• Article

    Meet the 73 finalists in the South Florida Knight Arts Challenge

    Published May 4, 2015 by

    Zoetic Stage (above). Photo by Justin Namon. Today, we’re excited to share the finalists in the Knight Arts Challenge, 73 ideas culled from 1,000 plus submissions from as far north as West Palm Beach and as far south as Key West. The list below is packed with great ideas for our cultural community, and a few trends. This year, we saw asks for more artist residencies; a desire to use the arts to address issues facing South Florida, from climate change to our evolving relations with Cuba; and once again the push by neighborhoods including Doral, Sweetwater, Overtown and Kendall, to ensure their neighbors are involved in Miami’s cultural transformation. We will announce the winners on Nov. 30, once the finalists’ detailed proposals are reviewed by a panel of local artists and arts advocates. Thanks to everyone who submitted an idea. If you’re inspired by the list below and would like to submit your idea to the next Knight Arts Challenge, it will reopen in early 2016.
  • Article

    IDEAS CITY: Detroit, Part 1

    Published May 3, 2015 by

    Incubation is alive and well in Detroit.  On a recent short trip, Joseph Grima, Director of Ideas City and I visited a number of cultural activists to plan for the November 2015 IDEAS CITY: Detroit Festival. Founded by the New Museum in 2011, IDEAS CITY explores the future of cities around the globe with the belief that arts and culture are important agents of change and are essential to the vitality of urban centers. This is made abundantly clear through the work being done by the artists and activists that we met with in Detroit. Methodologies, concerns, and results vary, but one trait they all share in common is the spirit of experimentation. Oakland Avenue Artist Coalition space.
  • Article

    Advisers gather in Miami to review Knight News Challenge: Elections entries

    Published May 1, 2015 by

    (Above) Knight News Challenge: Elections reviewers meet at the Knight Foundation offices headquartered in Miami. Photo by Jessica Hodder.  Nineteen advisers have joined us in Miami this week to review the 46 semifinalists in Knight News Challenge: Elections. The challenge closed on March 19 with more than 1,000 entries to the question: How might we better inform voters and increase civic participation before, during and after elections? The advisers, who specialize in areas including open government, journalism, civic tech, audience engagement and voting rights, will help us identify a group of finalists that will then be submitted to Knight Foundation’s board of trustees for approval. The winners will be announced in July. Winners will receive a share of $3 million for their projects.
  • Article

    Looking back, looking forward at ArtCenter in transition

    Published May 1, 2015 by

    The facade of the iconic original home of the ArtCenter. At the ArtCenter/South Florida, it’s time to say goodbye. Not to the organization or the art, but to the flagship space at 800-810 Lincoln Road on Miami Beach. Opened back in the 1980s, it's one of the first and oldest art institutions in South Florida. On May 2, the center will throw itself a little goodbye party in the gallery and studio spaces, calling it Lincoln Road Social Club. The theme appropriately celebrates the 1980s and 1990s, which in retrospect were the heyday of this particular space. So it’s also an appropriate time to look back – and forward – at the ArtCenter (a recipient of a number of Knight grants) and what it has meant to greater Miami.
  • Article

    The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project comes to PPAC

    Published May 1, 2015 by

    There is something striking about the sparse landscapes of Northern and Western Pennsylvania. Rolling hills and stands of trees populate the wide expanses of open space, foreign enough to us Southeasterners that it's hard to believe it is the same state. But there is something else that sets these locations apart, and it's a much more recent development flowing forth from the rock formations deep underfoot. At the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC), a Knight Arts grantee, one can catch a glimpse of the seemingly distant world of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus shale deposits – commonly called fracking – and the lives of those it impacts. Capturing scenes of the industry at work and the lives of local residents in its shadow, the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project (MSDP) stems from the work of Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson, and Martha Rial, who have been documenting the Western Pennsylvania drilling operations since 2012. Brian Cohen, "Janet McIntyre meets with Emily Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Environmental Law Clinic. 01/30/2012." Photo courtesy the MSDP.
  • Article

    Tenor Anthony Kalil: Missing and finding one’s calling

    Published May 1, 2015 by

    The end of another season means the return of pianist Ken Noda and a singer of his choice. It is a good way to close the annual Miami Friends of Chamber Music series, a young tradition that enables local audiences to discover new, rising talent. On this occasion, Noda’s unerring judgment singled out Anthony Kalil, allowing Miami to beat other venues to the debut of this tenor from the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Lindenmann program. At 32, the Indiana native is a voice to be reckoned with, a name to remember, a star to watch. Anthony Kalil. Four years ago, Kalil was painting houses and opening his own paint store in Seattle. His love of singing had been pushed into the background when a friend asked him to sing at his wedding. The rediscovery of his voice was such a powerful experience that he decided to take lessons and go back to his original vocation. It was worth it. Barely six months later, he was recommended for the Lindenmann program and was a finalist. Kalil shut down his business, forgot paints and followed his bliss. Last year, he debuted in Richard Strauss’ The Woman Without a Shadow at the Met, played the Duke of Mantua, Alfredo, Lensky, Pinkerton and Rodolfo with regional companies, served as as understudy at the Met and starred in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini under the tutelage of James Levine. Preceded by a reputation studded with awards and fellowships, and en route to auditions in Berlin and Vienna, he demonstrated his ample skills on the stage at South Florida’s Temple Beth Am with Noda’s formidable accompaniment.
  • Article

    Knight-sponsored events showcase many sides of San Jose

    Published May 1, 2015 by

    San Jose's City Hall by Flickr user HarshLight. Knight Foundation supports a variety of events as part of our ongoing efforts to spark new ideas for cities and support civic innovators working to advance talent, opportunity and engagement in San Jose, Calif. In April, we welcomed the news that two Knight grantees received national recognition; Cinequest, a 13-day digital film festival, was named “Best Film Festival” by USA Today and The Tech Museum of Innovation won the National Medal for Museum and Library Science. Looking forward, join us for Knight-supported events and opportunities in May.
  • Article

    St. Paul Food Opera looks to heighten the dining experience

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    One of the Asparagus Compositions. Photo by Melissa Rivard. In 2006, composer and audio designer Ben Houge was living in Shanghai and working on audio for a video game project for Ubisoft when he had dinner at a restaurant called Jade on 36. The dining experience, coupled with how immersed Houge was in his audio work, made him think about applying some of the same audio concepts to a meal. “It made me realize that the types of structures I’m putting together for this video game could apply to any kind of unpredictable event.” he said. Houge collaborated with a chef in 2010 on a workshop where they created music based on the flavors, textures and experiences of a meal. The music from that workshop eventually informed a collaboration with Boston-based chef Jason Bond for their 2012 project, Food Opera: Four Asparagus Compositions. Now, Ben Houge is collaborating with St. Paul’s Zeitgeist, a quartet focused on new music, to create the Saint Paul Food Opera –a project that won a grant from the Knight Foundation during the first Knight Arts Challenge St. Paul. Zeitgeist and Houge will seek out five St. Paul chefs with whom they’ll create five musical works that partner with a dish. In the Spring of 2016, they will present three evenings of musical works partnered with dishes at Studio Z in downtown St. Paul. The relationships between food and music have obvious connections, but there are also a lot of subtle similarities, Houge said,
  • Article

    Detroit convening of Knight grantees spotlights how city is moving forward

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    John Bracken, Knight Foundation's VP/media innovation (right) speaks with Beth Niblock, Detroit's chief information officer. Rebuilding a city requires epic fortitude: the ability to face down pessimism and rejection, overcome entrenched biases and sometimes start at the very beginning. Beth Niblock joined Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s cabinet as chief information officer a year ago, arriving at City Hall to fix and upgrade the city’s creaky infrastructure, down to the old desktop computers and printers. Niblock is in charge of records management, various dispatch systems, the city’s website – anything IT related. A new water authority that is taking over management of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department adds another layer to her job: Some 200,000 meter-reading devices need upgrading It isn’t sexy or exciting, she quipped, during a discussion sponsored by Knight Foundation at the Max M. Fisher Music Center Wednesday.
  • Article

    The Miami Dade College – Hialeah Cultural Center emerging artists competition

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    The Miami Dade College – Hialeah Cultural Center is pleased to have hosted the first Emerging Artist Competition. The competition included 45 pieces from students in 5 of our feeder schools. The participating schools were: American Senior High School, City of Hialeah Educational Academy, Hialeah Gardens Senior High School, Mater Academy Charter High School and Westland Hialeah High School. The pieces ranged in medium from traditional drawing to digital painting. Picture: Competition winners and Honorable Mentions with Campus President Dr. Roig-Watnik (Right) and Campus Dean Dr. Bradley-Hess. The students were asked to submit original work that demonstrates knowledge of the art form studied in relation to societal, cultural, and personal contexts. Also, works showing knowledge and understanding of the elements of the art form studied, including specialized language, concepts, and processes.
  • Article

    Archival Feedback is research and fieldwork, print and sonic map

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    Initially conceived by Emile Milgrim and T. Wheeler Castillo, Archival Feedback is an interdisciplinary dialog stemming from an attempt to document the ever-changing landscape of South Florida. The project centers around field recordings (“calls”) collected by Milgrim and Wheeler Castillo between 2012-14 with corresponding “responses” composed by selected artists utilizing these recordings. The audio was mastered by Rat Bastard at Dan Hosker Studio in Miami Beach and compiled as a vinyl LP and cassette single. A collection of prints, authored and printed by Milgrim and Wheeler Castillo at Turn-Based Press in Miami, informs the listening, references history and reacts to the landscape. Side A of the record explores South Florida but through a heightened aural sense, sounds perhaps that most have become desensitized to or haven't considered listening to more closely. Utilizing various types of microphones and methods, the recordings are immersive and meant to be experienced through headphones. Each response on the F side not only incorporates elements of its corresponding call, but integrates the artists’ scope of interests, from research and practice, to repurposing, memorizing, processing, live improvisation, and sequencing. T. Wheeler Castillo designed each print composition, layering history, experience, and memory in the scale of the record, each reflecting Archival Feedback's production visually.  
  • Article

    Tuesday Musical planning stellar artistic and educational season

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    Jarrod Hartzler, executive director of Tuesday Musical, a Knight Arts grantee, recently announced his second programming schedule after taking the helm of the organization a couple of years ago. It seemed like a good time to sit down with him, discuss the direction he sees the organization and its performances going, and to take a look at what’s new for the 2015-2016 season. Jerrod Hartzler, executive director, Tuesday Musical. Photo courtesy of Tuesday Musical. During a sit-down interview with Hartzler, he talked about his different take on programming. Historically, Tuesday Musical focused on being a presenter of artists, often looking to the “cool and edgy,” as he put it. While that still remains a concern, Hartzler’s overriding theme is to “try and make arts relevant in the local area; to have a role more than presenter; [and] to work with artists in the creation and production of art and music.”  
  • Article

    Knight study tour explores walkable, bikeable Portland, Ore.

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    Photo (above) by Flickr user Christopher Michael. At Knight Foundation, we know that the dream of the ’90s is alive in Portland. But it’s not the only thing; a robust and thriving public life has become one of the city’s key trademarks. That’s no accident, says Carol Coletta, Knight’s vice president for community and national initiatives. In fact, the emphasis on making public life more compelling was “part of a conscious decision by city leadership to turn its formerly opaque government into something completely different.” An upcoming study tour of Portland, May 4-5, organized by 8-80s Cities and funded by Knight, will give city and economic development leaders and entrepreneurs from Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Detroit; Macon, Ga.; San Jose, Calif.; Columbus, Ga.; and Wichita, Kan., the opportunity to learn how the city developed a strong sense of public life. Several members of Knight’s Community and National Initiatives Program also plan to join the tour, including Carol Coletta, Benjamin de la Peña, George Abbot, Daniel Harris, Beverly Blake, Katy Locker, Susan Patterson and Kyle Kutuchief.
  • Article

    Media partnerships extend reach of New England Center for Investigative Reporting

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    Knight Foundation recently released “Gaining Ground: How Nonprofit News Ventures Seek Sustainability,” a follow-up report in an ongoing series chronicling the development of nonprofit news sites. Joe Bergantino is executive director of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, one of the sites that shared their stories in the report. Here he offers more detail on how the center partners with other news organizations to maximize its impact. From the moment the New England Center for Investigative Reporting opened its doors, partnering with public media was part of the plan. Nonprofit news outlets such as public media and ours share many of the same values—among them, a commitment to doing in-depth reporting and having an impact in our community. But like investigative reporting itself, transforming the idea into reality has required patience, perseverance and some delicate negotiations. We currently have partnership and content deals worth close to a half million dollars a year with two competing public radio stations in Boston. These critical partnerships significantly help us build our reporting capacity, boost brand recognition and reach an even larger audience.
  • Article

    20 projects explore new uses of data, media and tech with support of Knight Prototype Fund

    Published April 30, 2015 by

    This post has been updated to reflect the Aug. 17, 2015 deadline for the Knight Prototype Fund. Nearly three years ago we started funding prototypes as a way to make small bets on exploratory work that promises to create new pathways for information that is essential for communities. We’ve focused on providing funding for broad experimentation at this early stage, designing a program that asks small teams to iteratively test their assumptions and share what they’ve learned. We now fund groups of prototype projects each quarter. In addition to $35,000, teams receive training in human-centered design and support from a data science team at Impact Lab to structure their learning objectives. At the end of six months, they meet to share what they’ve learned and the outcomes of their projects. The deadline for the next round of Prototype Fund grants is Aug. 17. Submitting an idea is easy; just answer five questions through our online form. This round of grants includes a diverse group of projects that explore novel uses of data, media and technology to inform people. Check out the 20 projects receiving support in this cohort below. Chris Barr is director of media innovation at Knight Foundation. Email him at [email protected] Apply for the Knight Prototype Fund at prototypefund.org.