Riding my bike through the Riverwalk and stopped for a cold tea at Pura Vida where the giant THRIVE…read morecavelike stone sculpture proudly stands with green vines filling the sides of the cave. Im not really an art buff, but this sculpture by Daniel Popper was impressive. The stone sculpture depicts a woman cracking open her rib cage with both of her hands symbolizing transformation and hope. People can be seen taking pictures inside the cave. Its worth a few minutes to take a peek at this artwork if near Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale.

The Thrive Statue is one of those pieces that stops you mid-walk. It's powerful, expressive, and…read morequietly emotional--capturing strength, growth, and resilience all at once. The scale alone draws you in, but it's the details and posture that really make you pause and reflect. Set against the modern surroundings, it feels both grounding and inspiring, like a reminder to keep pushing forward even when things feel heavy. Beautifully done, thoughtfully placed, and absolutely worth a moment (or a photo) if you're in the area.

The Village Art Plaza is a new event space and sculpture garden next to City Park. The art plaza is…read moreon the site of the City of Sunrise's first post office that served residents from 1970 until 2007. Once a gathering place for people to send mail, buy stamps, see a friendly face, and chat with neighbors, the space has now been turned into a different kind of community space. This public art space was designed to be a place where Sunrise and its visitors can gather for cultural events. The colorful open space has murals on the wall including the Stay Sunny mural by Surge Contemporary Artist Murals. There are also several sculptures, my favorite is the T-Rex. There is a stage and lots of seating in the area along with beautiful landscaping. This new space kicks off with The Village Art Plaza Grand Opening on March 29th. This event will run from 5 to 9 PM and it includes live music, food and drinks, giveaways, and kids crafts. Other upcoming events include food trucks, morning yoga, story time, and a farmer's market. I am super excited to enjoy this brand new space where the community will be able to experience art, food, and cultural events.

While driving down the Sawgrass Expressway one day I noticed Sunset Hammock, a public art work…read morelocated in Sunset Point Park in Tamarac. I made a mental note to come back and get a better look. Completed in November of 2023, this monumental new artwork was created by artist Margi Glavovic who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and grew up in Durban, South Africa. In 1999 she founded Glavovic Studio, an architecture firm in Ft, Lauderdale,. Since its inception Glavovic Studios has created affordable housing, parks, commercial spaces, museums, landscapes, and public art commissions. Nature plays a large part in her design inspiration. Sunset Hammock is an interactive in-situ metal land bridge structure that transforms into a community periscope to view the Everglades. An observational boardwalk, which includes a modular red aluminum walkway leads to a large community periscope measuring 20 feet by 3 feet, which offers a view into the Everglades that lie beyond the Sawgrass Expressway. The hammock in the artworks name comes from the hammock ecosystem found in the Florida Everglades. It is a shady tropical forest found on higher elevations and which provide important habitat for many species of wildlife, including nine federally listed species. While most hammocks are now federally protected many acres were lost to developers who were looking for higher ground to build on. This artwork was designed to give visitors a glimpse into the nearby Florida Everglades while bringing together conceptual art and nature. With this art piece Glavovic wants to raise awareness about the critical role of the Everglades within the ecological balance of South Florida. The project was created to integrate the adjacent wetland with this community park. Sunset Hammock is part of the city's Public Art Program and was approved by the city commission in April 2021. In 2020 it won am AIA Fort Lauderdale Honor Award and has been awarded grants from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Florida Land and Water Conservation Fund. The $1.1 million art installation was funded through a $400K Land and Water Conservation Grant and Public Art Funds. I love the interactive nature of this art. It incorporates art, science, community, and nature to spark interest in the Everglades which will hopefully lead to more people learning about the importance of its ecosystem. It is also a great place to watch the sun set.

If you're on the sawgrass, you'll notice the red bridge. I was thrilled to find out this was…read moreminutes from my house. Very small park but a nice one. They have pavilions with electricity to rent (affordable, I rented one), grills , bathrooms on site, covered playground and off course the red bridge. Great for parties, picnics and more. Lots of parking. Very quiet park. No pets allowed!

I Love You is a public art piece completed in 2012 at the Broward County Library Branch which used…read moreto be the home of Young at Art. This installation was created by wife and husband artists Rosario Marquardt & Roberto Beha from R & R Studios who create art, architecture, and design for cities. They also created the Living Room in the Design District in Miami and A Midsummer Night's Dream, in Balboa Square in Coral Gables. Florida. They have created many other public art arts all over the country and internationally. This is the artists statement "We weave together visual arts, architecture, design, landscape and the city. The ambition of our practice is to reclaim, enhance and develop the public dimension of the city. We seek to produce a public architecture that highlights the communal and civic dimension of life and erases boundaries between art and everyday life. We understand our work as experiments in public space, models of possibilities that might imbue the construction of the city with new meaning and emotion." This art installation was designed as a secret garden or an outdoor open room perfect for telling stories or secrets. In addition to the 10 foot high letters which spell out the words I Love You, the piece also has five brightly colored, flower shaped benches for seating. Although the children's art museum is no longer here, the letters still make the perfect backdrop for romantic photos. Come visit this unique and whimsical piece of art. "It's a love story, baby just say yes!"

Since their first public art project, the covered bridge in 1963, Coral Springs has become one of…read morethe leading public art cities in south Florida. The art is paid for during development and redevelopment in the city. Fees are collected from permits during building construction and renovations in the city. None of the art is paid with public tax dollars. Opened in October of last year, ArtWalk, is an event and entertainment space in downtown Coral Springs. It is on NW 31st Court and runs between University and Coral Hills Drives . The ArtWalk is 1300 feet long and has benches, a seating wall, native plant landscaping, and room for event tents. It serves as a park and a place for the city to display temporary art works, some of which they will eventually purchase. I enjoyed checking out the six art works on display which currently include Coalescence, Ascent, Beyond, Union One, and Give Them Wings. My favorite was the steel orchids that make up Coalescence. It is free to enjoy the art and it looks different depending on whether you visit during the day or at night. I look forward to seeing what else the city adds as well as attending events here.

Romero Britto is a vivid pop artist and the founder of what he calls the Happy Art Movement. He…read morebelieves the purpose of art is to radiate happiness, fun, love, and hope while inspiring people. The New York Times has said Britto's art, "exudes warmth, optimism and love". Britto was born in poverty in Brazil in 1963. In 1983 he made his way to Europe where he was inspired by artists such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. In 1988 he moved to Miami where he still maintains a studio. Britto's earliest work was done on newspaper which was all he could afford and sold on the sidewalk. Inspired by the sunshine of Miami he began working in bright palates which attracted people to his work. He received his first major commission to design artwork for Absolut Vodka for a 1989 campaign that also had bottles that featured art by Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Corporate partnerships and licensing deals followed. His designs have been used by companies like Disney, BMW, IBM, Apple Computers, Grand Marnier, Pepsi, and Royal Caribbean Cruises and his art has been featured on cruise ships, cars, Barbie dolls and pet collars His art has even made it to the World Cup, Superbowl. and Olympics. Britto art has been exhibited art galleries and museums in over 120 countries but his brightly colored artwork has become synonymous with South Florida where you can find it everywhere from city vehicles, hospitals, parking meters, and lottery tickets. Britto Inc. generates 250 million dollars of sales annually. He has become the most collected and licensed artist in history. Britto works out of art gallery dubbed the Britto Palace in Wynwood. You have to win your way in for a tour through charities or Britto picks one person a week with a golden ticket to visit from anyone that spends $250 or more with him. I discovered this iconic Britto palm tree art in Florence C. Hardy Park on my way to breakfast at Bagel and Company a few feet away. Palm trees are a common motif in his artwork. I saw a bunch of them for sale in his art gallery on Lincoln Road in South Beach. The sculpture was donated to the city by the Reger family in 2022. Britto came out for the dedication and expressed his joy that more people would be able to experience his art in the beautiful park. As a fan of Britto and his brightly colored pop art and public art works, I think this installation really brightens this corner of the park. What a generous gesture by the Reger family.

On April, 29, 2022, Romero Britto erected one of his iconic sculptures on the grounds of Hardy…read morePark. The donation was made by Tarpon River resident Yasmine Reger.

Since their first public art project, the covered bridge in 1963, Coral Springs has become one of…read morethe leading public art cities in south Florida. The art is paid for during development and redevelopment in the city. Fees are collected from permits during building construction and renovations in the city. None of the art is paid with public tax dollars. Coalescence is one of six installations in the new ArtWalk, an event and entertainment space in downtown Coral Springs. The ArtWalk is 1300 feet long and has benches, a seating wall, native plant landscaping, and room for event tents. It serves as a place for the city to display temporary art works, some of which they will eventually purchase. Coalescence is my favorite art work of the six currently presented on the ArtWalk. Installed in August of this year, it is a 16 foot tall orchid sculpture by artist William Nemitoff. The metal orchids are separate with lighting inside the petals and under the leaves. The piece is interactive so feel free to sit, stand, and even jump on it's wooden leaves. The sculpture was created out of galvanized steel, concrete, ipe wood, and LED lights at a cost of $97,000. By day music plays and the flowers glow white. At night the flowers change color depending on who is around it. The more people who are on it and the more movement it detects, the louder the music gets and the lights become brighter. The orchid represents how delicate the environment and the piece conveys the message that the more people come together the better they are able to protect the earth. I love how the artist is trying to highlight an important issue, climate change while at the time making a beautiful piece of art that everyone can enjoy.

Marc Quinn's "Broken Sublime," is a stunning stainless steel seashell sculpture on Las Olas Blvd &…read moreSE 6th Ave. The conch shell, a piece by British artist Marc Quinn stands over 7 feet tall & weighs more than 5,500 lbs, This larger-than-life stainless steel seashell sculpture valued at nearly $1 million graces the grounds of downtown's long-awaited Tunnel Top Plaza, an artificial turf zone that cost taxpayers $10.6 million. This new sculpture and sitting area is in front of the cheesecake factory. The beach is steps away and the new art here is meant to evoke positive feelings about the Fort Lauderdale seashore.

Broken Sublime (The Hunger) is a new stainless steel public art piece that was purchased for the…read morenew Tunnel Top Park that sits over the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel. You can find the giant stainless steel conch shell between the Cheesecake Factory and Sushi Garage on Las Olas Boulevard. The shiny conch shell is over 7 feet high and weighs 5,500 pounds. This art piece and future pieces that will be placed in the park were paid from a 5 million dollar donation from the estate of the late James Winder Laird. Broken Sublime (The Hunger) is by British artist Marc Quinn. Quinn is a contemporary visual artist whose subjects include the body, genetics, identity, environment, and the media. Although primarily known as a sculptor, he has also produced prints and photographs. Quinn has had exhibitions in major galleries like the Tate and he has created public art work for cities all over the world. The public art here is meant to make Tunnel Top Park an inviting place for tourists to hang out on Las Olas Boulevard. Broken Sublime (The Hunger) in particular is meant to evoke the idea that the beach is a short distance away and that Ft. Lauderdale is a beach town. I think this piece adds interest to an otherwise plain pedestrian area. It is also a nice place to take a selfie.

In 2012 the City of Pompano Beach adopted an ordinance to place public art in the city. Works are…read morechosen by the Public Art Committee and the Old Town Mural is part of the public art program. It's so much fun finding new art popping up in different places in the city. There is a ten year master plan that proposes 27 new pieces of art. Periodically Pompano will list a call for artist submissions on their public arts page and at that time artists can submit their work for consideration for the next project. The Old Town Mural was created by South Florida artist Carlos Gonzalez. He won the competition held by the Public Arts Committee and his design was chosen. The mural is located on an exterior wall in the Old Town section of Pompano located across the street frrom the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. In bright colors, the 98 foot high mural depicts the landmarks and historic sites in Pompano Beach. Scenes include the Pompano Beach pier, the Hillsboro Lighthouse, fruilts and vegetables from when Pompano Beach started out as a farming community, historic buildings, and a Pompano fish. The best time to come and see this mural is during Old Town Untapped, a food arts, and shopping event held on the first Friday of every month. The city planted some flowers in front of the mural and it is the perfect back drop for taking pictures. I really love this mural and am excited to see what the committee approves next.

Kudos to the artist . We were near the mural in the small park listening to a free rock band …read more Apparently they have free monthly concerts near the old town mural . Yippy to free concerts and beautiful art .

Really underrated area, I took my daughters here and we all had a great time! The atmosphere to the…read moreplant life it was wonderful

Ilene Lieberman Botanical Garden was named for Lauderhill community leader Ilene Lieberman. She…read moreserved as a council women in 1984, mayor in 1988, and as a Broward County Commissioner in 1996. The garden is a small sized at only two acres. Although they didn't have a lot of land to work with they maximized what they had. The garden has an outdoor amphitheater that seats 40 people. There is also a gazebo, a tot lot playground, and an observation deck. Throughout the park there a walking trail, botanical gardens, and public art. The city of Lauderhill uses the park to stage events like the Jazz Picnic in the Park. This park provides a welcome green space in the middle of the city where the community can exercise, play, and gather together for events.