“Our galleries face more competition than ever before.” — Virginia Miller, president of the Coral Gables Gallery Association

By Cynthia Archbold

It’s hard to believe, but leaders of the established art world of wealthy, classy Coral Gables feel their galleries are being neglected because of trendier places in struggling but upwardly mobile Miami neighborhoods. Fine art gallery owners in the majestic and historic “city beautiful” say they are struggling for recognition and business because the crowds are now going to hot new galleries in once dilapidated areas such as Wynwood and the Design District. At a special Town Hall meeting this past Tuesday, gallery owners told the Coral Gables Development Board they need the city’s help to reinvent the art district’s image.

“As we all know the city’s galleries ebb and flow, ranging from as many as 40 to the present two dozen or so,” said Virginia Miller, the president of the Coral Gables Gallery Association and owner of ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries. “They remain a major engine for our city’s economy and certainly are deserving of its support, particularly at a time when our galleries face more competition than ever before.”

Despite its vigorously attended Gables Gallery Nights, a Coral Gables tradition held on the first Friday of every month for the past 14 years, Miller says galleries have been losing weekend crowds and going out of business. She says during the mid-’90s, when Coral Gables was being recognized internationally as the “in” place to be, artistically speaking, and receiving much media attention, there were about twice as many galleries. She says the decline is partly because of well-organized efforts by Wynwood and the Design District. Galleries in these areas have been shining in the limelight of the prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach, known as the Olympics of the art world, and its original sister Art Basel event in Switzerland, which has elevated Miami to a level of international recognition in the art community.

About 30 artists and gallery owners attended Tuesday’s Town Hall discussion, suggesting ways to draw crowds in Coral Gables, including making parking free on weekends, creating a consistent branding and advertising campaign, reinventing Gallery Night, revamping the city of Coral Gables Web site and linking to all art gallery Web sites, and creating a Coral Gables event to tie into Art Basel.

Gallery owners recognize that Wynwood and the Design District have become well-known art centers because they have organized themselves and collaborated with their governments to create aggressive marketing campaigns, including placing banners on utility poles proclaiming their arts districts. They feel Coral Gables galleries must do the same, displaying brochures at the airport, the Port of Miami and driver entry locations.

However, it’s not as if the city beautiful has just been standing still. On Gallery Night free trolleys have been taking art and restaurant seekers up and down Ponce de Leon, and gallery owners have provided free minibus limousines that go from gallery to gallery. Still, some workshop attendees would like to do much more to make Gallery Nights come alive with music and performance artists, concerts at Ponce de Leon Park and perhaps making car-free pedestrian zones downtown.

During the meeting, board members and officials from the city of Coral Gables Development Department said they are more than willing to help galleries bring back art lovers and don’t believe it will cost the city much to get big results, even if it loses some revenues by offering some free parking on scheduled weekends.

In the next few months gallery owners will meet with city officials during informal breakfast brainstorming sessions to implement new marketing ideas.