Above: App-activated sound art “The Sounds,” a collaboration between Brad Laner and Ivan Toth Depeña. All images courtesy Ivan Toth Depeña. Take a break from texting and “liking” as you walk down the street, and look up, with your phone. You may encounter some fascinating art that appears only on your screen, courtesy of artist […]
Above: The Pop-up Pools project in Philadelphia was a 2015 Knight Cities Challenge winner. Photo Courtesy The Pop-Up Pool Project. We opened the second round of the Knight Cities Challenge in October with a little trepidation. We had been impressed by the enthusiasm for the first round of the challenge, which attracted more than 7,000 applications. We wondered if there […]
Photo: West End neighborhood of Charlotte viewed from Johnson C. Smith University. Courtesy Charlotte City Center Partners. I’ve lived in Charlotte pretty much since 1971, and to say that it has changed over the last 40 years would be an understatement. A lovely Southern town has become a significant New South city with all of the accompanying challenges. I’ve […]
Mobile Arts & Community Experience with creator CarlosAlexis Cruz and students from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture. A native of Puerto Rico, CarlosAlexis Cruz is an assistant professor of theater at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He and Associate Professor of Urban Design Jose Gamez developed the concept for the Mobile Arts & Community Experience – or MAX – as a multiuse mobile venue that will bring people together […]
José Gamez is associate professor of urban design in the College of Arts + Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He and Assistant Professor of Theater CarlosAlexis Cruz developed the concept for the Mobile Arts & Community Experience – or MAX – as a multiuse mobile venue to bring people together and invigorate […]
Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass exemplifies perhaps better than any other recent musical piece that it’s not just the spirit can move us, but the music as well. Originally commissioned by Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church to celebrate its 200th birthday, the piece bridged the gap between the secular and the religious by bringing together jazz, gospel, […]
Above: The family lounge area at Pop-Up Pool in Philadelphia, a 2015 Knight Cities Challenge winner. Credit Monica Peters. Civic innovators from across the country submitted more than 4,500 ideas to this year’s Knight Cities Challenge. That’s a lot of ideas. More importantly, that’s a lot of people who care enough about their city to sit down and […]
Tom Warshauer is community engagement manager for the city of Charlotte, a winner of the 2015 Knight Cities Challenge, which seeks the best ideas to make one or more of the 26 Knight communities more successful using talent, opportunity or engagement. Apply at knightcities.org. Above: What if we can move bus stops from lonely places to “porches” where community interaction is encouraged and celebrated? People can get really excited about light rail projects. […]
Today, Knight Foundation is announcing 17 winners of the Knight News Challenge on Data at a convening at Civic Hall in New York. Each of the winners will receive a share of $3.2 million to develop their project, which seeks to answer the question: How might we make data work for individuals and communities? As […]
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. SUMMARY The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, located in Miami, Florida, continues the work of John S. and James L. Knight, two […]
Charles Leadbeater event in Philadelphia. Photo by Dana DiFilippo for Knight Foundation PHILADELPHIA — Hunting Park, an 87-acre park once overrun by drug dealers and addicts, is now an oasis, with athletic fields, gardens, an orchard and a weekly farmers’ market. Eakins Oval, a parking area most of the year, becomes a stunner every summer, with parkers banned to make way for a pedestrian paradise. And […]
By Sarah Emery, Moving Poets Charlotte Moving Poets, a cross-disciplinary, contemporary dance theater company based in Charlotte, N.C., and Berlin, revives its showcase of six 15-minute original works April 23-25, 2015, with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. With “be curious” as its guiding principle, Moving Poets serves as a […]
A new hotel, Le Méridien, has opened in Uptown Charlotte. The global brand is not only quirky with a boutique feel, but it is also determined to delve into the local arts scene and unlock Queen City culture for its guests. Two of Le Méridien’s initiatives, LM100 and Unlock Art, have the potential to increase […]
By Logan McSwain, Charlotte Ballet On March 7, 2015, Charlotte Ballet’s Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte fundraising gala welcomed over 900 guests to the Knight Theater and raised $790,000. The event was chaired by Andrea Smith, global head of human resources for Bank of America and last year’s People’s Choice winner. Judges’ Choice winner […]
Welcome to @knightfdn, your quick look at how Knight Foundation fosters informed and engaged communities. Knight Arts Challenge St. Paul opens for entries through 5/18 seeking the best ideas for the arts Poynter Institute’s News University will reimagine online journalism training University of Miami to use entrepreneurship to connect people […]