By Coral Gables Gazette staff
Coral Gables’ First Friday Gallery Night returns July 3 with a summer mix of fine art, live music, America250 programming, World Cup watch parties and one unusually high-stakes raffle: a $9,000 original painting by Fidel García.
The monthly event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. across downtown Coral Gables and participating art venues. Galleries will open their doors for evening exhibitions and receptions, while visitors are encouraged to use the city’s trolleys or Freebee on-demand vehicles to move between stops without having to drive from gallery to gallery.
The July edition arrives on the eve of Independence Day and just ahead of the city’s Fourth of July celebration at the Biltmore Hotel, giving the weekend an unusually civic cast. The evening’s lineup includes museum exhibitions tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary, contemporary and Cuban art, live acoustic music, cocktails, soccer watch parties and gallery receptions throughout the city.
America250 at the museum
At the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave., Gallery Night will feature two new America250 exhibitions, along with live music, cocktails and World Cup programming.
The museum’s headline exhibition is Many Voices, One Nation: En nuestras palabras, a bilingual project organized by The Allapattah Collaborative CDC and presented in partnership with the Coral Gables Museum. Developed through the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street initiative, the exhibition is part of the national commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States and invites visitors to reflect on the enduring meaning of E pluribus unum — “Out of many, one” — through the voices, memories and contributions of communities that continue to shape South Florida.
A second new museum exhibition, Local Leadership, National Legacy: Coral Gables Mayors Across a Century, looks closer to home, honoring 100 years of leadership and public service in the City Beautiful through portraits and profiles of Coral Gables mayors.
The museum also will keep several other exhibitions on view, including Life is a Barranquilla Carnival and Diplomacy and The Beautiful Game. The soccer theme will extend into the evening with World Cup watch parties for Argentina vs. Cabo Verde at 6 p.m. and Colombia vs. Ghana at 9:30 p.m.
In the museum courtyard, the Bruce Turkel and Dave Bricker Duo will perform American Roots and Rhythm, with cocktails and all-night happy hour specials available.
A $9,000 raffle on Giralda
At Garcia Art Gallery, 102 Giralda Ave., visitors will find a new exhibition featuring works from Fidel García’s costumbrista period, along with complimentary wine, exclusive merchandise and gifts throughout the day.
The gallery also will hold a 9 p.m. live raffle for Mind Color, an original 24-by-24-inch oil on canvas by García valued at $9,000. Only 100 raffle tickets will be sold at $100 each. Guests do not need to be present throughout the day, but the gallery is encouraging attendance for the live drawing.
Monochrome, Cuban masters and contemporary love
Pedrido Arte, 290 Miracle Mile, will present Monochromatic, an exhibition featuring Alejandro Pedrido alongside Santiago Betancur, Ventura Gonzalez, Mario Almaguer, Antonio Perez Melero, Alejandro Fuentes and Abraham Maciñeiras. The show brings together black-and-white contemporary works exploring music, spirituality and emotion.
At Cernuda Arte, 3155 Ponce de Leon Blvd., visitors will find four museum-quality exhibitions featuring Wifredo Lam, Gina Pellón, Juan Roberto Diago and Tomás Sánchez, with works spanning paintings, sculptures, ceramics, works on paper and rare prints.
H. Benitez Fine Art Gallery, 233 Aragon Ave., will show Love in the Rain, a contemporary exhibition centered on love, emotion and human connection.
A walkable start to the holiday weekend
Taken together, the July Gallery Night offers a broader-than-usual cultural itinerary: Cuban and Latin American masters, contemporary monochrome work, civic history, bilingual America250 storytelling, live music and international soccer. The event also gives visitors a walkable way to begin the Independence Day weekend before Saturday’s drone and fireworks show at the Biltmore Hotel.
Visitors are encouraged to use the city trolley or Freebee to move between galleries and participating venues.
What to know
Gables Gallery Night runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, in downtown Coral Gables and at participating venues. Confirmed stops include Garcia Art Gallery, 102 Giralda Ave.; Pedrido Arte, 290 Miracle Mile; Cernuda Arte, 3155 Ponce de Leon Blvd.; H. Benitez Fine Art Gallery, 233 Aragon Ave.; and the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave.
