MIAMI BEACH, FL (May 9, 2008)—Funding Arts Network (FAN), in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, presented the $50,000 Knight New Work Award for 2008 to The Wolfsonian–FIU on Thursday, May 8, at FAN‘s annual awards luncheon in Miami.

The award funds the creation and implementation of a multimedia exhibition, Thoughts on Democracy: Reinterpreting Rockwell’s Four Freedoms. The project was inspired by the eponymous posters of 1943, copies of which were recently gifted to the museum by Leonard A. Lauder. The Wolfsonian–FIU proposal was selected by meeting FAN’s criteria of high artistic merit and potential to reach the broadest possible cross-section of the Miami-Dade community.

The award, the largest in FAN’s 11-year history, is in addition to the organization’s annual arts awards, which exceed $200,000. To date, FAN has given $2.25 million in grants to support more than 75 visual and performing arts groups in Miami-Dade County.

Thoughts on Democracy will consist of new posters created by approximately 50 leading visual and graphic artists of both local and international renown. The artists have been invited to respond to Rockwell’s “Four Freedom” posters, commissioned by the government and inspired by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s impassioned “Four Freedoms” speech to Congress in 1941. The project will amplify FDR’s vision of a

“world founded upon four essential human freedoms”: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear.

Thoughts on Democracy goes on display in the museum’s lobby July 5, 2008, and continues until the culmination of Art Basel 08 in early December. In addition to a free-of-charge exhibition, the new works will be exhibited through the Internet using web-based tools, virtual worlds, and social networking sites; in newspapers and on billboards; and through public educational programming in conjunction with the Miami-Dade Public School’s Museum Education Program. The award-winning advertising agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, is working with The Wolfsonian–FIU on the web-based exhibit. The project’s art works potentially will reach millions of residents and visitors to Miami-Dade, as well as international audiences through the Internet exhibition. A traveling exhibition to museums in the United States is being explored. This project was conceived by Tim Hossler, The Wolfsonian’s art director.

Fan selected the award winner with the help of an advisory panel including Charles Cinnamon, publicist and arts activist; Dr. Ruth Greenfield, former chair of the music department at Miami Dade College and founder of two concert series; Mercy Quiroga, provost of the New World School of the Arts; Helen Kohen, former art critic for The Miami Herald; Michael Spring and Deborah Margol of the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs; and Nicole Yarling, musician and teacher at Florida Memorial College.

“The ambitious scale of Thoughts on Democracy and its resonating message of democracy made this project irresistibly compelling,” said FAN President Rachel Blechman. “We are thrilled and excited to be a part of what will become a locally and nationally historic art project.”

About the Funding Arts Network Funding Arts Network (www.fundingartsnetwork.org) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the support of the arts in Miami-Dade County through a competitive grant process funded by its members’ contributions.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of Miami and 25 other U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. To learn more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

About The Wolfsonian–Florida International University
The Wolfsonian–FIU is a museum and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, political, and technological changes that have transformed the world. The approximately 120,000 artifacts that comprise The Wolfsonian collection range from fine art, graphic design, and political propaganda to furniture, rare books, and ephemeral materials such as postcards and travel brochures. Since opening to the public just ten years ago, The Wolfsonian has developed and disseminated critically acclaimed exhibitions, publications, and educational programs that highlight the impact of design in shaping the modern world. Its vast patrimony of primary source materials provides unparalleled opportunities for scholarship and appreciation, making it a unique resource for local, national, and international audiences.

The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Fla. Admission is $7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children six-12; free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, children under six, and Miami Beach residents with ID. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from noon-6pm; Thursday and Friday from noon-9pm; and is closed on Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at www.wolfsonian.org.

The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Continental Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; and Pistils & Petals.

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