• Article

    Pilobolus entwined

    Published February 27, 2012 by

    I’ve always found sweaty, entwined (possibly naked) bodies one of the most challenging forms of artistic expression. Sometimes things can get awkward, but not when said bodies belong to the incredibly talented dancers from Pilobolus. Pilobolus is an experimental dance company created out of Dartmouth College in 1971. In case...
  • Article

    Season 2: ‘a Play, a Pie and a Pint’

    Published February 27, 2012 by

    By Emma Gibson, Tiny Dynamite Productions 2011 Knight Arts Challenge winner Tiny Dynamite Productions is getting ready for the second season of ‘a Play, a Pie and a Pint,’ which will begin on March 6th 2012 at The Red Room of The Society Hill Playhouse. The season will run for...
  • Article

    The East Village Other: celebrating a pioneering underground newspaper

    Published February 26, 2012 by

    Starting Feb. 28, a new exhibition will celebrate the life and death of one of New York City’s most beloved underground newspaper - The East Village Other. The exhibition, “Blowing Minds: The East Village Other, the Rise of the Underground Comix, and the Alternative Press, 1965-1972,” will include original copies of the newspapers, enlarged covers of its seminal issues and artifacts from its Second Avenue offices. The East Village Other, described as a “pioneering underground newspaper,” published bi-weekly for seven years. It is cited as an important parts of the counterculture newspaper scene and also helped give birth to the underground comix movement.
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    Exploring the role of the 21st century library in an age of e-books and online content

    Published February 25, 2012 by

      Photo Credit: Flickr user Jeff Wilcox. In the age of e-books and online content, what's the role of the 21st century library? That question brought together library directors from Knight communities across the country last weekend. During the conference, the American Library Association shared its vision for the future of libraries. Here’s a sample of the association’s framework, also included in “Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for the 21st Century Public Library”: 1.) Physical to Virtual In the past, libraries have existed exclusively as physical spaces, but this is changing as content moves online and libraries take steps to better meet community needs. For example, in Philadelphia, Knight-funded free library “hot spots” bring computer access, classes and the Internet to four locations around the city. The spots include computers, printers and reference collections of free library materials. They’re staffed by computer assistants to train users and offer free instruction and open-access computer time. 16,000 people visited these hot spots in just the first year.
  • Article

    Actor John Lithgow meets Random Acts of Culture™

    Published February 24, 2012 by

    By the Adrienne Arsht Center staff The Random Acts of Culture™ team is used to surprising the public with performances by Miami-based professional artists, but this month it ran into its own random surprise when actor John Lithgow appeared in the crowd of spectators at Miami International Airport. Lithgow, known...
  • Article

    Public art in Miami Beach

    Published February 24, 2012 by

    By Kristin Korolowicz, Bass Museum of Art This past December marked the first edition of the Bass Museum’s public art program initiative Temporary Contemporary. Organized in collaboration with Art Basel Miami Beach and curator Christine Y. Kim, the outdoor exhibition featured a diverse range of practices from internationally renowned and...
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    How one community foundation funded a new journalism powerhouse

    Published February 24, 2012 by

    Declining ad revenue and a tough economy led to hard times for news organizations in New Jersey.  Rounds of layoffs at the Star-Ledger - which is one of the primary sources of news from New Jersey's statehouse - had led to deep cuts in coverage of important public policy issues.   But could a small organization - with a website and a staff of four - really make a difference?   Reporter John Mooney - who had spent many years covering New Jersey's statehouse as a reporter and Hans Dekker of the New Jersey Community Foundation - were willing to give it a try.   Only a week after the site launched, the Spotlight reporting team published a story about misuse of funds at a public utility company that triggered a state Attorney General investigation.   Success had its own rewards and challenges, says Dekker.  "One of the challenges of funding a journalism organization is that you might end up funding coverage that makes some donors uncomfortable."  
  • Article

    “Fresh & Springy”

    Published February 24, 2012 by

    Joan Colbert isn’t hoping for familiar paintings of flowers for the upcoming "Fresh & Springy" juried show at the Summit Artspace gallery — just the opposite. For the eighth year of the annual show, the artist/gallery coordinator has thrown down the gauntlet...
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    Community Information Challenge application is a two-stage process

    Published February 24, 2012 by

    The Knight Community Information Challenge requires a short initial application. Then selected applicants are invited to submit a longer, more detailed proposal. The initial application, due Feb. 27, must be completed online and gives us enough summary information to understand the idea. If we like your idea, you will be invited to complete a full proposal with more detail on how you plan to implement it and what it will cost.
  • Article

    7 questions on the new Knight News Challenge application

    Published February 23, 2012 by

    Note: To apply for the News Challenge, and read our FAQ, visit NewsChallenge.org. On Monday, we will open the Knight News Challenge on networks. Just as we have revamped the contest, we have come up with a more streamlined application form. As John explained in our first post and in this video, the challenge is evolving to be offered three times this year, an attempt to be more nimble and move at the pace of technology development. Along with this new focus, we have simplified the application form. Based on conversations with previous News Challenge applicants and outside reviewers, we devised the following seven questions. What do you propose to do? [20 words] Is anyone doing something like this now and how is your project different? [30 words] Describe the network with which you intend to build or work. [50 words] Why will it work? [100 words] Who is working on it? [100 words] What part of the project have you already built? [100 words] How would you sustain the project after the funding expires? [50 words]