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    Hark to the throbbing guitars at UM fest

    Published June 15, 2011 by

    Although the guitar is now indelibly associated with popular music, it has a large and beautiful repertory as an acoustic instrument that stretches back centuries before Les Paul. Starting tomorrow night, the 2011 Miami International Guitar Festival comes to Clarke Recital Hall at...
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    New Knight projects launched in response to urgent challenges of FCC report

    Published June 15, 2011 by

    Above: Steven Waldman's report to the FCC on the information needs of communities makes recommendations Knight will pursue with new projects announced today. Eric Newton is the Senior Adviser to the President at Knight. Today, Knight Foundation and our partners in the field are announcing two new research projects that will help philanthropy increase its role in meeting local information needs. Both were inspired by the FCC's new report, “Information Needs of Communities,” a groundbreaking effort that focuses on practical ways society can improve the environment for local accountability journalism. First, we're partnering with Grantmakers for Film and Electronic Media (GFEM), Ford Foundation, the Foundation Center and GuideStar on a research project to develop new ways of measuring whether foundations are indeed increasing journalism and media grant making. Foundation Center and GuideStar keep large databases of foundation and nonprofit work, and the project will develop technology to mine those databases specifically for journalism and media grants. The tracking information will be publically available, so citizens wanting to support nonprofit media can see what foundations are doing. In the second project, Knight Foundation will fund the Council on Foundations to examine how tax law may be stunting the growth of nonprofit media – and to suggest improvements. The FCC report finds that while nonprofit status offers news outlets clear advantages, the federal tax code was not written specifically for information providers and can be both ambiguous and too restrictive in areas such as advertising and political coverage. For example, the report says nonprofits are fearful of losing their tax exempt status if they publish commentary on legislation. Read the full release of today's announcement.
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    First Lady, Washington volunteers and Knight build playground today in D.C.

    Published June 15, 2011 by

    Above: Kaboom! volunteers work on a playground today in Washington D.C. By Damian Thorman (bio) I'm here in Washington, D.C. to build a playground with the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. As you may know, Knight Foundation is all about informed and engaged communities. Today's KaBOOM! build is also about engaging community. The build is at Imagine Southeast Public Charter, a beacon of hope in a very challenged neighborhood. While the school has been open for a while now, it has necessarily focused inward to adjust to its new home and build a strong education foundation for the kids attending the school. The KaBOOM! build has provided the school an opportunity to connect with the surrounding community and engage them. As part of the build process, KaBOOM! reaches into the community and involves the surrounding neighborhoods in the design and building of the playground. The process is more about building community than building a playground. The idea is that at the end of the process, everyone involved will have experienced being engaged in their community, which we hope engenders a desire to continue to be involved. Today's build is exciting for many reasons. First, it's the 14th build funded by Knight Foundation – and the 2,000th build for KaBOOM!. That's an extraordinary accomplishment for the organization and tens of thousands of community residents they have engaged over the past 15 years. It is also extraordinary because the First Lady of the United States will be here to lend a hand and her voice to the importance of an engaged community. Finally, the build is also part of the annual day of service for the U.S. Congress. Dozens of members of Congress are expected to attend and participate in the build along with the First Lady. I'm most excited about what will be left behind for this emerging community. I had a chance to sit down with the principal of the school a few weeks ago and talk about what this process has meant for her. She spoke eloquently about how her students had used this build as an opportunity to connect with the surrounding community, by going into local businesses asking everyone to participate. This is what engaging communities is all about. I can't wait to see the students and the community members come together today to build their community, and I can't wait to see what else they will do in the future as a result of feeling empowered to act.  
  • Article

    Awakening at the Awarehouse

    Published June 15, 2011 by

      The Awarehouse is not really a gallery or even a regular exhibition space. For the most part, it is known as a handsome multi-media and live music venue, which sometimes hangs up art. But, this month and through July, the art gets...
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    This is not your mother’s poetry reading!

    Published June 14, 2011 by

    By Susan Jedrzejewski, McColl Center for Visual Art “There's a general impression that poetry is safe,” says Knight Foundation Writer-in-Residence P. Scott Cunningham, who is looking to subvert the usual poetry reading. On Tuesday, June 28, Cunningham will shake things up by adding a new level of theatricality and drama....
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    Knight Center for International Media wins AEJMC’s ‘Best of the Web’ award

    Published June 14, 2011 by

    Fourteen University of Miami multimedia graduate students teamed with students from seven Knight Center for International Media partner schools in Africa and Asia to tell stories that attempt to personalize the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Working with Tom Kennedy, Knight Center Professional-in-Residence, each team found personal local stories that shed light and insight on critical global issues, including poverty, maternal health, environmental sustainability, universal education, gender equality, HIV AIDS and children's health.
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    The art of editing at the Detroit Film Theatre

    Published June 14, 2011 by

    Richard Chew knows a thing or two about film editing. Throughout a 44-year career, the Oscar winner has edited more than 30 movies, including Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Conversation" (1974), George Lucas’ "Star Wars: Episode IV" (1977) and Terrence Malick’s "The New World" (2005). Chew is currently a visiting professor...
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    Knight night” at Opera San José

    Published June 13, 2011 by

    By Judith Kleinberg, Knight Foundation Program Director for San Jose and Silicon Valley Saturday, May 7th, 2011, was “Knight night” at Opera San José, a free night of opera made possible by a grant from Knight Foundation. The beautifully restored downtown California Theatre was the scene of a capacity crowd...
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    An interview with Rudi Goblen

    Published June 13, 2011 by

    Rudi Goblen is a permanent fixture in Miami's performance arts scene and is currently a member of Teo Castellanos’ D-Projects, a collective of culturally trained artist creating provocative contemporary performance, Octavio Campos’ Campostion Hybrid Theater Works, Rosie Herrera’s Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre and the interactive performance troupe CircX. I spoke...