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    “British Invasion” at the Bechtler

    Published October 6, 2014 by

    "British Invasion" at the Bechtler Museum. The phrase "British invasion" has many connotations. For most of us, it alludes to the transfer of British pop and rock bands like The Beatles to America. But not so long ago, it might have conjured up thoughts of war,...
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    Weird Miami Bus Tours are back

    Published October 6, 2014 by

    Join artist Juan Carlos Zaldivar, Bas Fisher International and Miss Information for the October installment of the Weird Miami Bus Tour on Sunday, October 12th from 5 - 8:30 p.m. (Arrive no later than 4:15 p.m. for a prompt departure.) Weird Miami Bus Tour. The "top-secret"...
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    MOCA unveils new face

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    Installation in second gallery at MOCA. Courtesy William Cordova It’s been a long hot summer for those who loved the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA). The ugly break-up of the institution that really started last winter left the museum bare for the summer, with...
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    Libraries evolving as spaces for developing community ideas and engagement

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    Reimagining libraries in the digital age is collaborative work that requires input from across the community--but it’s also essential in building, competitive world-class cities. That was the framing from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez as he introduced a  discussion on the “Future of Libraries” at the InterContinental Miami hotel Monday. “The library forms an integral part of community engagement,” Giménez said. “We must not only serve our diverse community today but keep pace with the global challenges of tomorrow.” Knight Foundation and The Miami Foundation sponsored the event, which brought national thought leaders together to discuss creative visions for tomorrow’s libraries. This summer the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce commissioned a survey, with the support of Knight Foundation, on the attitudes of Miami-Dade County residents toward public libraries. Knight, which has a history of funding library initiatives to promote informed and engaged communities, recently closed a $2.5 million News Challenge on libraries, which asked, How might we use libraries as a platform to build more knowledgeable communities? Winners will be announced in January. Monday’s panelists included: Amy Garmer, director of the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries who is developing global solutions to increase access to libraries with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Libraries initiative; Corinne Hill, executive director of the Chattanooga Public Library and this year’s librarian of the year; John Szabo, the city librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library, the largest library in the United States; and Kenneth Furton, the executive vice President of Florida International University in Miami.
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    Miami summit promotes social change with local action

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    Above: A Social Good Summit Miami panel on “Design: A Tool for Change” brought local leaders in entrepreneurship together to rethink engagement and social entrepreneurship. Credit: Jayme Gershen Miami’s biggest challenge may be its obsession with examining its biggest challenges, according to city leaders. The second annual Social Good Summit Miami assembled influencers at the Miami Innovation Center to discuss ways of taking local action while thinking globally. The collision of voices across the city -- in philanthropy, sustainability, art, technology, education, city services and local government -- identified what assets need to be leveraged today to make Miami a world-class city tomorrow. Since 2010, innovators worldwide have live-streamed +SocialGood conversations as an extension of Mashable’shyperlocal campaign to solve the world’s challenges by 2030. Summit organizer Michelle Dow, owner and founder of Social Swag Co., said that the summit held in late September and co-sponsored by Knight Foundation, originally came to Miami as a result of civic and community engagement research that ranked Miami as the least-engaged city in the United States. Panelists across all sectors, however, suggested that the statistics of yesterday don’t apply to the city’s current synergy and that the elements for success already exist.
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    Beyond Carnegie-Knight: ‘Knowledge journalism’

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    Journalism can lead us astray, argues Harvard professor Tom Patterson in his book, “Informing the News.” He cites a University of Maryland study on what Americans knew about 11 issues, from health care reform to climate change. For some news consumers, “higher levels of exposure increased misinformation.” On eight of the 11 issues in the study, more than 40 percent of the consumers were misinformed. On six issues, regular news consumers knew only what everyone else knew. On health care, news consumers knew less than what others knew. Patterson makes a strong case that modern journalism often fails to communicate complexity. The book, an offshoot of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative for the Future of Journalism Education, examines journalism that fails to provide meaningful context, sometimes by giving equal weight to fact and opinion, other times by substituting infotainment for real news, still other times by allowing anecdote to trump trend. He’s neck-deep in the problems of modern journalism, with chapters titled “The Information Problem,” “The Source Problem,” “The Knowledge Problem,” “The Education Problem,” “The Audience Problem” and “The Democracy Problem.” The problems add up to stories throughout history that have been horribly wrong, from the start of the Spanish-American War (Spain probably didn’t sink the U.S.S. Maine) to escalating crime in the early ’90s (it didn’t happen), from the prevalence of voter fraud (it isn’t a problem) to those Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (they did not exist).
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    The tough questions in Akron, Ohio

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    Photo by Flickr user Ken Lund My first two months as Akron program director for Knight Foundation have been dizzying. With countless meetings, public events, receptions and side conversations, I’m starting to get a sense of what lies ahead and behind. First and foremost, I should say that the generosity of strangers that’s been extended to me has been truly humbling. From neighborhood tours to contractor recommendations, this Midwestern city has trumped any sort of Southern hospitality that I knew as a child. I am grateful to all who have softened the transition with kindness. Over the course of the meetings, I began to discern a subtle rhythm. After winding through cordialities and initial matters of interest, most of my discussions have inevitably arrived at a small set of tough and meaningful questions. I’d summarize them as follows: ·      How does Knight Foundation perceive Akron? ·      How do you perceive Akron? ·      What are your thoughts on the portfolio of investments that Knight Foundation has made in Akron? ·      What are you focused on right now and moving forward?
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    Dlectricity illuminates the streets of Detroit

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    By Mary M. Chapman, Detroit-based freelance writer The epiphany came when Jonathan Lewald was enjoying a projected light installation at the nighttime arts festival Dlectricity. “Detroit’s coming back, baby,” he turned and yelled to no one in particular, his face flecked with dancing reflections. “This is what we do!” As...
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    Creative interventionists inject color into community interactions in Akron, Ohio

    Published October 2, 2014 by

    All photos by David Swirsky The Akron League of Creative Interventionists’ first solo “creative intervention” was filled with color, acceptance and diversity. David Swirsky, a college senior at the University of Akron studying organizational communication and the new leader of the Akron League of Creative Interventionists, has jumped in with both feet, leading in person and on social media. The league, started by San-Francisco-based artist Hunter Franks, brings people together to create amateur art in public spaces with the goal of breaking down social barriers. In other words, have some fun and invite strangers to join in. Knight Foundation invested $55,000 so that Franks could expand a national tour to four Knight cities: Akron, Detroit, Macon, Ga., and Philadelphia. Franks ran the first meeting in August at the Akron Art Museum. He designates a new theme each month; August’s was “health,” and September’s was “color.” Franks said he was “thrilled with the creative energy and great showing of the Akron League chapter for their September intervention. The chapter continues to prove that small-scale projects can energize people, bring them together and change their perception of place.”
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    Learn more about ArtPop 2015

    Published October 2, 2014 by

      "Warm Glass" by 2014 ArtPop artist Carmella Jarvi. Have you noticed the amazing artworks on billboards in and around the Queen City? Are you an artist interested in getting your work more exposure? If so, then you need to learn more about the exciting partnership...