• Article

    Survey: Most Miami-Dade residents want libraries funded — one way or another

    Published July 10, 2014 by

    Fernand Amandi of Bendixen & Amandi International, Barry Johnson of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and Lilly Weinberg of Knight Foundation discuss the survey findings. Sometimes, when researching public attitudes toward libraries, it’s important to read between the lines. That was clear from a comprehensive survey of likely voters in Miami-Dade County commissioned by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce with support from Knight Foundation that showed that 80 percent oppose a significant cut to the library budget, while 13 percent support it. The survey, conducted by Bendixen Amandi International, was designed to delve deeper on results from an earlier survey by the same firm that focused solely on the question of whether the library portion of property taxes should be increased. The headline from that survey: A majority oppose raising taxes. This survey included additional options: cut spending on other county services to preserve library funding, or reduce library services.  
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    Una encuesta de Miami-Dade muestra un apoyo abrumador para una solución que conserva los fondos de las bibliotecas del condado

    Published July 10, 2014 by

    Algunas veces cuando investigamos la opinión publica hacia las bibliotecas, es importante prestar atención a los detalles finos. La necesidad de concentrar en detalles pertinentes fue claro según un estudio de los probables votantes de Miami-Dade encargado por la Cámara de Comercio de Miami-Dade y hecho con el apoyo del John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Ese estudio mostro que 80% oponen recortes al presupuesto de bibliotecas, y 13% lo apoyan.
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    July classes at the Light Factory

    Published July 10, 2014 by

    The Light Factory. Looking to improve your photography skills this summer? Look no further than The Light Factory’s summer program, which includes classes for youth and adult workshops. With classes ranging from Creative Selfies to Gimmicks & Gizmos for Lighting there is sure to be something...
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    What does a post-broadcast world mean for public media?

    Published July 10, 2014 by

    Above: Channel X, a project of Public Media Company, will be funded by Knight. The era of the couch potato is fading fast. Even after a long day’s work, many of us would much rather take out our smartphones, tablets and laptops and hang out with friends on Facebook, listen to a podcast while cooking dinner and watch short videos on YouTube rather than veg out in front of the TV. The broadcast model, where TV and radio showed and told and passive viewers watched and listened, is no more. Today’s news consumers want to be part of the conversation and the conversation is taking place online. Thanks to the Internet, we live in a post-broadcast world and it is disrupting TV and radio, slower than what has happened with newspapers but just as surely. Take TV, for instance. As viewers have switched to digital content and taken advertisers with them, the average revenue for news-producing stations declined by more than a third in the past five years. The average story length has diminished significantly and local newscasts are doubling down on sports, traffic and weather, according to the Pew Research Center.
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    Celebrating The Clay Studio’s 40th anniversary

    Published July 9, 2014 by

    By Alisha Ebling, The Clay Studio As a part of The Clay Studio's 40th Anniversary events, Iraqi war veterans and artists Ehren Tool and Jesse Albrecht transformed 1,000 pounds of clay into hundreds of military and war-themed cups while onlookers watched and interacted with the artists, provoking discussion on the...
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    ‘It’s movie season’ – and now Akron has a home for indie film

    Published July 9, 2014 by

    Photo: A DJ provides tunes for the opening night of Akron Film+Pixel at Nightlight Cinema. Photos by Rob Vaughn. For years, Akron Film+Pixel showed cutting-edge films in pop-up events around the city – 20 a year on average - filling a void in the one of the largest communities in the country without an indie cinema.  The group built a following, and now has its own space to house them: a new 50-seat theater called the Nightlight Cinema, showing two films nightly to often sold out crowds since opening in Downtown on July 1.  Helping to bring the early crowds was an opening night with a nod to one of the city’s own, a screening of award-winning filmmaker and Akron-native Jim Jarmusch’s’s vampire romance “Only Lovers Left Alive.” The Nightlight space is a draw too. In building the cinema, with support from Knight, Executive Director Steve Felix aimed to create a place that not just holds an audience but builds a community. The theater offers both stadium and café-style seating, snacks and a bar. Felix pipes in music between shows, to encourage people to come early and stay awhile after to discuss the screening. With a few weeks under the theater’s belt, it seemed time to sit down with Felix, 32,  and talk about the new enterprise’s history, goals and his hopes for film in Akron.
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    Creativity builds new community connections in Philadelphia

    Published July 9, 2014 by

    Local residents add to a crowdsourced mural where participants were invited to participate via randomly distributed invite cards complete with tube of paint and brush. Hunter Franks, an artist and founder of the Neighborhood Postcard Project and League of Creative Interventionists, is in Philadelphia for three weeks using participatory art to create connections between people and neighborhoods with Knight Foundation support. Photo credit: Hunter Franks. Rick’s face lit up. “Pearly the cat!” he exclaimed. I had asked him what his first love was. “That cat loved me but nobody else. She would hiss and scratch at everyone except me. She loved me.” It’s truly amazing how much people will tell you if you just ask. I had partnered with Asian Arts Initiative to activate the Pearl Street Alley behind their building and carry out the First Love project which collects the story of people’s first love along with their portrait. First Love provides a safe, fun, shared space to share personal stories, and it is always amazing how much people will share if you simply ask them. Later in the week, I was back at Asian Arts for the launch of the Philadelphia chapter of the League of Creative Interventionists, a global network of communities creating shared spaces and experiences to break down social barriers. We did some exercises to help us slow down, including standing out on the sidewalk for 60 seconds with our eyes closed. When you slow down and close your eyes, the buzz of cars driving by and the sounds of the city feel very different. 
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    The not-so-innocent world of Leonel Matheu

    Published July 8, 2014 by

    "Democracy" by Leonel Matheu at the Frost Museum. The imagery of Leonel Matheu is intentionally child-like in its figurative depictions, colorful, with cartoonish characters and scenery that could have popped out from a children’s book. But not quite. Those domed bald heads and teddy bear people,...
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    What’s up with social practice art?

    Published July 8, 2014 by

    Gallery visitors with completed Fundreds at McColl Center for Art + Innovation. Social practice art, often also called interactive art or participatory art, in some way encourages the viewer to engage directly with the art or artist by either forcing viewers’ physical actions, manipulating their senses,...
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    San Jose, Calif., initiatives to propel transformation of public spaces

    Published July 8, 2014 by

    Above: Images of San Jose from the Downtown Streetlife Plan.  Scott Knies is executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association, a nonprofit that manages the Downtown Business Improvement District in San Jose, one of 26 Knight communities. San Jose, the largest city in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, is growing rapidly. It is blessed with 300 days of sunshine, and has a population of 1 million balanced in nearly equal thirds of white, Latino and Asian residents. Knight Foundation’s support of two novel initiatives with a total of $150,000 will focus these assets of smart urban growth, great weather and incredible diversity.  The first addresses the activation of public spaces through community events as well as assisting new producers to navigate the local event process. The second initiative jump-starts partnerships and implementation around an exciting suite of street life projects to be added in downtown public spaces, such as sidewalks, paseos, plazas and streets.  Improving the experience of place in downtown San Jose is a goal of both these projects. The explosive future growth projections for San Jose all point to a denser, infill development strategy with downtown at the center. As Silicon Valley companies continue to embrace urban locations for their employees, place becomes a premium in recruiting and retaining talent.