Gibson Guitar, presenter of Miami GuitarTown along with the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County, announced the visual artists chosen to take part in creatively painting the showcase Epiphone guitars that will be auctioned off to benefit local charities. The project's Steering Committee, comprised of leaders throughout the community in various business sectors, voted on and chose the final fifteen designs after each artist submitted an official application and a design or pattern indicating their idea for the artwork to present on the guitar.

The Miami GuitarTown Visual Artists chosen to paint an Epiphone showcase guitar are listed below:

Javier Schanz – Miami Beach, FL
Sean Cruz – Miami, FL
Jonathan Stein – Coral Springs, FL
John Stapleton – Cedar Park, TX
Nadine Egan Floyd – Cooper City, FL
Andrew Nathanson – North Miami, FL
Nicholas Federico Romero – Cutler Bay, FL
Yvonne Cordoba – Miami, FL
Jude Parry – Miami Beach, FL
Natalie Omrami – Aventura, FL
Hieronymus Schofferman – Los Angeles, CA
Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi – Wellington, FL
Stella White – Delray Beach, FL
Janie Casoria – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Mauricio Ferrer – Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Artists who were selected to paint the ten-foot tall Gibson guitar sculptures have picked up their guitars, in some cases literally (photo attached), and have begun the painting process. Once all the designs have been completed, the ten-foot Gibson guitar sculptures and showcase Epiphone guitars will be displayed throughout the city, ending with a gala auction hosted by world renowned Juliens Auctions (www.juliensauctions.com). All proceeds from the auction will go to benefit three local charities: The Miami Music & Art Fund (www.dadecommunityfoundation.org), Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation (www.mchf.org), and The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood (www.artandculturecenter.org)

Individuals, organizations or corporations interested in sponsoring a Miami GuitarTown sculpture or guitar can contact the organizers by calling (305) 573-3523 or by emailing miamiguitartown@gibson.com. All sponsor benefits and levels are outlined on the official website or can be customized to suit a sponsor's interests and requirements. Each sculpture will be sponsored and corporate partners have the ability to help decide on the location of the guitars. The concept will have a huge impact in the community and provide enormous publicity and promotion for the popular City of Miami, as well as provide another interesting opportunity to attract tourists from around the world.