• Article

    Merce on the road: The Legacy Tour reports from London & Seattle

    Published November 2, 2011 by

    Dancer Silas Riener is currently on tour with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company’s Legacy Tour, a Knight Arts granteee. Today he checks in with a report about the tour’s recent stops in London and Seattle. By Silas Riener, Merce Cunningham Dance Company [caption id="attachment_27760" align="aligncenter" width="435" caption="Merce Cunningham at the...
  • Article

    Student debate goes high tech with interactive wall

    Published November 2, 2011 by

    Dec 8. update: Check out the Civil Debate Wall in action! As a way to encourage dialogue about the most critical issues facing Florida and the nation, this fall the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida launched a 44-by-26 inch interactive wall. The Great Civil Debate Wall, aimed specifically at engaging students, will encourage those with diverse backgrounds and political views to express their opinions. The new Knight-funded project was featured in this month’s edition of Florida Trend magazine in an article titled “Civic Engagement: Raising Questions.”
  • Article

    Random Acts of Culture™ arrives on campus

    Published November 1, 2011 by

    By Aaron Fiedler, Arts & Science Council During our first year producing Random Acts of Culture™ we have been fortunate to bring opera, dance and orchestral music to venues as diverse as a Belk department store and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As planning began for the next year we saw...
  • Article

    The sense-stimulating “Synesthesia LAB”

    Published November 1, 2011 by

    On the eve before All Hallow’s Eve — Oct. 30 — The Icebox in the Crane Building hosted the "Synesthesia LAB," a “14-Hour Long Gathering Full of Art & Music to Stimulate Your Sensorium.” Synesthesia is defined as one sensory perception invoking another sensation, as in hearing colors or tasting...
  • Article

    Keeping an informed and engaged St. Paul

    Published November 1, 2011 by

    The following post by Polly M. Talen, program director/St. Paul for Knight Foundation focuses on the foundation's efforts in St. Paul. It was originally written for the Minnesota Council on Foundation's Giving Forum Fall 2011. You might have heard something on Minnesota Public Radio about supporting journalism in the digital age. Possibly you’ve experienced a Random Act of Culture or participated in the Minnesota State Fair’s first Giant Sing Along. Or maybe you heard about a group of foundations and civic leaders working to ensure that the new Central Corridor light rail line provides opportunity for all of Saint Paul’s residents, especially those living in neighborhoods adjacent to the new line.
  • Article

    Nine ideas for political, civic engagement from Knight’s election convening

    Published November 1, 2011 by

    The challenges to a well-informed democracy in today’s hyper-connected world are clear: Disengaged audiences, “filter bubbles” in which the information voters get is what they tend to agree with, and a lack of productive political discourse online.  But what can the media and technologists do about it? A year out from the 2012 presidential election, Knight Foundation brought together some of the brightest thinkers on these issues to brainstorm ideas.
  • Article

    Holden Street artists get a new venue

    Published November 1, 2011 by

    I would be amiss if I did not acknowledge the changing of seasons in this blog, as well as the festive holiday of All Hallow's Eve, that, at times, can bring out the creativity in all of us — not to mention, glorious amounts of chocolate eating and apple bobbing....
  • Article

    Wells Fargo Community Celebration is a success

    Published October 31, 2011 by

    Saturday, Oct. 29 started out grey with lingering wet on the ground. However, very quickly, a beautiful fall Carolina day blew in, and we were left with crisp, breezy air, along with sprays of contrasting yellows, reds and orange leaves against that perfect blue sky. The sound of dry leaves...
  • Article

    Black Male Engagement celebrated in Philadelphia

    Published October 31, 2011 by

      “Now I finally get it. I got it now.”  -- Darryl Coates “I go to court to seek justice for my daughter and this energized me to continue the fight for her, her children, and against domestic violence.”  -- William Spratley “This is fantastic.  This is really nice.  Thank you.” – Brandon Jones “Yall really made us feel special.  This is awesome Ms. Greenwood.”  -- Tyrone Werts “Congratulations Donna. The program last night was inspiring, educational, and very catalytic.”  --Kenny Holdsman “I didn’t graduate from high school, I just got a GED.  But today I see my name in lights and got a yearbook with my name in it.” Those are just a few of the things that I remember men saying to me last week throughout the Philadelphia BME Celebration at The Franklin Institute.  The celebration highlighted the more than 1,000 black men and boys who shared their stories of leadership as part of the BME Challenge.
  • Article

    Are you ready for a “Sleepless Night?”

    Published October 31, 2011 by

    Featuring an almost overwhelming array of 150-plus performances, “Sleepless Night" (a Knight Arts grantee) returns to Miami Beach with 13 consecutive hours of cultural arts and entertainment scattered around the city at strategic locations from South Beach to North Shore. One of the best things about the cultural arts and...