Knights Foundation helps to "rewild" Miami

Team AIRIE at the Knight Foundation Awards Ceremony on December 1. Giselle Heraux, Gustavo Matamoros, BJ Sheffield, Deborah Mitchell, Linda Friar and Jason hedges.

Next year, artists will begin rewilding Miami through AIRIE’s Wild Billboards project, initiated with support from the Knight Arts Challenge just in time for the National Park Service’s centennial year. “The focus of rewilding Miami using the cultural arts is to strengthen the bonds between humans and our wilderness. AIRIE merges the cultural resources of our local environment and international artists through this dynamic outreach campaign. We hope that our imaginative urban billboards will inspire the public to renew their dedication to Everglades restoration and preservation,” says Deborah Mitchell, Executive Director of AIRIE.

A watery wilderness that embraces South Florida’s urban core, the Everglades protects a singular landscape that provides the ideal habitat for some of North America’s most rare and endangered species. Lying just outside the frenetic urban landscapes of Miami and its adjacent suburbs, the River of Grass provides a home to the alligators and birds South Florida is known for and cleans the water that reaches our famous beaches. Yet within South Florida’s developed urban areas, there is little to remind us of this vast watery world that is so crucial to our future.

"When you bring the arts into people's everyday lives, magical things happen. You reach people in new ways, help them rethink and consider their neighborhoods and communities. We hope the Wild Billboards will challenge South Floridians and their views of the wilderness that surrounds us," says Dennis Scholl, vice president for the arts at Knight Foundation.
 

 

We are raising matching funds for the grant at AIRIE in the Garden;  A Wild Billboard Benefit, which will feature an afternoon of Everglades themed live performances and installations. The Event will take place on Saturday, January 24 from 2-5 p.m. at Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Rd.  Tickets are now available online at www.airie.org.

 AIRIE 2015 Calendars on sale now!



AIRIE 2015 12-month calendars are now available for purchase for $20.00, all of which goes to matching the Wild Billboards grant. Our calendar features art work from several artists including Rodney Dickson, Harumi Abe, Susan Klein, and AIRIE founder, Donna Marxer. Each month also features a small written piece from fellows such as Brenna Dixon, Nathaniel Sandler, and Bill Maxwell. To purchase your calendar, visit www.airie.org.


AIRIE Fellow is Featured in the Knight Arts Blog


Regina Jestrow, Pinecones, 2014
Sticks and Stones highlights the experiences of a textile artist in the 'Glades at knightarts.com. 

The Swamp at the Miami International Book Fair 2014

Thanks to the amazing staff at the Swamp, AIRIE fellows Valerie LeBlanc and Daniel Dugas, Gustavo Matamoros, Anne McCrary Sullivan and Reed Van Brunschot shared transformative experiences with co-moderators Skip Snow and Deborah Mitchell to an enthusiastic audience.  We  will participate in a similar panel discussion on March 4th at the University of Miami, thanks to support from The Abess Center, through its undergrad Ecosystem Science and Policy Program.

Long Pine Key Artists talk,  December 26th at 7:30 pm

Rock Reef Pass, Emily Myerscough, 2014
December Fellow Emily Myerscough will present her research and photographs on Wednesday, December 26th at 7:30 pm at the Long Pine Key Campground.  Emily has been busy meeting with scientists, mounting an installation and even exploring the Big Cypress National Preserve. Long Pine Key is located 7 miles west of the Everglades National parks main entrance, just off of the main road.

Remnants of Flight:  Aloft in the Everglades

Paurotis Palms by Lisa Elmaleh
This  group exhibition is extended at Pinecrest Gardens until January 2nd, 2015.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy holiday season from Team AIRIE!

 

“Everglades National Park is one of the world's iconic landscapes, filled with both spectacle and subtlety. AIRIE artists have the unique ability to show us things we've missed that are before our eyes every day. And for those who don't know this place intimately, to reveal its wonders for the first time,” observed Acting Park Superintendent Bob Krumenaker.