Co-Chair-Elect of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, president of Miami Maps, and a Grove insider who has spent decades marketing the neighborhood he loves. A transplanted New Yorker who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Miami, Marshall has called Miami home ever since.
Through Miami Maps, he produces city guides for some of Miami’s most distinctive neighborhoods and has represented landmark Grove clients including Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, CocoWalk, and Monty’s. Ten years ago, his marketing expertise helped land him a seat on the Festival’s Board of Directors. And he hasn’t looked back.
Q. What first drew you to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, and what inspired you to get involved at the leadership level?
I first attended the Coconut Grove Arts Festival as a University of Miami student. My friends and I went every year — partly to see classmates, partly because it felt like the best weekend Miami had to offer. Years later, it became a reunion. We’d take half a day off work just to walk the grounds, take in the art, listen to music, and enjoy the waterfront. I remember buying something every year for under $50. It was a haven — relaxed, beautiful, and welcoming in every sense of the word.
My background in marketing and advertising — and decades spent inside the Miami market — is what brought me to the board a decade ago. From day one, I focused on building a dedicated committee to promote and publicize the Festival at a level it deserved. Over the years we’ve partnered with multiple agencies, studied what Miami’s top attractions and venues do well, and brought the best of those ideas to the Festival. This city knows how to put on a show — we made sure the Festival kept pace.
Q. What are you most proud of when it comes to the Festival’s impact on artists, students, and the broader community?
What I’m most proud of is this board’s long-standing commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists and collectors. In fact, in 2026, we increased our annual scholarship fund to award 15 Miami-Dade high school graduates $5,000 each — that’s a total of $75,000 going directly to young artists with big futures ahead of them. Giving back to this community is genuinely one of the great privileges of serving on the Festival Board.
We also launched a meaningful new initiative in 2026: donating customized sailboat sails to Coconut Grove’s renowned Shake-a-Leg program, a long-established nonprofit serving physically challenged children and adults across Miami-Dade County. It is an honor to work alongside a program that has changed so many lives. And this is just the beginning — the public will see the Coconut Grove Arts Festival becoming more involved in philanthropy in the years ahead.
Q. What goes on behind the scenes that most people don’t realize?
Our board works year-round, meeting monthly to review plans, finances, marketing, and ways to keep improving. It’s a 365-day commitment for what most people experience as a single weekend.
Additionally, our Executive Director has introduced some very exciting programs. For instance, the Emerging Artist Program gives newer talent a real platform. And one of my personal favorites: the Young Collector’s Club that takes place during the three-day festival gives children under 12 an opportunity to purchase their very first piece of art — entirely on their own — for just $5. Watching a child make that decision independently is something special.
Q. How does the Festival reflect the spirit and identity of Coconut Grove, South Florida, and the fine-arts world?
The Festival has grown up alongside Coconut Grove — and like the Grove itself, it has evolved. The artwork has become higher quality and, yes, more expensive. But Miami’s residents have grown more sophisticated and more affluent, and the Festival reflects that. We’ve always mirrored the city’s energy. That’s not a coincidence — it’s by design.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the Festival’s future?
The future is genuinely bright. What excites me most is how closely our Board now works with Grove merchants, restaurants, and hotels to make this event a true community effort. With the right people on the board and the ongoing support of our community, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival will be going strong for many, many years to come.