To provide free, monthly gospel concerts at the Arsht Center.
Winner: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts / Scott Schiller, president
Amount: $100,000
About the project: Launched in February, Free Gospel Sundays is a monthly concert series that features some of the area's best gospel soloists and choirs, many affiliated with churches. In its first, four-month season, the event attracted 3,000 people, with audiences increasing each month. With this grant, the Arsht Center will institutionalize the series and expand it to a total of eight free performances with free parking. WMBM 1640 AM will help identify and coordinate the performers. Free Gospel Sundays will build awareness of the Arsht Center while also celebrating the city's diversity.
Project Web site: http://www.arshtcenter.org/_inc/press/releases/release_10351.PDF
About the winner: In 1994, cultural arts, government and business leaders conceptualized a world-class performing arts center for downtown Miami. The center, designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, opened its doors in 2006 and includes the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, the 200-seat Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, the restored Carnival Art Deco Tower and the Thomson Plaza for the Arts. This year, national business leader and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht donated $30 million and, in recognition of the gift, the former Carnival Center for the Performing Arts was renamed the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Currently in its third season, the Arsht Center has welcomed over 850,000 patrons and served over 25,000 children through its outreach programs.
Web site: http://www.arshtcenter.org