By Coral Gables Gazette staff
A major multi-artist exhibition at Cernuda Arte and a high-energy Latin performance on Giralda Plaza will define downtown Coral Gables on Friday, March 6, as Gables Gallery Night and Giralda Live unfold side by side.
More than 75 works by internationally recognized contemporary artists will debut at Cernuda Arte during the official opening of Twenty-One Distinguished Artists of the 21st Century, while Mandy y La Clave brings Son Cubano, timba and classic salsa to the Giralda Live stage later that evening. A flamenco performance in partnership with Gitanillas Dance Studio will precede the main concert, adding a second cultural register to the night.
Together, the events create a layered downtown experience: curated gallery interiors from 6 to 10 p.m., followed by live outdoor music from 7 to 11 p.m. on Giralda Plaza.
A generational survey at Cernuda Arte
The March 6 opening at Cernuda Arte anchors the evening with institutional weight. The exhibition gathers 21 artists whose careers span nearly six decades, pairing established masters with midcareer and emerging contemporary voices.
Among the featured artists are Alfredo Sosabravo (b. 1930), Manuel Mendive (b. 1944), Julio Larraz (b. 1944), Clara Morera (b. 1944), Humberto Calzada (1944–2025), Tomás Sánchez (b. 1948), Roberto Fabelo (b. 1950), José Bedia (b. 1959), Lilian Garcia-Roig (b. 1966), Juan Roberto Diago (b. 1971), Vicente Hernández (b. 1971), and others whose practices range from figurative and surrealist traditions to politically charged contemporary abstraction.
The curatorial premise is structural rather than thematic. Artists born in the 1930s share wall space with those born in the late 1980s, creating a conversation across eras. The exhibition reflects Cernuda Arte’s long-standing role in presenting modern and contemporary Latin American art within a museum-caliber commercial setting.
The gallery, located at 3155, 3143 and 3160 Ponce de Leon Blvd., will host its opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 6. The event forms part of the city’s monthly Gallery Night, when participating venues open their doors to the public and encourage visitors to circulate between locations via the city trolley or Freebee on-demand service.
Other participating spaces include The Americas Collection on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Pedrido Arte Gallery on Miracle Mile and HBenitez Fine Art Gallery on Aragon Avenue, each presenting new work or featured exhibitions during the evening.
Giralda Live to showcase Mandy y La Clave
A few blocks away, Giralda Live shifts the cultural energy outdoors. Held on the first Friday of each month, the event transforms Giralda Plaza into a pedestrian gathering space centered on live performance and alfresco dining.
From 7 to 11 p.m., restaurants extend their seating into the plaza while vendors and artists activate the corridor. Live music runs from 8 to 10 p.m., headlined this month by Mandy y La Clave, a Miami-based Latin ensemble known for blending the structural precision of Son Cubano with the rhythmic intensity of timba and classic salsa.
Led by vocalist Mandy, the band emphasizes horn-driven arrangements and percussion-forward momentum, designed for sustained dancing rather than background listening. The performance will be preceded by a flamenco presentation developed in partnership with Gitanillas Dance Studio, introducing a Spanish accent before the Caribbean rhythms take over.
Following the main performance, programming continues at The Bar on Giralda Plaza, extending the evening beyond the formal stage.
Giralda Live is presented as a collaboration between the City of Coral Gables and Diageo.
A walkable cultural corridor
The pairing of Gallery Night and Giralda Live reinforces a downtown model built on walkability and proximity. Visual art, live music and dining operate within a few blocks of one another, allowing visitors to move fluidly between curated interiors and open-air performance.
The result is less a single event than a coordinated rhythm: early-evening gallery receptions that transition into street-level music as the night progresses. The structure encourages both deliberate viewing and spontaneous participation.
For Coral Gables, the March 6 alignment places institutional art and popular music within the same frame. The exhibition at Cernuda Arte offers collectors and serious art patrons a concentrated survey of contemporary Latin American voices. Giralda Live widens the audience, drawing residents and visitors who may arrive for dinner and stay for the music.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Gallery Night runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Giralda Live continues from 7 to 11 p.m., with live music from 8 to 10 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early for gallery openings and to plan for pedestrian traffic as the evening progresses.
On March 6, downtown Coral Gables will operate as a connected cultural grid — fine art under gallery lights, percussion and brass under open sky — reinforcing the district’s identity as a place where international artists and neighborhood audiences share the same streets.
