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The 61st annual Beaux Arts Festival of Art will bring more than 200 fine artists to the grounds of the Lowe Art Museum on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus during the weekend of January 7-8, 2012.
Widely recognized as one of the region’s most popular outdoor art exhibitions and a South Florida tradition, the festival attracts more than 25,000 visitors annually and offers works in 11 mediums for a variety of budgets. This year, artists hail from 30 states and abroad.
Admission and parking are free. Proceeds benefit the Lowe Art Museum, which will be open to the public all weekend, and support bringing children from low-income schools on cultural field trips to the museum. The festival will feature live music, children’s entertainment—including free art activities for children ages 4 to 12 in the Art Park—and food from Miami’s gourmet food trucks, making this event not just for art enthusiasts but families as well. Children who attend the festival will receive a copy of the signature children’s coloring book introduced last year in honor of Beaux Arts’ 60th anniversary that features important works from the Lowe’s world collections and a museum map for children.
In addition to artists selected by a panel of jurors, visitors will find the “Student Artist Showcase,” featuring more than 100 pieces from Miami-Dade middle and high school students on display inside the Lowe Art Museum. A celebration honoring the students’ art will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at the Lowe.
The festival also reaches beyond artists and visitors. Funds raised help underwrite Hands On!, Beaux Arts’ signature program for children from underserved schools. Hands On! introduces these Miami-Dade students to the world of art and museums via field trips to the museum. Additional funds raised are used for Lowe Art Museum exhibitions, improvements, and acquisitions.
The festival was originally called the Clothesline Sale, as Beaux Arts volunteers used clotheslines to display the works of local artists in front of the Lowe. Six decades later, the all volunteer-run festival has evolved and is considered one of the top outdoor fine art shows in the country.
Sponsors for this year’s festival include Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables and Mercedes-Benz of Cutler Bay. For more sponsorship and general information, visit www.BeauxArtsFestival.org.
