PHOTO COURTESY OF OF STIAN ROENNING.

The Knight Foundation has awarded seven Miami Beach cultural anchors with major financial contributions as part of the organization’s $37 million investment towards growing Miami’s art ecosystem.

“The City of Miami Beach has always valued the transformative power of art and understood the positive economic impact of culture and creativity,” said Mayor Dan Gelber. “We are immensely grateful the Knight Foundation has decided to make such a substantial commitment to advancing our many institutions.”

The list of the 2018 Knight New Work Miami Beach winners include:

Miami City Ballet: $3 million to further strengthen the institution’s cultural relevance in Miami by supporting a new administrative and leadership infrastructure that emphasizes experimentation, diversity, equity and inclusion.

New World Symphony: $2.5 million to foster renewed interest in classical music by commissioning new works; using technology to engage audiences; and helping orchestras better reflect their communities by promoting diversity and inclusion.

O Cinema: $1.5 million to create South Florida’s first independent film center by supporting the cinema’s purchase and the renovation of a permanent home.

Bass Museum – Knight Foundation Art Commission 2019: $1.25 million to support the commission and exhibition of new works of contemporary art, allowing artists to experiment and expand their practice to reach diverse audiences online and on-site.

O, Miami at The Betsy: $1.25 million to create a new home for poetry in the Americas by supporting a partnership between O, Miami Poetry Festival and The Writer’s Room at The Betsy-South Beach.

Miami New Drama: $750,000 to elevate and sustain the production of original, critically-acclaimed theater in Miami by further strengthening the organization’s work through support for casting, staffing, technological upgrades, and a deeper focus on long-term financial sustainability.

ArtCenter/South Florida – Cinematic Arts Residency: $500,000 to elevate Miami’s filmmaking ecosystem through an arts residency that functions as an incubator for Miami filmmakers creating micro-budget narrative feature films.

For Miami Beach, an international magnet for arts and culture in South Florida, it is the largest win for any local municipality.