Miami Artist Krave Moves El Fresco Art Spaceto Landmark Calle Ocho Storefront

Miami artist Daniel Fila (Krave) has moved El Fresco Art Space, an independent gallery and incubator for local contemporary urban artists, to one of Calle Ocho’s most recognizable storefronts: the historic Optica Lopez flagship at 1340 SW Eighth Street. An official grand opening will be held Tuesday, September 8th, from 7 – 11pm, featuring music, food and “8×8’s”, a new exhibition featuring work by local artists handpicked by Fila and his team.

The relocation marks the beginning of a new chapter for the arts collective, which Fila had operated from a storefront on Southwest 12th Avenue in Little Havana since 2012. With 5,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, the new location gives El Fresco room to expand into a full-time retail gallery, host regular art workshops and community events, and provide studio and exhibition space for some of Miami’s most active urban contemporary artists, including Jel Martinez, Carlos Solano, Cinthia Santos “Cynno,” Allen Penniman, Gina Salvatore, Marggie Haza, Raymond Adrian, Mwanel Pierre-Louis, Ernesto Maranje and Diana Contreras.

Located at the highly visible corner of Southwest 13th Avenue – just steps from Domino Park and the historic Tower Theater – the two-story, blue-and-white striped building has long been a neighborhood landmark, frequented by the legendary Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz, whose star is engraved on the sidewalk out front. “Every abuela knows this place – it’s part of the history of Calle Ocho,” Fila said, referring to the building where the optometry business, founded in Cuba in 1929, operated since the 1960s.

The move comes at a critical juncture for Miami’s creative community, with cuts to public arts funding and soaring housing and studio costs making it increasingly difficult for working artists to remain in the city. According to Americans for the Arts, Miami-Dade’s nonprofit arts and culture sector and its audiences generate more than $2.1 billion in annual economic activity.

“Miami’s economic success owes a debt to the artists and small business owners who took risks in places like Wynwood, Allapattah and Little Havana, and whose creative vision helped make those neighborhoods more valuable,” Fila said. “Cities naturally change, but at this rate, Little Havana will become ‘West Brickell’ in a matter of years. Is that in Miami’s best interest? The new historic home for El Fresco gives us a more prominent platform to showcase Miami’s local artists – as well as a fun setting to host workshops and events that engage residents in conversations about how we can balance growth with preservation, and shine a light on local artists’ contributions to Miami’s history and cultural identity.”

Central to that mission will be The Littlest Art Fair (LAF) 2026, a weeklong series of murals, music, activations and panel conversations throughout Little Havana during Miami Art Week in December. Fila, collaborator Diana “DidiRok” Contreras and Natalie Schere of Path to Hip Hop launched the grassroots festival last year to showcase Miami artists who are often boxed out of the city’s larger international art fairs. In its first year, the festival commissioned 17 local artists, produced 15 new murals throughout the city and hosted seven community events. Details about this year’s event will be unveiled later this month.

The new space will also host El Fresco’s popular monthly “Vinyl Tuesday” music and art exhibition series, now entering its third year. Each month centers on a different theme, inspiring new work from established and emerging artists across genres including urban contemporary, graffiti-based, conceptual, illustration, abstract, sculpture, fiber arts and mixed-media. September’s Vinyl Tuesday, which will coincide with El Fresco’s grand opening, will be aptly themed “8×8’s” – a play on both the Eighth Street location and September 8 opening date – and feature original works in that format, all available for purchase with proceeds going directly to the artists.

About El Fresco Art Space

Founded in 2012, El Fresco Art Space is a Little Havana art space and incubator, and one of the last remaining indie galleries in Miami. An inclusive community led by artists for artists, El Fresco provides local creators a shelter in a field of rampant exploitation and consistent displacement, and a path around the gatekeeping hierarchy of the establishment art world. The gallery’s long-running monthly “Vinyl Tuesdays” series provides a platform for local artists and DJs to showcase their works, with nearly all proceeds going back to the artists themselves.


For more information visit: El Fresco Miami or Krave Art

Follow El Fresco on Instagram @elfresco_miami & Krave Art @kraveart