The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council and the Art in Public Places Trust are launching the Arts Resilient 305/Arts and Green Opportunities!
The initiative is designed to increase awareness about the impact of climate change and the importance of resiliency and environmental sustainability as part of the countywide #Resilient305 strategy that Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez announced in May.
Cultural Affairs Council chair Xavier Cortada, a professional artist whose practice is focused on social engagement and the environment, led the effort in establishing the initiative.
“We are aligning our efforts with the important work of the Miami-Dade County Office of Resiliency and its Resilient 305 plan,” Cortada said. “The environmental issues threatening our community and our planet are among today’s most urgent crises, and artists and cultural organizations can be at the forefront of creative ideas and solutions.
“I am proud of the department’s and the council’s commitments to a resiliency leadership role and am confident that we will make a significant impact here in our community and, by example, across our nation,” he added.
The Arts Resilient 305 initiative is being led by a Green Task Force of Cultural Affairs Council members appointed by Cortada.
The task force is chaired by Janá Sigars-Malina and includes fellow councilors Mireille Chancy-Gonzalez and Sandra Curbelo.
The department and council will work with local cultural organizations and artists to implement the three-part initiative. First, the initiative will feature curated information regarding Arts and Green Opportunities, will issue periodic e-alerts and will launch #ArtsResilient305, a comprehensive social media campaign.
The department also will promote opportunities regarding incentive and will launch the Resilient Arts Prizes and Fellowships to highlight local models and best practices for arts organizations and artists in Miami-Dade County.
Finally, the Department will promote opportunities for action and advocacy at the local, state, federal and international levels.
“The arts community in Miami is known for its inherent resiliency. Together, we face issues of sustainability every day,” said Michael Spring, senior advisor to Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. “I believe that Miami-Dade County’s hundreds of cultural organizations and thousands of artists are uniquely poised to be potent forces and creative partners in this work, in helping to find innovative solutions while amplifying the Arts Resilient 305 message to their audiences on how to be better citizens of the planet.”
The Cultural Affairs Council oversees the county’s annual investment of grants to nonprofit cultural organizations and artists, supports cultural education and outreach initiatives, manages County funds committed to the development of new cultural facilities and the renovation of existing cultural facilities, advocates on behalf of cultural issues and advises the mayor and commissioners regarding cultural policy. For more information about the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, visit www.miamidadearts.org.
