Signs From Our Past
Delray’s murals—and love of the arts—is a hallmark of the city
T
yler Childress’s story in this issue on some of Delray’s murals mirrors how I often think about Delray now. Amid the throngs of people and the traffic and the bustle, I have to remind myself that hiding in plain sight is the Delray I fell in love with decades ago. That Delray had Artists’ Alley (which always sounded like the Amazon because Brenda’s Birds was still there) and the first early whimsical sculptures in Pineapple Grove. It had receptions for the opening of exhibitions at the Cornell, and it had the Crest at Old School Square. In those days, Delray took great pride in its identity as a town that was supportive of the arts, Arts Garage, Arts Warehouse, galleries popping up, art shows, free music on Friday nights. And woven throughout were the colorful murals on so many buildings that I always took for granted; I was happy to read here (page 50) about what they meant. And what inspired them. As Delray moves forward—and it is moving all the time—I am hoping the pressure to develop and transform and build does not erase the city’s connection to the arts. I also hope the city continues to honor its traditions, events like Savor the Avenue and the Delray Affair, both of which practically define springtime here. These are two events that affirm community in a city that has changed from small resort town into a bustling hot spot before our very eyes, especially in the last eight years. There is no denying the fact that South Florida has a tradition of eating itself alive, one bite at a time, in the name of development. Just look at what happened up the road on A1A to the Seaside Deli; one day a rare and treasured community touch point for everyone from Delray to Manalapan, the next, possible developer bait for still more condos. I hope that does not happen to Delray any more than it already has, and I hope it does not affect the city’s fragile hold on the arts at this point. We need to keep preserving our sense of place and our people—like our murals do—before that Delray we have loved is lost to memory.
Details from two of Delray’s murals
FIVE (MORE) THINGS I LOVE ABOUT DELRAY [ 1 ] When the first Honeybells come in [ 2 ] Captain Clay’s new seafood market [ 3 ] Spending a morning at Sandoway Discovery Center [ 4 ] Coco Gauff [ 5 ] Marianne’s chicken tetrazzini
12
delray beach magazine
EDITORS LETTER MA23.indd 12
march/april 2023
2/3/23 8:49 AM