Art on the Square Is Twice a Year Again, and the Cornell's Season Now Runs Through February
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
Art on the Square comes back to the lawn of Old School Square on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8. It is the second show since the fine art festival came back this past March. Another is already set for February 27 and 28, 2027. That puts it back on two shows a year, a pace it hasn't had since its first run ended in 2020, according to Gold Coast Wave.
The two weekends fall on either side of a full museum season inside the 1913 schoolhouse at 51 N. Swinton Avenue. Three exhibitions opened at the Cornell Art Museum in early October. Admission is free. The schedule is staggered so the last show closes the same weekend the winter art show arrives. For anyone within walking distance of Swinton, the Cornell now has something on view all season, with events every few weeks.
Art on the Square ran six times between 2017 and 2020. Then it stopped. An older Old School Square page said the show was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The March 2026 show tested whether it could come back. The November date and the February 2027 date on the calendar show that the Cornell plans to keep it going.
The show now runs under the direction of Cultural Arts Director Marusca Gatto, according to the Downtown Delray Beach event listing. Every booth is juried. Artists applied through ZAPP, an online application service for art shows. The ZAPP listing shows applications closed September 25, jurying ran September 26 and 27, and artists were notified by October 6. According to the same listing, the show usually draws about 150 applications and selects about 100. A panel of five jurors reviews every medium, and jurying is closed to the public.
The sources give different artist counts for November. The Cornell's own page and Gold Coast Wave say nearly 70 juried artists. The Downtown Delray listing says about 100. Either way, the artists come from across the country, and their work includes painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, ceramics and mixed media.
The booths stay on the lawn in front of the Cornell, facing Swinton Avenue, and on the campus grounds. No streets close. Both the Downtown Delray listing and Gold Coast Wave confirm this. That means Atlantic Avenue, Swinton and the Pineapple Grove blocks to the north stay open to traffic all weekend.
The judging schedule shapes the weekend. First, second and third place awards are handed out over the two days. If you want to see what the jurors picked, come later Saturday or on Sunday. If you want to see everything before pieces sell, come early Saturday, according to Gold Coast Wave. The artist is usually in the booth. You can ask how a piece was made and whether there is more like it back in the studio.
Between the two lawn weekends, the galleries carry the season. The Cornell lists its hours as Wednesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Its museum page says, "Admission is free. Donations are appreciated." Here is what is on view this fall:
| Exhibition | What it is | On view through |
|---|---|---|
| River of Grass | Large woven pieces about the Everglades, made on standing looms | January 24, 2027 |
| Blooming in Color! | Bold color and expressive movement from Marleen De Waele–De Bock | January 24, 2027 |
| Ron Garrett: Impressions & Expressions | More than 100 works from four decades of a master printmaker's career | February 28, 2027 |
River of Grass is the centerpiece. WLRN reported that it is a three-part collaboration among South Florida fiber artists, curated with the Hollywood Art and Culture Center in Broward. The show takes its name from Marjory Stoneman Douglas's 1947 book. Its textile pieces were made directly on standing looms. The artists work palm and sedge into three-dimensional pieces, Gatto told WLRN. She described the show this way:
"It's a more gentle way of encouraging people to understand the environment. To understand the world that we live in."
Aurora Molina, an artist in the show and co-founder of the Fiber Artists Miami Association, told WLRN that the fiber stands for "this delicate network" between people and the places they live. Curator Jodi Sypher, also speaking to WLRN, connected the show to the Everglades' role as a drinking water source.
Look at the last column of the table. River of Grass and Blooming in Color! both close January 24. The Ron Garrett retrospective stays up until February 28, the Sunday of the winter Art on the Square. So the museum still has a show on view the day the next lawn show ends.
The museum also runs a weekday schedule. Every Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to noon, "Stretch. Breathe. Reset." offers gentle meditation in the galleries, led by Jessica Jyoti with live instruments. That is an hour among the River of Grass looms or the Garrett prints before the museum opens to the public at noon.
The Cornell is also on the route of Downtown Delray's First Friday Art Walk. The Downtown Delray Art Walk page lists it as a participating venue, with the walk running 6 to 9 p.m. The next two dates are November 6 and December 4. The November walk falls the night before Art on the Square opens. You can walk the galleries Friday evening and come back for the booths on Saturday.
The building is changing as well. On October 7, Delray Beach's Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved the city's application for Old School Square at 51 N. Swinton Avenue, item HP649-2026, as shown in the meeting video. According to Citizen Portal's summary of the meeting, the plan does four things:
"We were brought on to, assist the city, in basically bringing more illumination to the site," Jess Sowers, principal architect with Curtis Sowers Architects, told the board, as Citizen Portal reported. The work covers the Swinton side, from the street to the building. In the amphitheater performance area, only the coach lights will change. The gates hang above the archways, which the project team said keeps them protected in hurricanes.
Roll-down shutters made the arcade look closed every evening. Open gates under new lighting will let people see the schoolhouse arcade from Swinton after hours, during the same season the campus is adding events.
Here is the Cornell's season through February, alongside other events on the Old School Square campus:
Old School Square notes that all events are subject to change. Check the campus calendar before you go.
A painting or a woven piece bought from a booth on November 7 still needs a wall, the right light and room around it. Michelle's background in interior design shapes how she looks at walls, light and scale in a home. If you find something at Art on the Square and want help placing it, or want to talk about a home that will show it well, Michelle Sadownick would be glad to hear from you. Schedule a Private Consultation.
When you work with Michelle, she consistently goes the extra mile to provide the highest level of service while building strong relationships, and is genuinely excited to help you achieve your real estate goals.
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