Miami Celebrities interviews Rey Rey Rodriguez on Fort Lauderdale, FL's FAT Village.
Since 2009, Fort Lauderdale Florida’s biggest and best art hot spot has been Flagler Village, thanks to their FAT (Flagler, Arts, Technology) Village art walks held on the last Saturday of every month. Unfortunately, the pandemic had put a stop to the spot for almost a year. With COVID restrictions are being lifted, and people are eager to go out and play the way they used to, FAT Village is once again available for all to experience. We asked South FL based visual artist, Rey Paul Rodriguez (better known as Rey Rey Rodriguez) to explain why FAT Village is Broward County’s home for artists.
“When art lovers ask me what’s the first thing they should visit or experience when they come to South Florida, I always recommend they arrive before the 2nd Saturday of the month. I call that the “FAT Day of the Month.”
Artists and art lovers from all walks of life walk down this warehouse district, where warehouses, garages, and vendor tables are rented out to artists for the day, so the passersby can walk through the museum-like setup and view or purchase art.
Custom made clothes, jewelry, paintings, accessories, souvenirs and more is sold (usually by the creator), while flyers, business cards, CDs, posters, and other forms of event, business, or personal promotional items are being passed around everywhere.
Graffiti from different artists are painted on the walls of the buildings, stores, on canvas, t-shirts and more. Different colored food trucks and hot dog stands line up on different corners. Bands play inside one of the rented spaces, as musicians of all kinds play instruments or sing anywhere else that doesn’t block an entrance, exit, or traffic.
Put this all together: the sounds of music, talking, screaming, laughter, combined with the smell of spray paint, food being cooked, sweat, perfume, and cologne from everyone in attendance, along with all the colorful visuals that resemble a cartoon world…. That’s my visually representation of what it’s like to roam the streets of Fat Village.
It’s a special day, in a small place where non-artists can get a feel for the art community, and sometimes realize their own passion for art, and where artists can shine, get lost in the crowd, mingle, make connections, or have a good time with everyone else. No matter where you’re from, Fat Village is an artist’s home away from home.”
Rey Rey Rodriguez is the founder of The Mind of Rey Rey®, a branding, marketing, and multimedia company based out of South Florida, that provides services worldwide.
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