Posted on May 31, 2012

Knight Foundation Announces 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Miami Finalists

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced the finalists for this year's Knight Arts Challenge Miami.

Now in its fifth year, the competition will award $20 million over five years in matching grants in support of projects that highlight the creativity of the South Florida region. This year's cohort of fifty-seven finalists includes individual artists and small artist-led organizations. The winners will be announced in December.

The finalists include Classical South Florida, which plans to showcase local students' classical music abilities by having high school students compete to perform live on Classical South Florida Radio; Florida Grand Opera, which seeks to engage new audiences by simulcasting free performances outdoors at the New World Center in Miami Beach; the Miami Children's Museum, which plans to create a landmark at the gateway of Miami and Miami Beach by installing an educational light sculpture on the entrance wall of the museum; and Open Lab, which seeks to build community among local filmmakers by creating a monthly guerrilla-style gathering where producers screen their films in various locations.

For the first time, the foundation also will award an additional $20,000 to the People's Choice Award winner. In the fall, the public will be invited to vote via text message for one of several emerging cultural organizations competing for the prize.

"Much of this community's exciting art is happening at the ground level," said Matt Haggman, Miami program director for the Knight Foundation. "The People's Choice Award will help bring attention to emerging groups while engaging the public in innovative arts ideas."

For a complete list of the 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Miami finalists, visit the Knight Foundation Web site.