The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced last night the winners of their 2015 Knight Arts Challenge, along with the winner of the People's Choice Award. To qualify, the projects must be about art, must take place in or benefit Miami, and the winners must find funds to match the Knight grant within a year. The winners of the challenge will collectively aid our city by: strengthening the indie film scene, fostering the next generation of creatives, exploring climate change through the arts, and highlighting Miami as a crossroads for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“High-quality artistic experiences not only inspire, they help bind us to each other and to a common experience, which is critical to a region as diverse as ours,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president of Knight Foundation. “Together, these ideas gets us closer to making art general in Miami, to creating a community where art is available to everyone in all of our neighborhoods.”
According to the organization, the 53 winners — selected from a pool of over 1,000 entries — will share the $2.36 million. Aside from the bragging rights, Miami Girls Rock Camp was awarded an additional $20,000 grant as the People's Choice winner.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Farmers Markets Host Pop-up Concerts
Recipient: A Greener Miami
Amount: $20,000
Arts Educators Teach Virtually
Recipient: Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
Amount: $40,000
Artist Residency Sets Sail Aboard Boat
Recipient: ArtCenter/South Florida
Amount: $40,000
Children Take “Tales of Miami” to Stage
Recipient: Artefactus Cultural Project
Amount: $15,000
Sidewalk Poems Take Literary Arts to the Streets
Recipient: Agustina Woodgate
Amount: $20,000
Hackathon Fuses Art and Technology
Recipient: Bakehouse Art Complex
Amount: $30,000
Jazz Festival Expands to New Mediums
Recipient: City of Miami Gardens
Amount: $80,000
Contest Helps Develop New Student Playwrights
Recipient: City Theatre
Amount: $20,000
DanceAfrica Comes to Miami
Recipient: Delou Africa
Amount: $15,000
Community Gets Access to Letterpress
Recipient: Extra Virgin Press
Amount: $10,000
New Performance Piece Explores Rising Tide
Recipient: Florida International University
Amount: $30,000
Library Becomes Museum’s Temporary Home
Recipient: Friends of the Bass Museum
Amount: $75,000
Downtown Art Installations Explore Unconventional Spaces
Recipient: Fringe Projects
Amount: $35,000
Hidden Musical Talents Showcased Onstage
Recipient: FUNDarte
Amount: $120,000
Gay Arts Groups Team Up
Recipient: Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida
Amount: $40,000
Havana and Miami Youth Collaborate
Recipient: Greater Miami Youth Symphony
Award: $55,000
Exhibition Series Connects Miami and Caribbean Artists
Recipient: Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance
Award: $40,000
Collaboration Makes Classical Musical More Accessible
Recipient: IlluminArts
Award: $20,000
Indie Film Scene Receives Increased Coverage
Recipient: Independent Ethos
Award: $15,000
Film Series Explores Brain on Music
Recipient: Corpus Callosum
Award: $80,000
Roundtable Strengthens Indie Filmmaking
Recipient: Kenny Riches
Award: $8,000
Art Series Engages Tri-Rail Commuters
Kip Eagen
$5,000
Miami Youth Learn Junkanoo Traditions
Recipient: Leadership Prep Foundation
Amount: $25,000
Sculptures Reflect Fear in Media
Recipient: Locust Projects
Amount: $60,000
Theater Explores Censorship Onstage
Mad Cat Theatre Company
Amount $25,000
Waterfront Residency Comes to Key Biscayne
Recipient: Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center
Amount: $25,000
Ballet Presents Shakespeare Miami-Style
Recipient: Miami City Ballet
Award: $150,000
Latino Artists Engage Little Havana
Recipient: Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center
Amount; $100,000
Dance Performance Highlights Importance of Water
Recipient: Miami Dance Futures
Award: $20,000
Camp Empowers Girls to Perform Music
Recipient: Miami Girls Rock Camp
Amount: $20,000
Miami Makerspace Expands
Recipient: Miami Industrial Arts (MIA)
Amount: $15,000
Light Box Provides Space for Incubating New Performance Works
Recipient: Miami Light Project
Amount; $120,000
School Days Off Turn Into Music Boot Camps
Recipient: Miami Music Project
Award: $105,000
Concerts and Films Coming to Sweetwater
Recipient: NC-office
Award: $30,000
Legacy Media Materials Get New Archive
Recipient: Obsolete Media Miami
Award: $30,000
Academy Preps Teens for Music Careers
Recipient: Overtown Youth Center
Amount: $40,000
Artists of Color Shine at December Art Fair
Recipient: Prizm
Award: $80,000
Residency Program Expands Little Haiti Gallery
Recipient: Rise Up Gallery
Award: $25,000
Movie Lovers Pay Homage to 35 mm Films
Recipient: Secret Celluloid Society
Award: $15,000
Six Composers Celebrate 15 Years of Seraphic Fire
Recipient: Seraphic Fire
Award: $100,000
Illustrations Memorialize Miami Bands
Recipient: Show Drawn; The Upper Hand Art
Award: $8,000
Overtown Festival Expands
Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency
Award; $50,000
Audio Equipment Rentals Come to Sweat Records
Recipient: Sweat Records
Award: $50,000
ASK Hispanic Theater Gets New Focus
Recipient: Teatro Prometeo at Miami Dade College
Award: $35,000
Residency Helps Students Create Songs
Recipient: The alt Default
Award: $9,000
Festival Showcases Ibero-American Literature
Recipient: The Betsy-South Beach
Award: $50,000
High-Profile Concert Showcases Student Performers
Recipient: The Miami Symphony Orchestra
Award: $60,000
TransAtlantic Festival Gets Refresh
Recipient: The Rhythm Foundation
Award: $50,000
Artistic Treasure Hunt Key Reveals West History
Recipient: The Studios of Key West
Award: $50,000
Series Focuses on Power of the Elements
Recipient: Tigertail
Award: $75,000
Zine Centers on Miami Beach’s 100th
Recipient: Tom Austin
Award: $15,000
Environmental Art Works Come to the Gardens
Recipient: Village of Pinecrest/Pinecrest Gardens
Award: $25,000
Jazz Fest Comes to Downtown
Recipient: 88.9 FM WDNA Public Radio
Award: $75,000
The Knight Arts Challenge will open for applications again in early 2016.