The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced a fifth round of grants in support of the arts in Miami, including multiyear investments totaling $40.7 million to local artists and arts organizations, the 2022 Knight New Work recipients, and the 2022 Knight Arts Champions.

Grants were awarded to local arts organizations and initiatives that use technology in their practices to enhance the way art is produced, shared, and experienced, and include $1 million to the Bakehouse Art Complex; $2 million to Knight New Work, Miami; $10 million to New World Symphony; $5 million to Pérez Art Museum Miami; $2 million to Miami City Ballet; $2.5 million to O, Miami; and $2 million to the Wolfsonian–Florida International University. The foundation also announced the 2022 recipients of the Knight New Work program, which supports South Florida-area artists of all genres who use technology in their practice to create, disseminate, and enhance the way art is experienced, including the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (MoCAAD), which was awarded $194,000 to commission a new work to examine social domination, colonialism, race, and class in relation to African American and Caribbean experiences.

In addition, the foundation announced the 2022 recipients of the Knight Arts Champions program, in which South Florida leaders will “pay forward” $10,000 each to a range of Miami artists, activists, arts patrons, and teachers. Since 2005, the Knight Foundation has committed $217 million to the arts in Miami.

“Art and culture connect people to place and to each other,” said Knight Foundation president Alberto Ibargüen. “We have supported local artists and institutions who have built a Miami where art thrives. When we invest in music and museums, in poetry and performances, 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.”

(Photo credit: Knight Foundation/AJ Shorter)