• Article

    The power of unlikely partners

    Published November 3, 2014 by

    Photo by Paul Gargagliano. Last week in partnership with NextCity, 900 AM WURD and AL DÍA News we launched City Sessions, a series of conversations with Philadelphians and national experts about the future of Philadelphia. Now is the time for us to think about how we want to continue growing and strengthening our city.  We’ve had seven straight years of population growth, fueled by baby boomers moving in from the suburbs, immigrants and college-educated millennials, a mayor in the last year of his term and a booming Center City. To continue moving forward, we need to engage all facets of our community in these important discussions.  Not many groups can do that alone. ­It therefore requires most groups to partner with others that they may be unaccustomed to working with.  It is these unlikely partnerships that will cause the collisions between young and old, new and established, and upper- and lower-income individuals that will move Philadelphia forward. 
  • Article

    This is the time of year it gets serious

    Published November 3, 2014 by

    Now that Halloween is over, the election is around the corner and the first winter blast of the season has hit, it's time to get serious. Dig out those scarves, wool mittens and Uggs and brace for what's to come. First up, the all-important Knight Arts Challenge People's Choice Awards....
  • Article

    “The Art Fair Phenomenon”

    Published November 3, 2014 by

    Art fairs have exploded in recent decades; they attract some 70,000 artists, dealers, collectors, enthusiasts, curators and glitterati per show. Miami in particular has become a key hub as the global art world gathers there in December for Art Basel Miami Beach and Art Miami. Nick Korniloff, Show Director and...
  • Article

    Sidewalk chalking at Tattnall Square Park

    Published November 3, 2014 by

      The Sidewalk Chalk Festival at Tattnall Square Park will take place November 8. All around the world, people create public art on the pavements of society. Many years ago, sidewalk art consisted of graphics to convey messages to citizens who couldn't read. These same designs...
  • Article

    Seraphic Fire crafts tapestry of sound with upcoming collaboration

    Published November 3, 2014 by

    Rhett Del Campo is managing director of Seraphic Fire, which Knight Foundation supports. cross-pol·li·na·tion noun 2. Influence or inspiration between or among diverse elements I stood at a panoramic wall of windows in the new and stunning Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). My gaze alternated between thought-provoking works of art and the colorful, trance-inducing Miami skyline as it reflected on a shimmering, moonlit Biscayne Bay. Already in sensory immersion, another sense announced itself, transforming the experience into something almost euphoric––I heard angelic voices echoing through the museum’s galleries as Seraphic Fire performed Los Angeles-based American composer Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on this Shining Night.” The term of the month at Seraphic Fire has been cross-pollination. Our collaboration with PAMM had me envisioning future opportunities for mixing the two expressive mediums of visual arts and choral arts (three, if you include the fluid, contemporary architecture that served as the mixing bowl). As new cultural icons take root in Miami, opportunities emerge to engage with our communities through innovative partnerships as we weave new threads into the cultural fiber of the burgeoning arts mecca that is South Florida.
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    Wednesday: Meet the South Florida People’s Choice Nominees!

    Published October 31, 2014 by

    This is cross-posted from KnightArts.org. Art + tech + waffles is a winning combination any day of the week, but we hope you will come enjoy it next Wednesday, Nov. 5 at a very special edition of #WaffleWednesday. #WaffleWednesday is a weekly tech meet-up hosted by LiveNinja with support from Knight Foundation. This edition of #WaffleWednesday brings together two Knight initatives, as the South Florida Knight Arts Challenge People’s Choice Award nominees join to discuss their projects over breakfast. The six small arts groups vying for $20,000 will also answer questions – and hopefully secure a few votes in the process.
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    Lessons from the Knight News Challenge: Core concepts in brand building

    Published October 31, 2014 by

    KNC Summer breakfast gathering in Kansas City. Photo by Michael Bolden. For the past few years I have been working with Knight Foundation to bring brand thinking into the media innovation space. I have had the great pleasure to work with a range of projects—from established organizations such as WITNESS, The Tor Project, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to true startup teams. This summer, we gathered in Kansas City, Mo., with winners of the Knight News Challenge and did some lightning round sessions to rapidly introduce core concepts of brand building. It’s what I call brand listening; it requires both observation and conversation to understand who an organization is serving and why it exists. Here are some of the key insights I shared during those sessions. Emotional manipulation is inevitable (Brand is not evil). The gathering at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center began with a wonderful work session led by Lea Thau of The Moth on the art of storytelling. During this session, she was asked how to communicate in a way that assured the audience would not feel emotionally manipulated.
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    Hackathon will help recode South Florida history

    Published October 31, 2014 by

    Miami Herald satellite phone and photo transmittal system from the early 1990s on view at HistoryMiami.  Why does history matter?  History is about telling the stories of our past. It has the power to bring people from diverse backgrounds together for exploration, discovery and learning. In this spirit, HistoryMiami, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution,, along with the museum's seven-member Advisory Board will host a 24-hour hackathon event called Night at the Museum: Recoding History. The hackathon  will bring together developers, designers and the creative communities to design new, digital ways to bring South Florida’s diverse and rich history to more people. "HistoryMiami hopes to use this event to help the organization rethink the way the museum's collection should be experienced,” said Stuart Chase, the museum’s director/COO. “By allowing the museum to be seen through a highly collaborative and innovative approach, HistoryMiami will highlight the collection of unique historical photographs and documents in a profoundly new manner."