| REPORT: |
Commissioner Monestime presented a proclamation to Ms. Bonnie Clearwater, Director/Chief Curator of the North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), in honor of the prestigious 2012 National Medal received by the Museum last November for Museum and Library Services. He noted this award is the highest honor granted by the Federal Institution of Museum and Library in Washington D.C., to museums and libraries fortheir services to the community.
Commissioner Monestime noted MOCA was a true asset to the community and he was proud to represent Commission District 2 where it was located. Commissioner Monestime commented on MOCA’s acclaimed outreach program “Women on the Rise” which trains local female artists to teach youth incarcerated in local juvenile detention centers or other facilities how to be self-expressive and take pride in their community through the use of art. He said that MOCA has provided programming in art and education aimed at improving literacy, empowering women, reducing truancy, and deterring gang activity and bad social behavior in the community. Commissioner Monestime congratulated Ms. Clearwater for her accomplishments with the Museum.
Ms. Clearwater said she was deeply honored by this presentation and she expressed appreciation to the County Commissioners for recognizing the achievements of the MOCA. She noted that MOCA was the first contemporary art museum to receive this national award, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York was last year’s recipient, but it was a much larger museum with a larger budget and it had been in existence for nearly 100 years. Ms. Clearwater noted much has been accomplished since MOCA opened in 1996; and an entire generation has grown up under MOCA’s programming, which has educated more than 20,000 children, teens and adults annually, with a special emphasis on ‘at risk’ youth,. She also noted that MOCA now offers twelve teenage after-school programs at no cost, and recently launched a free internship/training program aimed at motivating students to attend college and obtain a career in the creative industries.
Ms. Clearwater also noted MOCA’s Board of Trustees now recognize the strong support of the County Commissioners, the City of North Miami Officials, and the Miami-Dade’s Cultural Affairs Department for the arts being essential for building and transforming communities. |
