Downtown Hollywood has vibrant wall murals everywhere from the Art Park better known as Young…read moreCircle to Dixie Highway along Harrison Street and Hollywood Blvd. The idea behind the Hollywood Mural Project was to transform urban space into public art. Its free and easy to take a self guided tour to find all the exhibits. We found five that really stood out and discovered their origin and creators.

As part of the monthly Hollywood Art Walk, there was a free Mural project tour guided by a local…read moreartist and professor. We all met at the information booth of the Art Walk for a map of the murals (all 35 of them) and then we followed her on a selected tour of several of the art works. She was really knowledgeable and fun to talk to. She explained the significance of the art piece, a bit about the artist and some of the details of the actual "making" of the mural. There were local as well a national artists in this project, people like Susana Vergara, Ernesto Maranje, TM Sisters, Key Detail, Rob Robi, Evoca1 and many more.... You can also find a self guided tour of the murals on their website...a great way to spend a few hours in downtown Hollywood..... Go to HollywoodCRA.org/dhmp

I couldn't help but see the large scale Mariposas on a recent trip to Sunny Isles. Mariposas, which…read moreis the Spanish word for butterflies is a stainless steel 18 foot high head crowned with butterflies. It was purchased for 1.6 million dollars by J. Milton & Associates, a Miami real estate development company since 1963. Mariposas stands in front of the Milton Tower, a 14-story office building near NE 163rd Street and Collins Avenue. This artwork is part of Sunny Isles Beach's Cultural Master Plan, which was created in 2017 to bring more art to the city. Developers who apply for building permits of any size in Sunny Isles Beach are required to contribute an art piece valued at least $500,000. Mariposas was created by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés known for his style that combines art with history. Valdés has been featured in many museums and galleries. His pieces are displayed in Valencia, Spain; Place Vendome, Paris; Berkeley Square, London; Taipei, Taiwan and Dubai and now in Sunny Isles Beaches. Valdés is an internationally known artist and his work is supposed to represent multiculturalism in the city. I was really drawn the playfulness of this piece. It is very eye catching and fun to photograph at different angles.

The Foster Park Plaza is located across the street from Foster Park. Both the park and the plaza…read morewere named in honor of the Hallandale Beach's first mayor, Foster Ingalls. He first served as Hallandale Police Chief from 1938-1943 and as mayor from 1950-1958. When creating this plaza the city asked for community design input. Foster Park Plaza opened on December 16, 2017. This linear park has benches, a stage, walking path, and colorful murals painted on a wall. Other park features include native landscaping, pedestrian lighting, benches, solar trash bins, a water fountain, and a flag pole surrounded by military medallions. My favorite part of this park is the multiple murals which is part of the city Mural Art Project. The murals add a vibrant energy to the park and represent the community that lives here. They also make a great backdrop for pictures.

The City of Sunny Isles has a robust public art program. You can find this eye catching abstract…read morepurple sculpture in Town Center Park alongside the walking path in the park that runs parallel with Collins Avenue. Rising Horizons was created in 2005 by artist Rafael Barrios. Barrios was born on November 22, 1947 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was raised in Venezuela, before going on to study at New York University. Today he lives and works in Miami, FL and Caracas, Venezuela. His works are found in the collections of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. Of his artwork Barios has said "Art without audience does not exist. No matter what you build in your life, it's a public act." Rising Horizons is an example of Barios large scale, brightly colored pieces designed to make them appear as if they are defying gravity. This one is made of stainless steel and covered with epoxical violet purple airplane paint. I love how this sculpture adds a pop of color and interest to the park. .

This is a public art piece by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés. He is known for his artistic style that…read morecombines art with history. Valdés has been featured in many museums and galleries. His pieces are displayed in Valencia, Spain; Place Vendome, Paris; Berkeley Square, London; Taipei, Taiwan and Dubai and now in Miami Beach. Valdés is an internationally known artist and his work is supposed to represent multicultralism in the city. This sculpture features a head surrounded by butterflies. Valdés inspiration came from a chance encounter with butterflies in New York. "One day, while strolling in Central Park, I saw a group of butterflies that had landed on top of a sculpture and the idea of the headpiece was born." There is a larger version of this sculpture in Sunny Isles called Mariposas. I love the whimsical nature of this piece. I am also a fan of Valdés Infanta Margarita statues. Butterflies is dressed up extra special this week in celebration of the floral art exhibition Fleurs De Villes Voyage, on display at the nearby Bal Harbour Shops. Large butterflies covered in pink and white flowers from Blake Roses Floral Designs have been added to Valdés sculpture. You can see the added display of flowers until March 12th.

Let LOVE Guide Your Way is a kinetic public art piece by artist Lloyd Goradesky. You can find the…read morebright red sculpture in Arts Park across from city hall. Let LOVE Guide Your Way is a weathervane that stands 16 feet high and weighs 5,000 pounds. Artist Lloyd Goradesky chose a weathervane for this art piece because it is a device used to measure the direction of the wind. It is also a metaphor to describe people who change their views frequently. When you are faced with a dilemma in a chaotic world, let love guide your way. Let LOVE Guide Your Way was first displayed at the 2019 and 2021 International Kinetic Art Exhibit and Symposium. I love the movement of this piece and how it celebrates kindness and the message of universal love. Mr. Goradesky is currently working on even a larger weathervane for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel to celebrate the friendship between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the American Nation.

I was driving along 19th Street in North Miami when I saw this dog sculpture in front of City Hall…read moreand had to pull over to check out this adorable public art piece. Totor is an almost 10 foot high sculpture of a Jack Russell Terrier who looks quite fetching. He was created by French artist Stéphane Bolongaro who modeled it on his mother's pet terrier Totor. Stéphane Bolongaro is a former North Miami Beach gallery owner and he donated this sculpture to North Miami in 2016. That same year Totor was the featured piece in Mr. Bolongaro's art exhibition in Monaco that was hosted by Prince Albert II. In August 2017, Stéphane Bolongaro launched a second exhibition of Totor at the Promenade du Paillon in Nice, France. This is the only Totor sculpture exhibited in the United States. Totor is meant to represent the qualities of the City of North Miami, love, friendship, and loyalty. I personally love Tortor because he looks just like my Sunny. As a Jack Russell mom I can definitely say that they posses all those qualities. I really enjoyed discovering Totor today. Bolongaro deserves a round of a-paws!

I love discovering public art and you can't miss spotting this beautiful lady on the front lawn of…read moreMiami Shores Village Hall. Lady Unity is a 8 foot by 8 foot public art mural created by artist Lorna Samara Ash. Ash was born in Bogota, Columbia and she lives and works in Miami. She earned a dual BFA in Painting and Electronic Intermedia along with a Minor in Art History from the University of Florida. Ash's art work has been shown in numerous exhibitions and can be found in national and international collections. She works across a variety of mediums and cites power and frailty as a favorite subject matter. She is currently working with AI to create digital images based on the prompt of spirituality. Fun fact, Lady Unity was painted when Samara Ash was 9 months pregnant. Lady Unity is meant to evoke the resilience of Miami Shores through the use of bright colors and an Art Deco motif. You can follow Samara Ash Studio on Facebook to keep up with her current art work.

Totor is a 8 foot high sculpture of a Jack Russell Terrier who looks quite fetching. He was created…read moreby French artist Stéphane Bolongaro who modeled it on his mother's pet terrier Totor. Stéphane Bolongaro is a former North Miami Beach gallery owner. In 2016 Totor was the featured piece in Mr. Bolongaro's art exhibition in Monaco that was hosted by Prince Albert II. In August 2017, Stéphane Bolongaro launched a second exhibition of Totor at the Promenade du Paillon in Nice, France. There is also a Totor sculpture in North Miami in front of City Hall. Totor is meant to represent the qualities of love, friendship, and loyalty. I personally love Totor because I have a special love for Jack Russells. This adorable version of Totor is skateboarding and carrying a surfboard. You can find him in the ArtsPark that opened last summer after he was donated to the city by Mr. Bolongaro who deserves a round of apaws for his contribution.