MEDIA: Victoria Cervantes
305-375-4141
vcervantes@historymiami.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 13, 2010
HISTORYMIAMI SPOTLIGHTS LOCAL TRADITIONAL ARTISTS
To raise the profile of local traditional artists, HistoryMiami will establish an artist-inresidence program with a $90,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
as part of its Knight Arts Challenge
MIAMI, FL – HistoryMiami announced today that its South Florida Folklife Center will create
an innovative artist-in-residence program to raise the profile of local folk and traditional artists.
These artists practice a variety of cultural traditions, including West African drumming,
Trinidadian steelpan, Afro-Peruvian dance, Japanese origami, Brazilian capoeira and much more.
Through performances, demonstrations, workshops and classes, the program will offer the public
the chance to experience these art forms.
“For over two decades, the South Florida Folklife Center has identified an array of local
traditional artists whose work reflects South Florida’s incredible diversity,” said Robert
McCammon, President and CEO of HistoryMiami. “Most of these artists, however, create or
perform within particular communities, making their work difficult to access by wider audiences.
Through this program, we will be able to offer the public the chance to learn about and
experience the region’s artistic traditions.”
A $90,000 grant award from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Arts Challenge, a fiveyear, $40 million initiative will provide funding to implement the program. "Diversity is Miami's
greatest strength. By learning about different cultures through art, we can bring people together
and foster a greater sense of community," said Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation's vice
president/arts.
Since 1986, HistoryMiami’s South Florida Folklife Center has worked to document, present, and
support the region’s traditional arts and culture. The Center has conducted field research on
music, dance, verbal art, handmade objects and other traditions practiced in the area’s African
American, Anglo-American, Bahamian, Colombian, Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Peruvian,
Local Artists
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Puerto Rican, Trinidadian, Venezuelan and other communities. Folklife fieldwork has resulted in
extensive additions to HistoryMiami’s collections of artifacts, photographs, sound recordings and
other documentation of community life, and has provided a foundation for exhibitions,
educational programs, festivals, concerts, publications and media products.
Located at 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami, HistoryMiami is open Tuesday - Friday
from 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5pm. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for
seniors and students with ID, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for children under the age of 6.
Parking is available at the Miami-Dade Cultural Center Parking Garage, 50 NW 2nd Avenue.
Visit us online at www.historymiami.org.
About HistoryMiami
HistoryMiami is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving
and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. Through exhibitions,
city tours, education, research, collections and publications, HistoryMiami advocates for helping
everyone understand the importance of the past in shaping Miami’s future.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests
in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. The Knight
Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to
transformational change. For more information, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
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