Fill Your Lunch Break with a 'Fresh Cup of Art' Tour Around Broward County

Free monthly art walks begin Thursday, January 26 at Broward County Main Library. Led by the County's Public Art Administrator, Leslie Fordham, the tour explores 10 public art pieces followed by conversation and a cup of specialty brewed coffee by CoffeeHub. The tours run through April 13, 2017.

The Fresh Cup of Art tour will view paintings and sculptures, commissioned primarily in the 1980s for the Main Library through the Public Art & Design program, and includes scale models created by artists to demonstrate concepts. In addition to viewing art there will be discussions about public art funding and the selection process.

"Art experts say that to understand the art of today it's necessary to understand the art of the 1980s," said Fordham. "Many of the paintings and assemblages on display at the library have roots in the major art movements of the 20th century."

Differing from artwork produced in studios for a specific audience, public art is commissioned by the County for the people of the County. The tour will create an opportunity for the community to be part of the dialogue surrounding public art.

The lunchtime tour meets at noon at the main check-out desk on the 2nd floor of the Library. It ends on the Library's outdoor patio overlooking Solar Time Plane by Dale Eldred with local cyclist and coffee expert Edilson Cremonese who will grind and brew fresh coffee for guests with his custom-built bicycle coffee machine.

"Cycling and coffee are my two greatest passions. I'm excited to bring my own form of public art to caffeinate the conversation," said Cremonese, Founder of CoffeeHub, the nation's first pedal-powered coffee machine.

Additional tours will take place: Thursday, February 16, 2017; Thursday, March 16, 2017; and Thursday, April 13, 2017. RSVP here for the Jan. 26 tour or share the event on FaceBook.

Broward Cultural Division is a local arts agency, one of thousands across the U.S. providing financial, technical and marketing assistance to artists and arts organizations. Broward County has nearly 1.9 million residents, 15.4 million visitors, 10,000 artists, 6,291 arts-related businesses employing 23,498 people, 823 not-for-profit cultural organizations and 31 cities, some of which operate their own Arts Councils and public art programs. Visit our website and follow us @BrowardArts on Twitter and Facebook.