Miami-Dade County's acclaimed Art in Public Places celebrates 50th anniversary with new website

Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places, a program of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new website, www.miamidadepublicart.org. The new user-friendly site uses the latest technology and is part of an ongoing effort to make the arts more accessible and reach diverse audiences. In addition to the website, Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places is also presenting a roster of free public art tours, artist panel discussions and workshops throughout the year. 

"The arts and the work of our many talented artists are an important social, economic and tourism driver for Miami-Dade County," said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.  "This new website is part of my new Arts Energize 305 initiative, which aims to support our diverse cultural ecosystem in innovative ways so that our residents and visitors can enjoy these works of art and have affordable and equitable access to cultural activities throughout our community." 

The new website allows residents and visitors access to more than 1,000 works of art from the Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places collection and features Curated Collections, which tell a story through works of art. This year, the website will highlight "50 for 50" and feature 50 artworks from the collection, each representing a year or decade of the program's history and revealing a snapshot and unique perspective of life in South Florida at the time. Visit the Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places website's Curated Collections to view the 50 for 50 artworks. 

One of the first public art programs in the nation, Miami-Dade Art in Public Places was established in 1973 with the passage of an ordinance allocating 1.5% of the capital cost of new construction on public land for the purchase and/or commission of works of art. The program commissions artists for art installations that aim to enrich the experience of public environments while preserving and enhancing the artistic and civic pride of Miami-Dade County.

About the Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places 
The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council develop cultural excellence, diversity, access and participation throughout Miami-Dade County by strategically creating and promoting equitable opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, and our residents and visitors who are their audiences. Through staff, board and programmatic resources, the Department, the Council and the Trust promote, coordinate and support Miami-Dade County’s more than 1,000 not-for-profit cultural organizations as well as thousands of resident artists through grants, technical assistance, public information and interactive community planning. The Department directs the Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places program and serves its board, the Art in Public Places Trust, commissioning, curating, maintaining and promoting the County's art collection. The Department receives funding through the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, The Children's Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida through the Florida Department of State, Florida Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Peacock Foundation, Inc., The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation, and the Taft Foundation. Other support and services are provided by TicketWeb for the Culture Shock Miami program, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the South Florida Cultural Consortium and the Tourist Development Council. For more information, please visit www.miamidadearts.org.