Awards for Arts in South Florida

Who knew South Florida has such a thriving arts scene? I do have a writer friend who lives there, but I thought she was a diamond in the rough. The Knight Foundation, however, has pointed out some other gleaming lights in the state.

The organization picked through 1,562 applications to find 20 winners of the 2009 Knight Arts Challenge, who received a total of $3.7 million. The idea of the contest was to highlight the best ideas for South Florida's arts scene, according to a foundation press release.

Some of the winning ideas include:

Reinstating the pit orchestra for Miami City Ballet's 2010-2013 seasons; Establishing an arts incubator in Wynwood with a communal office and performance and gallery space; andCreating a Web site to sell local music and broadening independent music store Sweat Records' community programming.

"Art can move the individual and, when it's a shared experience, can make the whole community better than it was, together," said lberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of Knight Foundation. “We don't prescribe what kind of art we will support. We want artists in South Florida to tell us what moves them and by supporting them, we think we move the soul of the community."

 

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