South Florida is a community that is responsive to new ideas. Artists’ contributions are seen as important and integral to creating a city where people from all over the world visit, work, and live. The Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge (KAC) has played an important role in bringing artists and the community together. I encourage you all to submit your best idea for bringing community together through the arts for a chance to win a 2016 grant.
I am a 2015 winner for a project that ultimately became a partnership between Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places and O, Miami.
And how that all happened is because I was asked to think big. At the request of District 11, I was invited to design a sidewalk for the West Kendall community. During the presentation of my proposal, a representative from Art in Public Places expressed interest on taking this design across the county. She thought it was a dynamic idea, one that could successfully bring the community together through the arts — a perfect match for a Knight Arts Challenge grant.
I won for a project called Concrete Poetry, an idea that will transform the county’s sidewalks into playful encounters through poetry. Local poets will write pieces about the neighborhoods, and they will be imprinted in the sidewalks with letter tiles as a permanent intervention.
My tips for first-time KAC applicants would be:
- Don't be intimidated. If you have idea, work on it and submit it.
- Partnerships and collaboration are key. It was through the partnership that I was asked to think big.
- Take a chance. Be a risk-taker.
Wednesday, April 27, at Panther Coffee (2390 NW Second Ave., Miami). Visit knightarts.org to submit an idea and knightfoundation.org for more information.
