• Article

    Macon, Ga., gets a kick out of ‘health’

    Published October 8, 2014 by

    Photo by Molly McWilliams Wilkins. The Macon League of Creative Interventionists chose kickball to demonstrate “health,” its theme for August. The league, a global group with local chapters, chooses a theme each month that is applied differently in each community. Chapters have been established in Macon, Akron, Ohio, Detroit and Philadelphia as part of a Knight Foundation initiative with artist and founder Hunter Franks. “It was great to see so many different people from the community participate and connect,” said Eric Mayle, executive director of Centenary Community Ministries at Centenary Methodist Church. The Aug. 22 kickball event drew all ages to Tatnall Square Park, including passers-by who stopped to watch the fun. “We have people of all skill levels coming out to play, as evidenced by the fact that many of us need to learn how to kick the ball with our feet instead of our ankles,” participant Melanie Bruchet said.
  • Article

    Brothers’ keeper: Teo Castellanos’ family story in 22 voices

    Published October 8, 2014 by

    Above: Teo Castellanos won a 2013 Knight Arts Challenge grant for “Third Trinity,” a one-man play he wrote that debuts Oct. 10 and is directed by MacArthur Fellow Tarrell McCraney. The two sat down earlier this year to talk about working together and the process of adapting the work for the stage. Actor, writer and director Teo Castellanos once put a deep slice of true Miami, in all its glorious diversity, promise and miseries, right on stage. Set as a jitney ride through town, his one-man play “NE 2nd Avenue” offered a mirror to a city still becoming. It was a tour de force. It turns out that it was just preparation for telling his family’s story and the tale of three brothers on different paths. Castellanos won a Knight Arts Challenge grant in 2013 to stage “Third Trinity,” a one-man play directed by playwright, actor and MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney. It was commissioned by The Miami Light Project in 2011 and premieres at The Light Box in Miami on Oct. 10-18. Castellanos also won the challenge’s People’s Choice Award for his project.  “I said I’d never do another solo piece again. That was hard work,” says Castellanos, his voice trailing off. Then he adds: “Different challenge.”
  • Article

    Motivating donors: Which prizes work best for Giving Days

    Published October 7, 2014 by

    Anyone who has hosted an online giving campaign can relate to the exhilaration that comes when the total-amount-raised tracker goes up and up and up.  Prizes offered throughout Giving Days, or online fundraising sprints, are a big part of generating that excitement and keeping donors and nonprofits engaged.   But what prizes are most effective in motivating donors? How can matching funds be used to keep the momentum going during a 24-hour campaign?  Below are some insights we’ve learned through an evaluation of the Giving Days run by community foundations that Knight Foundation supports. These insights build on Knight’s new report that contains 10 lessons for Giving Days.
  • Article

    A peek at ArtPrize 2014

    Published October 7, 2014 by

    "Peralux" by Gabriel Hall & Daniel Land; illuminated, time-based installation at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (UICA), and one of the finalists in the time-based category. 2014 ArtPrize is alive and thriving around Grand Rapids, with the 1,500+ entries from local and international artists narrowed...
  • Article

    Announcing 58 winners in the Detroit Knight Arts Challenge!

    Published October 6, 2014 by

    Photo: A Detroit Symphony Orchestra project explores music in Detroit and New Orleans. It is hard to believe one year has passed since we announced the winners of the first Detroit Knight Arts Challenge, a group The Detroit Free Press called the “soul of Detroit.” In the last year, projects like Dlectricty, Complex Movements’ Beware of the Dandelions, North American Souvenir’s Canadian Residency, Mark Wallace’s Recycled Guitars and more have taken shape and spread across the city. Detroit’s first group of Knight Arts Challenge winners was the quickest to match in the history of our program, continuing to prove the community’s commitment to the arts.
  • Article

    “British Invasion” at the Bechtler

    Published October 6, 2014 by

    "British Invasion" at the Bechtler Museum. The phrase "British invasion" has many connotations. For most of us, it alludes to the transfer of British pop and rock bands like The Beatles to America. But not so long ago, it might have conjured up thoughts of war,...
  • Article

    Weird Miami Bus Tours are back

    Published October 6, 2014 by

    Join artist Juan Carlos Zaldivar, Bas Fisher International and Miss Information for the October installment of the Weird Miami Bus Tour on Sunday, October 12th from 5 - 8:30 p.m. (Arrive no later than 4:15 p.m. for a prompt departure.) Weird Miami Bus Tour. The "top-secret"...
  • Article

    MOCA unveils new face

    Published October 3, 2014 by

    Installation in second gallery at MOCA. Courtesy William Cordova It’s been a long hot summer for those who loved the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA). The ugly break-up of the institution that really started last winter left the museum bare for the summer, with...