram. Unlike collecting “likes,” this program encourages youngsters to reflect, express, and have a sense of ownership over something more tangible and meaningful. With the addition of the Young Collectors Club and contributions from organizations like the Miami Art League, the festival continues to expand its impact by nurturing the next generation of art lovers.

“I am grateful for this donation to the festival’s Young Collectors Club,” said Camille Marchese, CGAF Executive Director. “We are passionate about art and thrilled by the idea of young people thoughtfully engaging with art and making their own choices about what to own.” Marchese created this program because she never forgot how she felt when her mother allowed her to purchase her first piece of art at the age of eight. It was that first experience that advanced her lifelong goal of collecting, and for that, she hopes to instill an appreciation for art in children who will get to pick their very own piece that calls to them.

During its first year of activation in 2022, the Young Collectors Club became so popular that kids had purchased everything on-site by the festival’s second day. That’s precisely the kind of excitement that festival organizers were going for. The CGAF believes that collecting art builds a sense of ownership and responsibility, sparking a lifelong appreciation for creativity. This early connection to art nurtures a deeper understanding of the world and inspires young individuals to support and participate in artistic communities.

 

Photos Courtesy of Coconut Grove Arts Festival

Date Posted: January 7, 2025