Continuing a decade-long tradition, New World School of the Arts (NWSA) graduating visual arts college will take an arts-immersion international trip, thanks to the five-year $500,000 grant recently awarded to the school by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support the personal and artistic growth of young artists throughout Miami-Dade County by providing access to training and mentorship.
Knight Foundation funding is part of $37 million in new support recently announced for South Florida’s diverse and dynamic cultural community. Since 2005, Knight has invested $165 million in the arts and cultural life of the city.
It was created by NWSA faculty and Miami gallerist Fredric Snitzer, with significant support by Miami art collectors Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz, who have helped fund the program since its inception nearly a decade ago.
The NWSA international travel program offers BFA students a unique artistic and cultural experience that allows them to explore and appreciate the vibrant cultures of other countries in order to augment and enhance their own artistic outlook. Among the art-enriched cities that NWSA BFA students have visited in years past as part of the BFA international travel program are Venice, Florence and Rome in Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin and Kassel, Germany; London, England; Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an in Chinam and Paris, France.
“The importance of this program cannot be quantified,” said Maggy Cuesta, dean of Visual Arts at New World School of the Arts.
“For the majority of our students, this is the first encounter they have with other cultures outside of the United States. This international journey allows our college graduates to understand the history of art beyond what they have learned through text books and visiting artists, some from the very countries they will visit.
“This first-hand exposure directly impacts how they perceive the world around them and the artistic thought-process prevalent in other cultures, helping them to draw inspiration not only for their work as artists but also for the lives they lead,” she added.
Dr. Jeffrey Hodgson, provost and CEO of NWSA noted, “This travel program is a critical part of the education of students at New World School of the Arts helping them to become the next generation of leaders in the arts. Our experience has shown this travel to be life-changing for our students and so we are thankful that the Knight Foundation and Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz have ensured more students will continue to benefit from this program.”
Sebastian Duncan-Portuondo, a NWSA 2013 College graduate was among the first to partake in the international travel abroad program when he traveled to Venice, Florence and Rome in 2013. In a recent conversation during Art Basel he highlighted the impact of this trip.
“After spending years creating, critiquing and imagining art alongside New World School of the Arts students, the trip was a way to deepen our friendships and engage cultures that we had only studied about or seen in photos,” he said.
“The year I graduated, we visited Italy where we explored the newest art representing worldwide cultures at the Venice Biennale and ancient structures that make up the heart of Western traditions like Rome’s Pantheon and the Forum. The days were packed with tours of art exhibits and cultural institutions, while we got together at night to roam the old cities and continue the conversation over a meal. Traveling with my peers to experience art abroad created lasting memories that continue to inspire my practice and projects to this day.”
Today, Duncan-Portuondo sets up shop at the lower level of the artist-centric 777 Mall in downtown Miami, where he occupies a studio/gallery space to develop his latest project, Exile. In the same building, New World School of the Arts will soon house Artseen, NWSA visual arts’ off-campus multipurpose space that offers college juniors and seniors the opportunity to collaborate in a relaxed and challenging forward-thinking atmosphere, while offering private studios where they can conceptualize and execute their artistic vision.
In addition, New World School of the Arts professional artist and alumnus Adler Guerrier (NWSA College BFA 2000) as well as Miami gallerist and NWSA visual arts faculty member Fredric Snitzer were recognized by the Knight Foundation as “Knight Arts Campions” receiving each a $10,000 grant to donate to the arts organization or artist of their choice. This award was presented to people who have played key roles in fostering the local arts.
Adler Guerrier, an active member of Miami/ South Florida’s art community currently working on an immigrant-centric film and a project for the Havana Biennial, donated his grant to fellow New World School of the Arts visual arts alumna Ena Marrero.
“Ena quickly came to mind as an individual artist that would benefit most from this monetary contribution. Our community can find use and inspiration from her practice and life experiences. I hope this moment will contribute to her continued efforts to think, to reflect, and to create,” Guerrier said.
Likewise, NWSA faculty member Fredric Snitzer, who teaches the foundational WARP studio class (Workshop in Artist Research and Practice) to visual arts college students at New World School of the Arts, has opted to benefit the NWSA family by donating his $10,000 grant to the New World School of the Arts Fredric Snitzer Visual Arts Scholarship. Snitzer is widely respected as a leader in the contemporary art market in Miami and recognized as one of the early champions of contemporary Latin American art in the United States.
For more information contact the New World School of the Arts Visual Arts division at 305-237-3620, visit nwsa.mdc.edu or contact Maggy Cuesta, Dean of Visual Arts, at 305-237-3649; mcuesta@mdc.edu.
