From more than 1,500 ideas, 45 finalists will move on to the next round of the 2009 Knight Arts Challenge!

The Knight Arts Challenge is an experimental contest that aspires to bring together South Florida’s diverse community through the arts. Great arts ideas poured in from the community during the month of February, and the 45 finalists include galleries, an opera company, and an independent music store along with many more smart, funky, and meaningful ideas. Projects stand to receive a total of $4 million in matching arts grants, and the winners will be announced next fall.

The finalists are as follows:

VISUAL ARTS

3D Miami/Frederic Snitzer To further position South Florida as a cultural destination by exhibiting the contemporary sculpture of 90 artists throughout Miami-Dade County. Available Space To enrich community life by creating temporary, interactive public art displays in empty storefronts and vacant lots in underserved neighborhoods. BELIART/Bernice Steinbaum To spark interest in the arts among school children by producing an interactive, educational DVD set that focuses on great works. Christy Gast To provide free materials for nonprofits, schools and artists by creating a clearinghouse for donated art supplies and surplus goods. CIFO To cultivate progressive architecture by commissioning young, local architects to create an outdoor urban refuge using green materials. COOPER To provide access to expensive tools by creating a communal facility where artists can use heavy machinery and metal-casting equipment to produce their art. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden To expose new audiences to contemporary art by exhibiting the sculpture of Barry Flanagan and Tom Otterness on Fairchild’s grounds. Friends of the Bass Museum To promote imaginative thinking among school children through a curriculum-based art program. Girls’ Club To nurture the career of a South Florida artist by supporting an exhibit at an alternative gallery space dedicated to contemporary female artists. Goldman Properties To create a hub for creative activity in Wynwood by opening a multi-disciplinary office, performance and gallery space for a diverse group of arts organizations. Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau To raise museums’ profiles by designating May as Miami Museum Month, when residents can join one of 18 museums and visit another for free. Jerome Soimaud To artistically explore Miami’s African-American neighborhoods by producing a free art exhibition entitled “Black in Miami.” Locust Projects To promote experimental art by commissioning three site-specific projects to be exhibited outside the traditional gallery setting. Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs To facilitate the exchange of ideas and goods by creating a ‘Cultural Craigslist’ where artists and groups can post openings and workshops, and can buy, sell or donate materials. The Nature Conservancy To highlight the importance of conservation by funding the Miami exhibition of “Design for a Living World,” a series of works by leading artists using sustainable materials. Sculpture Key West To promote contemporary art in a unique, historic setting by producing and documenting an annual sculpture exhibition at Key West’s two Civil War-era forts. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens To highlight Vizcaya’s historic and artistic importance by commissioning site-specific artworks inspired by this National Historic Landmark. Eli Weberman To provide a cultural destination in Wynwood where artists can live, exhibit their work and mingle with potential customers, tourists and other artists. Wolfsonian-FIU To expand the reach of the museum by turning its exterior walls into a public art display. PERFORMING ARTS

Actors’ Playhouse Productions To celebrate South Florida’s diversity by producing the first-ever musical in Spanglish on the Cuban migration to the United States. City of Miami Mayor’s Office of Film & Cultural Affairs To enrich Downtown Miami by presenting weekly performances during lunchtime. Florida Grand Opera To attract a younger audience to opera with a student matinee performance that features sets using projected and animated images. Florida Grand Opera To cultivate a new audience for opera by giving away 2,000 tickets to a performance of Carmen through a drawing. Miami City Ballet To celebrate the ballet’s 25th anniversary by producing five company premieres by choreographers who have shaped the group’s artistic identity. Miami-Dade Parks To increase community cultural offerings by expanding a free concert series at neighborhood parks to include both traditional American and Latin music. The Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts To expand the offerings at the historic theater ‘ and ensure its sustainability ‘ by creating an endowment fund. Performing Arts Center Trust To foster an understanding of the performing arts by bringing every Miami-Dade fifth grader to a production at the Arsht Center. Mario Ernesto Sanchez/Teatro Avante To support and enhance an award-winning Hispanic theater festival by adding a comprehensive Latin American theater conference. MUSIC

Alliance for Musical Arts, Theater and Tutoring To cultivate community pride by creating a Drum Line for 50 elementary school kids who will learn percussion skills and perform at local events. Amy Rosenberg To explore and celebrate Overtown’s rich music history by presenting an outdoor event featuring local musicians while historic neighborhood images are projected. Chopin Foundation To increase access to free performances by expanding the ‘Chopin for All’ concert series, adding events in Palm Beach County and engaging local schools. Miami-Dade Public Schools To further develop local musicians by creating a mentoring program where professionals give guidance through master classes and collaborative performances. Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc. To increase opportunities for blind and sighted artists by expanding the center’s unique music inclusion program. New World Symphony To attract new and younger audiences by commissioning local artists to produce videos to accompany the music during select performances. Performing Arts Center Trust To broaden appreciation for South Florida’s gospel tradition by expanding Free Gospel Sundays at the Arsht Center. Sweat Records To strengthen a local resource by expanding community programming and creating an online site exclusively for buying local music and art. UNCF/United Negro College Fund To expand knowledge of a culturally significant musical instrument by supporting the Florida Memorial University Steelband Program. FILM

Broward County Film Society To celebrate cultures from around the world through a free film and community discussion series. Miami International Film Festival To strengthen the reputation of South Florida’s film industry by launching a marketplace where filmmakers and industry professionals can buy and sell film rights. Plum TV To increase the visibility of the visual arts community by producing a documentary TV series that follows key players as they prepare for Art Basel Miami Beach. LITERARY ARTS

Hannah Kahn Foundation To foster a dialogue through an author reading series. Kathleen Hudspeth To promote traditional print media and artists’ books by creating a communal print shop serving the arts community. OTHER

BankAtlantic Foundation To increase exposure to the arts by expanding a program that partners arts nonprofits with local elementary schools. Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs To ensure a thriving future for the arts by developing a plan to secure dedicated public funding sources for the arts in Miami-Dade County. WPBT To help local artists gain exposure by creating a regional arts news service that would provide free stories and electronic press kits for broadcast.

For more details, see the Knight Arts site.