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    Cooking change — one dish at a time

    Published August 18, 2015 by

    At Miami Culinary Institute, Aug. 14 lunch (picadillo with rice and beans and meatloaf with mashed potatoes) l to r: Tomas Bilbao, Cuba Study Group; Luis Alberto Alfonso Pérez, Michael Alejandro Calvo Oviedo, Gilberto Smith Álvarez and Yamilet Magariño Andux. Photo by Fernando González. Four Cuban chefs and their South Florida hosts intently watched big screens at Miami Dade College’s Miami Culinary Institute last Friday as the American flag rose over the United States embassy in Havana. The import of the symbolic moment was inescapable. The once improbable event also served as an exclamation point for the five-day visit of chefs Yamilet Magariño Andux, Gilberto Smith Álvarez, Luis Alberto Alfonso Pérez and Michael Alejandro Calvo Oviedo, the participants in the third installment of the Entrepreneurial Exchange Program.  Funded in part by Knight Foundation, the program has been designed and managed by the Cuba Study Group, a non-partisan nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.
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    Verb Ballets performed for Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival in Akron, Ohio

    Published August 18, 2015 by

    A summer weekend evening watching a polished professional ballet company perform in a grassy outdoor park. It sounds like a highbrow but comfortable experience, and one exactly like what the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, a Knight Arts grantee, had in mind when it invited Cleveland-based Verb Ballets to perform at Hardesty Park in Akron, Ohio on August 7-8. It’s been two years since Verb Ballets, which was involved with the festival since its inception, has performed during the annual summer event. On that occasion in 2013, the contemporary dance group kicked off the month-long dance celebration at the very same venue, as reported in an earlier post. More than one thousand people showed up to see Verb Ballets, settling in on blankets or fold-up seats as the company performed two pieces from its repertoire (“Similar” and “Spring Waters”) and also presented three new works (“Spartacus,” “Ne me quitte pas” and “Grace”). For good measure, the company presented the world premiere of a brand new piece, choreographer Lauren Edson’s “Because This Must Be.”
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    Libraries of the future: Super connectivity and a national stature

    Published August 17, 2015 by

    Photo credit: Daniel Bayer for Aspen Institute  This post has been updated. What will your local public library look like in the future? A digital-age gathering place that’s still a monument to the printed page? Perhaps shed of its physical walls and transformed into a virtual library, accessed by patrons from their homes, businesses or open public spaces? Or...? The sentiment is nearly universal that the public library – open to and serving all strata of a community – is an asset and public treasure to be protected as well as updated as it necessarily transforms for the digital age. In the mountains of Colorado last week, a group of library leaders were joined by thought leaders and decision-makers from government, technology, business, academia and philanthropy to consider and plan for the future of the public library. Assisted by facilitators at the Aspen Institute, participants in the Leadership Roundtable on Library Innovation, part of the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries and supported by Knight Foundation, worked over three days on proposals to guide libraries through a difficult march toward future relevance.
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    Pop-Up Pool Project revitalizes aquatic spaces in Philly

    Published August 17, 2015 by

    August is well underway, but that doesn't mean the balmy summer heat has abandoned Philadelphia just yet. Fortunately for Philly, the city has more public pools per capita than any other city in the country–although that doesn't mean they are all living up to their potential. To reinvigorate the swimming holes in the city, urban planner Benjamin Bryant has taken the lead to start the Pop-Up Pool Project. One of 32 winners in the 2015 Knight Cities Challenge, the initiative aspires to "reimagine Philadelphia's municipal pools as vibrant civic spaces through tactical urbanism."
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    Photography from previous eras a current passion for Knight Arts Challenge winner Letter16 Press

    Published August 17, 2015 by

    As far as cultural art centers go, Miami is a relatively new participant in this circle. But that doesn’t mean Miami has lacked artistic talent throughout its history; it’s just that much of that talent was never documented or recognized. Recently, a number of groups and organizations have been trying to rectify that omission, including Letter16 Press, a recipient of a 2014 Knight Arts Challenge grant. To call Letter16 an organization, however, is a stretch; it’s a two-man labor of love from journalist Brett Sokol and designer/photographer Francesco Casale, whose mission is to painstakingly restore 35 mm prints from unsung photographic heroes, print them in oversize, hardcover books and display them in exhibits.
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    7 tips for Giving Day newcomers

    Published August 17, 2015 by

    Giving Day Basics for Newcomers from Knight Foundation on Vimeo. Organizing a Giving Day can seem like a gargantuan task. But five Giving Day experts demystified the process during a Knight Foundation webinar aimed at newcomers to these online fundraising campaigns. You can listen to the full recording here. When you do, here are seven of the many lessons you will learn from Victoria Fear of The Miami Foundation, Courtney Bengston of the Wichita Community Foundation,  Barbara Fischer of the Blue Grass Community Foundation, Mike Berkowitz of Third Plateau Strategies and moderator and trainer Beth Kanter. RELATED LINK Webinar: Giving Day Basics for Newcomers 1.    Set a goal: So many first-time organizers neglect to do this first important step. Your goal may be to raise a certain amount of money - or it may be something else entirely like engaging a particular set of donors, or trying to bring new endowment funds to a community foundation. Whatever it is, make sure it’s measurable.  “You can’t do everything with your Giving Day, so being clear about your goal is really critical,” Berkowitz said. 2.   Know too that your goals may shift over time: The Wichita Community Foundation launched it’s one-day campaign to support the local arts as a way to raise its community profile. Several years later, they’ve hit that goal. Now the foundation is looking at ways to use the day to highlight its services, including fund management and community leadership, said Courtney Bengtson, the foundation’s director of communications.
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    Introducing the 2015 People’s Choice Award in Detroit!

    Published August 17, 2015 by

    One of the beauties of living and working in Detroit is the opportunity to discover the new arts and cultural projects emerging from all corners of the city.  Knight Foundation is in its third year of the Knight Arts Challenge and we have reviewed more than 3,000 submissions.  And, yet, it’s unusual for me to go a month in Detroit without learning about a new arts project or arts organization.  Because we are a community that engages and connects, they are not just art projects. They are projects that impact community and represent Detroit’s diversity and talent.  At Knight Foundation, we strive to find innovative projects that engage and enrich Detroiters through the arts.  We recently announced 70 finalists for the 2015 Knight Arts Challenge.  While the finalists are reviewed and winners are selected, we want to shine the spotlight on four small and emerging arts organizations – a youth violin program, a literary program for incarcerated men, a program connecting Detroiters to their West African heritage, and a youth-led community print space.
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    Art, food and community at Little Mekong Night Market

    Published August 14, 2015 by

    Earlier this month, a few blocks off of University Avenue in St. Paul were transformed into an Asian-inspired night market. It’s called the Little Mekong Night Market. It’s a Knight Green Line Challenge winner and it’s part of the Asian Economic Development Association’s strategy to harness the creative power of the community to grow the local economy and deepen neighborhood connections. In February of 2012, the Asian Economic Development Association launched the Little Mekong Asian Business and Cultural District. It’s been great to watch over the past few years as the Little Mekong initiative has rolled out a bunch of different art and culture events and activities to revitalize the area, increase access to and awareness of Southeast Asian art being made in St. Paul and promote small businesses along University Avenue in Frogtown. Last year, they held their first Little Mekong Night Market and it was successful enough that they had to expand the size and location of this year’s night market. I was excited to pay a visit. The Night Market started at 6 p.m. and by the time I arrived there with my family an hour and a half later it was already packed with people. One of the things this event highlights is that this part of St. Paul isn’t usually crowded with throngs of people, but it should be. This year’s Little Mekong Night Market spilled a block and a half down Western Avenue on either side of University Avenue. Walk less than a block either way down University from Western and you’ll find great food and interesting local crafts and art. One of the best things about the Night Market is that it doesn’t bring in food and vendors from far away but rather highlights all the good things that are barely hidden from view, just waiting to be enjoyed.
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    Past and future meet in Science Art Cinema series at Miami’s Frost Museum

    Published August 14, 2015 by

    Jorge Perez-Gallego is resident astronomer and exhibition developer at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. Photo by Matthew Schreiber. One of my first jobs was at a cinema back in the '90s, when films came on reels. I always loved the medium, but it was not until recently that I have grown a new appreciation for it. I remember speaking with Kevin Arrow, art and collection manager at Frost Museum of Science, and Barron Sherer from Obsolete Media Miami, about their love for film. It is a medium that, while in decline because of everything going digital, seems to be having a second coming in some circles.  Kevin  suggested we should do something together. He and Barron had hosted film screenings in the past in different venues around Miami, and there was definitely a genuine interest from the community, especially when these films were enhanced with other artistic media and performances. To bring art and science enthusiasts together, Frost Science submitted the concept of Science Art Cinema for the Knights Art Challenge and won. With Knight Foundation support, we now have the opportunity to host a series of four events that mix 20th century science and science fiction films with artistic performances and multimedia presentations. The series will culminate with an event that will include a call to action for newly-created and locally made films, in addition to a catalog to which the community will also be asked to contribute.
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    Philadelphia river arts festival boasts boats, aerialists and extended hours

    Published August 14, 2015 by

    On the banks and surface of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River on Aug. 29, the flowing water will come to life with the movement of dancers, boats, musicians and more. This date marks the third iteration of Invisible River, a multimedia performance and festival aimed at bringing attention to the Schuylkill River and Philadelphia watershed. Funded in part with a $25,000 grant from Knight Foundation, the free public art and boating festival takes place on and above the water, as well as in neighboring Fairmount Park.
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    Empire Seven Studios breaks down the barriers to putting art on walls

    Published August 13, 2015 by

    The following is cross-posted from Creative Exchange. Empire Seven Studios in San Jose started because Juan Carlos Araujo wanted his own art studio. He envisioned the space at 525 N. 7th Street as his own personal art space, but found himself hosting semi-regular art shows for his artist friends and after a couple of years he knew he had to decide between fully committing to it or keeping it just for fun.   And so Araujo, along with partner Jennifer Ahn, officially opened Empire Seven Studios in 2008.   "Once I made that decision in really loving what I do – representing artists and showcasing them and what they do – we transformed gallery one more time to something to complete with other institutions," he explains.   Empire Seven is not any one "thing" – they do not exclusively highlight specific kinds of artists, mediums, styles, or themes. If pressed, Araujo will call it "urban contemporary," but ultimately it comes down to what they like and want to show.
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    ArtPlace America funds the first maker festival in Macon, Ga.

    Published August 13, 2015 by

    It's a smart move for communities to promote local makers–studies have shown that local businesses can generate up to 70 percent more local economic impact per square foot than big box retailers. To this end, Macon, Ga. will host Make-End, the city's first maker festival, this year in November. The festival is a partnership between SparkMacon, a community innovation or "makerspace," and the College Hill Alliance, a placemaking organization that has received multiple Knight Foundation grants and was a 2015 Knight Cities Challenge winner. Festival organizers are currently accepting applications and hope to have 150 makers exhibit their work at this two-day event.
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    A group gallery show kicks off an artistic dialogue between Detroit and Glasgow

    Published August 13, 2015 by

    Much has been made lately of art as social practice and the impact that artists can have in shaping communities. In the interest of creating a dynamic international conversation, Detroit artist Cedric Tai guest-curated a group show at Simone DeSousa Gallery. Titled “Over Over Over,” the exhibition ran through Aug. 8 and featured five artists from Glasgow, Scotland. The show emerged from Tai's graduate studies at the Glasgow School of Art, and it is part of a project that aims to create a vibrant cultural exchange between Detroit and Glasgow—two post-industrial cities a world apart, but with much to say to each other. (Tai's project is a finalist in the 2015 Detroit Knight Arts Challenge.) In this context, “Over Over Over”—which gathered five powerful players in the Glasgow art scene into one incredibly dense gallery experience—can be seen as merely a beginning for a conversation that is evolving by the minute. As Tai said, “Don’t trust what you see, because it will have already changed.”
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    A community foundation takes on series of rapid experiments in local news and information

    Published August 12, 2015 by

    This post is one in a series on what four community and place-based foundations are learning by funding media projects that help to meet their local information needs. All are funded through the Knight Community Information Challenge. Alas, there's not a solid blueprint for creating informed communities in the digital age. Addressing the news and information needs of local communities, in the face of years of decline by newspapers and other legacy news organizations, requires a high degree of willingness to experiment (and tolerance of experimental failures). Such is the lot of a growing number of community foundations as they take on an expanding role in improving the news and information ecosystems of their localities. Often, a culture shift is required. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation is in the middle of a period of intense experimentation in the local-news and -information space, in part a reaction to its involvement in a design-thinking process that is part of its Knight Foundation grant and in collaboration with three other place-based foundations.
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    Prototype Fund recipient uses tech to make sexual health information more accessible

    Published August 12, 2015 by

    Photo: Jessica Ladd by TEDxMidAtlantic on Flickr. Jessica Ladd believes her whole life has pointed her toward working in sexual health and well-being. Ladd, 29, is founder and CEO of Sexual Health Innovations, a nonprofit focused on using technology to break down barriers for communication around sexual health issues. She grew up on San Francisco’s Castro Street during the AIDS epidemic – a time she looks back at as “really feeling like my city was dying around me.” In her late teens and into her 20s, many issues that affected her and her friends were related to sexual health: stigmas, shame, sexual assaults, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases. Often Ladd’s friends would come to her as a resource, because they believed information they found online was in indecipherable, big blocks of text that didn’t answer their questions. “There’s a lot of communication that doesn’t happen around sexual health and sexuality, often because of the stigma attached to these issues,” Ladd said. Last year, Ladd and her organization received $35,000 in support from the Knight Prototype Fund to further develop Private Results, Sexual Health Innovation’s delivery service for the results of tests for sexually transmitted diseases. The Knight Prototype Fund helps innovators take early-stage information ideas from concept to demo. Participants join a cohort of other projects, receive human-centered design training and typically spend six months developing their ideas.