Story and Photos by Elizabeth Fernandez

	Miami artist Stefan Vonfouts has his own studio but chose the Gallery of the Unknown Artist in Downtown Hollywood to display Mona Lisa Lite Brite. It took him 12 years to complete the project

In 1925, much of South Florida was still backwater swamp with few people and fewer roads. Back then, when Joseph Wesley Young imagined a golden city in the midst of this marshland, few could have dreamed of what the future would bring.

“Hollywood is a definite cool and upcoming place that reminds me of [New York's] East Village in the 80s,” said Jaroslaw Rottermund, former Manhattan resident and owner of the PRL Euro Café. 

	Broad sidewalks, streetside cafes and trees of Hollywood Boulevard create a pleasant environment for pedestrians

Downtown Hollywood has become a mecca for artists and musicians trying to avoid the high prices and commercialism in other parts of South Florida.

“South Beach is over-rated because it's become a tourist spot,” he said.  “For the artist or young person, in South Beach it’s impossible to live.”

Hollywood, however, is still affordable. This has attributed to an influx of residents to the area. Most of Rottermund’s patrons are young artists who live nearby. He has become personal friends with many of them and hosts their work.  The walls of the narrow locale are covered in paintings and framed photographs from local residents and he offers both established and up and coming artists an opportunity to sell their work. He wanted to bring a European and New York vibe to Hollywood.

“We have a great chance for really cool development,” he added.  “Its the only part of South Florida where an average person can rent a place.”

	South Florida residents Meridith Varderman and Patrick McCall visit the Gallery of the Unknown Artist. McCall, a Hollywood resident, frequents the downtown area. “I really like Hollywood a lot,” McCall said.

Patrick McCall moved to Hollywood from Savannah, Georgia, six years ago.  He visits Downtown Hollywood on a frequent basis.  “I think it’s very creative,” he said.  “There are a lot of artists around.”

McCall prefers Hollywood to other South Florida locations because of the city's intimacy.

“The small town feel of Hollywood as a community is really nice,” he explained. “It's not like Las Olas, not like South Beach.”

Downtown Hollywood features monthly art walks, bars and nightclubs, but those aren’t the only reasons people visit. It is a pedestrian area where patrons can walk from one location to the next from the safety of broad and brightly lit brick sidewalks. Outdoor restaurants and street performers add to the atmosphere.

“You see people walking like in Manhattan,” Rottermund said. “People are simply curious so they come here.”

The artistic atmosphere attracted gallery-owner and former Manhattan resident Ceci Weaver to the area.

“The word art is synonymous with Hollywood,” she said. “This art scene here in Hollywood is more what South Beach used to be like 15 years ago.”

	The walls of PRL Eurocafe double as an art gallery for local artists. Anyone is welcome to submit works of art

Weaver runs the Gallery of the Unknown Artist, a small and vibrant location selling original works at reasonable prices.

“We mix established artists with unknown artists,” she said. “It ensures that every work of art is on the same playing field.” Talent is what sells, not famous names, since Weaver makes sure well known artists receive no special perks.

“I thrive on bringing [unknown] artists into the mainstream,” she explained. “Where else are they going to start?”

Established artists like Miami resident Stefan Vonfouts don’t seem to mind. He owns his own studio and has designed high-class Miami restaurants like Grass, yet he chose Gallery of the Unknown Artist to host three examples of his work. He likes the Hollywood art scene because of the diversity. 

“It's fun,” he explained. “It invites a lot more people in ... It's a lot more laid back.”

The galleries in Hollywood take a more light-hearted approach, especially the Gallery of the Unknown Artist.  “Its so colorful,” he said.

	The Jeweled Castle has been a Hollywood icon for over ten years.

However, Hollywood wasn't always an affordable bohemian niche for young artists.

“Around ’85, ’86, it was terrible,” said C.K. “Mac” McElyea, former Dania Beach mayor and Hollywood native. “It was a ghost town. You’d go down Hollywood Boulevard and it was just blank.”

Jack Smile, co-owner of specialty art shop The Jeweled Castle, remembers when Downtown Hollywood was a dismal place. Ten years ago, when Smile opened The Jeweled Castle on Hollywood Boulevard with co-owner Rosalind Pershan, empty storefronts, a carnival-type atmosphere and high crime-rates kept affluent shoppers elsewhere.

	Amina and Rafael Lopez perform every Wednesday night in front of Chocolada on Hollywood Boulevard

“We worked with the local police to clean up the area,” he said.

The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has also worked hard to change Hollywood's image and create an environment conducive to creativity.  Tiffany Hill, artistic director at the Hollywood Art and Culture Center, credits the CRA and Hollywood’s public officials for helping to turn the city around.

“The Hollywood CRAs, both the downtown and beach districts, have been extremely supportive of what the Center does,” she explained. “Over the last couple of years both agencies have obtained new directors, who both realize the importance of the arts to the development of our community. When it comes to cultural projects or even our seasonal programming, both CRAs have been very generous in their commitment to support the arts.”

Small business owners like Rottermund have benefited from their support as well.

	Art at the PRL Eurocafe

“The CRA is very active and they were very helpful,” he said. “I think the city is doing quite a lot.  I see a lot of progress.”

“To work in a city where the officials understand the importance of obtaining balance in a thriving community is a rarity,” Hill said.

Thanks to their support, Hollywood’s growing artistic community can continue to develop.

“The artistic hub of the city is very concentrated and still evolving,” Hill explained. “In one night you can duck into a gallery for an opening, stroll over a couple of blocks to see a show by a world renown dance company, have a great dinner afterwards, and grab some gelato while listening to an incredible flamenco guitarist on the street. All without moving your car.  What more could you ask for?”