• Article

    D.Cipher: Amplifying a Music Community in Detroit

    Published November 19, 2018 by

    With so much music history running through Detroit’s DNA, increasing investment in local musical groups and artists, and a renaissance of new music-based organizations, I often wonder why do musicians regularly leave Detroit? Why does it lack a sustainable music economy where infrastructure and industry unite to create an environment for musicians to thrive creatively and financially?
  • Article

    Seven ways the Detroit arts scene has changed – and transformed the city

    Published October 31, 2018 by

    Knight believes the arts have the power to inspire, challenge, bring wonder into our lives, and ultimately connect us to each other and the cities where we live. A thriving arts ecosystem requires talent and collaboration, as well as investment and community support. In charting the journey of arts in Detroit and supporting its growth, we hope to contribute to a stronger future for the city’s great art and artists.
  • Article

    Experiments in museum tech: Framework and lessons

    Published May 17, 2018 by

    In 2017, Knight Foundation began work with four museums to deepen their use of technology to attract and engage audiences. The museums—Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Akron Art Museum, The Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, and the Barnes Foundation—went through a year-long process to research, develop ideas, prototype and launch pilot technology projects.
  • Article

    On art and technology: The power of creating our own worlds

    Published March 2, 2018 by

    What are the opportunities for technology in the arts – and what threats does it pose? Knight Foundation, which recently launched an open call for ideas to use technology to connect people to the arts, asked leaders to answer that question. Here, artist and researcher Mimi Onuoha talks about the possibilities the arts and tech offer to create new worlds.
  • Article

    Navigating the intersection of art and technology

    Published February 28, 2018 by

    What are the opportunities for technology in the arts – and what threats does it pose? Knight Foundation, which recently launched an open call for ideas to use technology to connect people to the arts, asked leaders to answer that question. Here, artist and author Ingrid Burrington offers her views on how the field, and its taxonomy, should evolve.
  • Article

    Tech and the fine art of complicity

    Published February 21, 2018 by

    What are the opportunities for technology in the arts – and what threats does it pose? Knight Foundation, which recently launched an open call for ideas to use technology to connect people to the arts, asked leaders in the field to answer that question. Here, Jer Thorp, a data artist and innovator-in-residence at the Library of Congress, answers with his own, provocative inquiry.
  • Article

    How can we use technology to connect people to the arts? Knight seeks ideas

    Published February 15, 2018 by

    Sometimes it is hard to find the poetry in technology. Though most people use technology as part of their daily life, the coldness of machines makes it easy to overlook the richness of human culture that flows through their circuits. Yet culture can move quickly, aided by our devices, whether it’s a virtual museum tour, a live-streamed concert or crowdsourced poetry. And we’re only at the beginning of this curve. Technology offers a myriad of opportunities for art, expanding how it challenges us, triggers reflection, awakens empathy and connects us to our communities. Innovations have the potential to provide arts organizations with new ways to connect with audiences and create deeply engaging experiences that inform and delight.But how do we ensure that arts organizations, and artists themselves, take advantage of these opportunities, instead of lagging behind their audiences in the adoption of technology? Today, Knight Foundation is opening a call for ideas focused on this issue. It centers around a question:How might cultural institutions use technology to connect people to the arts?
  • Article

    Meet Akron’s 2017 Knight Arts Challenge winners

    Published November 14, 2017 by

    Tonight, we’re excited to announce the winning ideas in the 2017 Knight Arts Challenge Akron: 17 projects receiving a combined $743,000 to further Akron’s growth as a center for arts and culture in northeast Ohio. This cohort of winning ideas, the challenge’s third, brings world-class talent and cutting-edge projects to the city, while celebrating the creators and artists working locally.