MDC Hialeah Campus Wins Knight Arts Challenge Grant to Establish a Cultural Center
Miami, December 12, 2012 - After reviewing more than 1,100 applications, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced 34 grant winners for its 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Miami. Among the local institutions and organizations selected, Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Hialeah Campus will receive $80,000 to establish a Hialeah Cultural Center.
“Everywhere you go, we want South Floridians to have an encounter with art. Miami Dade College will help make that possible by weaving culture into the everyday lives of Hialeah residents,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation.
The new Hialeah Cultural Center is intended to preserve art and culture in Hialeah, Florida’s fifth largest city. The Hialeah Campus, serving a city without art museums and with limited opportunities for arts performances, will conduct start-up activities for the new center, including planning, program development and promotion. A launch event will showcase the work of area artists and feature a public discussion on intellectual and artistic freedom. Additional activities include hands-on art projects and a video of oral histories from Hialeah.
“This funding will help the community celebrate and preserve the arts and culture of Hialeah through a program of activities that contributes to a ‘sense of place’ and is open and accessible to all,” said Hialeah Campus Academic and Student Dean Dr. Ana Maria Bradley-Hess.
The Knight Arts Challenge has funded 143 projects for close to $20 million in funding since 2008. The Foundation recently announced an additional $9 million to continue the competition for three more years, as well as $23 million in new Knight funding.
The Knight Foundationsupports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.KnightFoundation.org.
Media-only contacts:
Juan Mendieta, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu, MDC communications director
Tere Estorino, 305-237-3949, testorin@mdc.edu, MDC media relations director
Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu, media specialist
Alejandro Rios, 305-237-7482, arios1@mdc.edu