Knight Foundation announces $40.7 million in grants to local arts groups

The arts and technology worlds are colliding in Miami. The Knight Foundation is investing millions into it.

The Knight Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the arts in cities like Miami, kicked off Miami Art Week by announcing its fifth major wave of arts grants Monday evening, including $40.7 million in multiyear investments in local arts organizations and initiatives that use technology in their practice.

The foundation also announced its 2022 Knight New Work winners, a group of Miami artists and arts groups that create new artworks with technology, and the 2022 Knights Arts Champions, which recognizes South Florida leaders who support the arts community. In total, Knight has committed $217 million to arts in Miami since 2005. The announcement was made at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, where more than 50 grants were awarded to established institutions as well as up-and-coming artists.

Knight Foundation president Alberto Ibargüen said the investments are part of the foundation’s strategy to make “art general in Miami.”

“When we invest in music and museums, in poetry and performances,” Ibargüen said at the announcement, “we are investing in the fiber that strengthens our communities. Really good art inspires and explains, ennobles and challenges, and helps us understand and connect to a place, and to each other.”

The announcement comes as Art Basel Miami Beach celebrates its 20th anniversary and the impact it’s had on Miami’s burgeoning arts community. Knight’s tech-focused investment reflects Miami Art Week’s transition from a strictly arts-focused affair to a mixed bag of tech and arts events across Miami-Dade County.

The New World Symphony received $10 million, which was among the largest grants. Pérez Art Museum Miami received $5 million. The annual poetry festival, O, Miami, was awarded $2.5 million. Several other local museums including ICA, The Bass and MOCA all received million dollar awards as well.

Here is how the grants were distributed:

▪ Bakehouse Art Complex — $1 million

▪ The Bass Museum — $1.25 million

▪ Florida International University, CasaCuba — $1.5 million

▪ Fountainhead Residency — $444,000

▪ GableStage — $1 million

▪ Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami — $1 million

▪ Knight Digital Transformation Fund — $3 million

▪ Knight New Work, Miami — $2 million

▪ Locust Projects — $750,000

▪ Miami City Ballet — $2 million

▪ Miami New Drama — $1 million

▪ Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami — $1 million

▪ New World School of the Arts — $1 million

▪ New World Symphony — $10 million

▪ Nu Deco Ensemble — $1 million

▪ O, Miami — $2.5 million

▪ Oolite Arts — $1.25 million

▪ Pérez Art Museum Miami — $5 million

▪ Rubell Museum — $1 million

▪ Florida International University, The Wolfsonian — $2 million

▪ YoungArts — $1 million

See the complete list of grant recipients here.

This story was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.

This story was originally published November 29, 2022 11:29 AM.