• Article

    Art comes alive during a day in the museum

    Published May 13, 2014 by

    Still from Dance NOW!'s Ekphrasis Project 2013 performance at the Bass Museum. Every year, one of the more innovative and exciting events that successfully melds art forms takes place in May at the Bass Museum of Art. That’s when Dance NOW! Miami makes an artistic intervention,...
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    Celebrating growth and innovation in Philadelphia’s arts community

    Published May 12, 2014 by

    I’m in Philadelphia this week, and am excited to join Vice President for Arts Dennis Scholl and Philadelphia Program Director Donna Frisby-Greenwood in announcing $780,000 in support  to 19 individual artists and arts organizations. Over the past year, we’ve been building on the success of our three-year Knight Arts Challenge – providing new funding to challenge winners that were ready to scale up or try something new. Those past winners also connected us to a few organizations we hadn’t met yet, whose work is furthering our goal of advancing cultural growth and innovation while engaging the community through the arts. When I look at the list below, what excites me most is the spirit of collaboration that shines through. At the grassroots level, for example,  The Bearded Ladies Cabaret and Opera Philadelphia are collaborating on a "Popera" that examines the legacy of Andy Warhol,  bringing  an internationally renowned opera company and an emerging experimental cabaret group together to create some of the most innovative musical theatre I’ve ever seen. While many of the awards on the list are for the work of grassroots organizations or individual artists, some of Philadelphia’s anchor cultural institutions are getting in on the spirit of collaboration as well. A project at The African-American Museum in Philadelphia, “Beyond Sustenance,” will present community meals prepared by the Center for Culinary Enterprises alongside two art exhibits on African-American cultural and culinary traditions. The museum will also collaborate with the storytelling masters at First Person Arts, which will invite community members to share their personal experiences. At Knight, we believe that when these organic connections are made, it leads to experiences that not only push an artist or organizations practice, but also make for very memorable cultural experiences for communities. It makes sense that we would see so much of this collaboration in the ‘City of Brotherly Love,’ and we look forward to seeing the innovative work it is sure to produce. Find the full list of awards below, and be sure to check out these incredible projects for yourself! - Nicole Chipi, arts program associate, Knight Foundation
  • Article

    AIRIE Fellow: May 2014 update

    Published May 12, 2014 by

    By Elite Kedan, AIRIE Fellow First night. Bringing in the Sabbath. And the Spirits   Week 1 (Setting Up) The first couple of days in my ‘Mission ‘66’ cabin, (aka Basecamp, the Field Office, the Outpost, or HQ), include cleaning, mopping, re-arranging furniture, de-cluttering and general...
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    Infatuated with Thaïs

    Published May 11, 2014 by

    By Sebastian Spreng, Visual Artist and Classical Music Writer The orchestral and melodic sumptuousness of Jules Massenet’s craft cannot disguise the fact that Thaïs is a derivative work by the composer of Manon and Werther; a typical product of an era when Orientalism invaded Paris and left its mark on...
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    Talk about the art landscape of Opa-Locka

    Published May 9, 2014 by

    To end its fifth-year season, ARTtuesdays/Miami will talk all about Opa-Locka. That is the city in Miami-Dade with maybe the most eccentric architecture in Florida, and that’s saying something. Although the name derives from a Seminole word, the Moorish Revival-style buildings are meant to evoke Arabian Nights and Middle Eastern...