• Article

    Paula Ellis on kick off of first Clinton Global Initiative focused on America

    Published June 29, 2011 by

    Watch live streaming video from cgi_plenary at livestream.com President Clinton kicks off the first Clinton Global Initiative focused exclusively on America.  This conference is focused on revitalizing the economy. I was invited to represent Knight and join in the working groups on service corps.  We had a preliminary work call last week and will meet over the next two days to discuss transformnig "economic dislocation into community engagement."  Other groups are focused on STEM education, Veterans, workforce development, startups, manufacturing, healthcare workforce, infrastructure and the rural economy. By Paula Ellis, VP/Strategic Initiatives
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    A rock in one hand, cell phone in the other: Crowdsourcing crisis info in the Middle East

    Published June 29, 2011 by

    If you take a look around these days at any event, you can be sure to spot mobile phones taking pics and video – allowing anyone to share news in real time. So how does our society adjust to gather and disseminate accurate information? That was a session topic at last week’s MIT-Knight Civic Media Conference, featuring Mohamed Nanabhay, head of New Media at Al Jazeera and Joi Ito, director of MIT’s Media Lab and co-founder of the crowdsourcing project Safecast, which aggregates radiation levels in post-quake Japan.
  • Article

    Ghost or live?

    Published June 29, 2011 by

    By Shaun Nethercott, Matrix Theatre Company In a few short hours, I am going to be leading a sort of eco-justice tour of Detroit with my friend Rich Feldman. We will be leading teachers and others to some of Detroit's amazing places on both the horrific and the wonderful side....
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    An interview with writer/director Neher Jacqueline Briceño

    Published June 29, 2011 by

    "Mujeres de Shakespeare" (Shakespeare’s Women), written and directed by Neher Jacqueline Briceño, opens July 8 during Teatro Avante's XXVI International Hispanic Theatre Festival, which runs from July 7 through 24. According to Briceño, Mujeres de Shakespeare is inspired by and a tribute to Shakespeare's most beloved female characters. In this...
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    Gantt Center hosts a place for hope

    Published June 28, 2011 by

    By Bonita Buford, Gantt Center On June 15, 2011, the Gantt Center hosted a group of twenty-three children from South Carolina’s Blackmon Road Community — one of the poorest areas in the nation — whose residents live without indoor plumbing, trash pick-up, street lights or paved roads on the border...
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    Journalist’s Resource offers research and reference material for journalism schools

    Published June 28, 2011 by

    The Harvard Kennedy School’s Joan Shorenstein Center has recently launched its newly-redesigned Journalist’s Resource, where journalists, students and instructors can find research studies on current events, syllabi and course materials for journalism lessons, and references for journalism basics. All content is free. On the instructor’s guide, professors can find full, semester-long syllabi, which emphasize knowledge-based journalism, as well as case studies and adaptable teaching assignments. Furthermore, all of the Journalist’s Resource’s policy studies come with teaching notes, which provide suggestions for instructors on how the studies can be used in the classroom. The site also discusses journalistic problems, and suggests examples that instructors might use to help students avoid those pitfalls.  
  • Article

    Dare to run a surplus

    Published June 28, 2011 by

    By Janet Brown, Grantmakers in the Arts Last week I had the privilege to speak about our National Capitalization Project at two very vibrant, national conferences. I was fortunate to present with GIA members Janet Sarbaugh, the Heinz Endowments at Chorus America in San Francisco and Ben Cameron, Doris Duke...
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    An evening of sound and movement at 2:1

    Published June 28, 2011 by

    We could hear the powerful, rhythmic sound of Biba Bell’s six-inch heels striking the floor above our heads before the dance even started. Around 50 people (a good turnout for an avant-garde dance and sound art performance on a Sunday night in Detroit) were all seated in the basement of...
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    Art and innovation in uptown Charlotte

    Published June 27, 2011 by

    Those who've attended an artist open house at McColl Center for Visual Art or tapped into their own creativity through the Innovation Institute know just what Chris Gergen is writing about in this column from Sunday's Observer. It's a special place in the heart of uptown. Tuesday night, it will be even more fun when poet-in-residence Scott Cunningham takes to the scaffolding for a special performance at the center from 7 to 9 p.m. I wouldn't miss it. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/26/2407232/art-and-innovation-uptown.html
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    Jumpstart, Inc., labeled “Ohio’s signature job producing nonprofit”

    Published June 27, 2011 by

    Jumpstart, Inc. a Northeast Ohio based organization which invest in entrepreneurial start-ups is receiving national attention for it's model. Called "Ohio's signature job producing nonprofit", Knight Foundation has funded Jumpstart to help six Knight cities to create entrepreneurial support systems. Jumpstart is also working with the Obama administration's Start-Up America Campaign to help entrepreneurs nationwide. http://www.ohio.com/editorial/commentary/a-jumpstart-strategy-to-boost-the-region-and-the-country-1.222771
  • Article

    Public art is everywhere

    Published June 27, 2011 by

    Public art can be found throughout Charlotte. To highlight some of these diverse artworks in the uptown area, the Arts & Science Council put together a Public Art Walking Tour podcast. This is so easy to use, and it guides you through a cross section of the free art in...
  • Article

    Film Review: “A Better Life”

    Published June 27, 2011 by

    Illegal immigrants are human. This may seem like an obvious statement, but director Chris Weitz's film, "A Better Life," which opened last night to a packed audience at the historic Tower Theater on Calle Ocho for the Miami International Film Festival, won the hearts of the audience by putting a...
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    Ryan Trecartin’s super freaky trip

    Published June 25, 2011 by

    Likely the visitor leaving the sensory overload currently taking place at Museum of Contemporary Art will have strong reactions to what they’ve just seen and heard. That's good, though, those reactions might not all be positive. On opening night, the video extravaganza from Ryan Trecartin elicited a wide range of...