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Home ReleasesMayor Daniella Levine Cava shows strong support for Miami-Dade's arts community at 2026 State of the Arts Address

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Mayor Daniella Levine Cava shows strong support for Miami-Dade's arts community at 2026 State of the Arts Address

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http://www.miamidadearts.org/ 2026-02-12 2026-02-12T13:00:00.000Z 08 00 am Liliana Hernandez [email protected] 786-685-9980 Mayor Daniella Levine Cava shows strong support for Miami-Dade's arts community at 2026 State of the Arts Address Cultural Affairs Council Chairman Brian E. May calls for innovation and collaboration to sustain the County's cultural ecosystem On Thursday, February 12, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava joined Brian May, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Council, elected officials, and arts advocates at the 17th Annual State of the Arts Address, reaffirming her commitment to supporting the county's vibrant cultural ecosystem. On Thursday, February 12th, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava joined Brian May, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Council, elected officials, and arts advocates at the 17th Annual State of the Arts Address, reaffirming her commitment to supporting the county’s vibrant cultural ecosystem. Mayor Levine Cava underscored the critical role of arts and culture in shaping Miami-Dade’s identity and economy. "The arts are essential to our quality of life, our economy, and our shared future" said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "Miami-Dade is a county of dreamers and doers, and the arts help us tell our story to the world, showcasing not only our diversity but our shared humanity." In his address the Cultural Affairs Council Chairman May delivered a powerful message about the resilience and innovation of the arts community amid challenges and underscored the transformative and economic power of the arts. The arts generate more than $2.1 billion in economic impact annually and support over 32,000 full-time jobs in Miami-Dade County.   "Miami-Dade has become an internationally recognized cultural capital through strategic partnerships and steadfast governance. I urge our cultural community to embrace innovation and collaboration so that the arts remain mission-critical to Miami-Dade's future," stated Chairman May. "The Cultural Affairs Council is committed to exploring revenue streams for arts and culture, expand public polling, and strengthening partnerships to sustain long-term funding." As Miami-Dade celebrates milestones such as 42 years of the Miami Book Fair, 43 years of the Miami Film Festival, and 50 years of the Marshall L. Davis Sr African Heritage Cultural Arts Center and Miami-Dade Art in Public Places, the Cultural Affairs Council reaffirmed its shared vision, to ensure that the arts remain integral to the county's growth and identity. The 2026 State of the Arts Address featured cultural moments, including a poem by Miami-Dade Poet Laureate, <a title="Caridad Moro-Gronlier" href="http://www.caridadmoro.com/about.html#/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caridad Moro-Gronlier</a>; artworks by Miami-Dade Artist-in-Residence, <a title="Edouard Duval-Carrie" href="http://duval-carrie.com/about-me/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edouard Duval-Carrie</a>; and performances by <a title="Young Musicians Unite" href="https://ymu.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Young Musicians Unite,</a> <a title="New Canon Chamber Collective" href="https://newcanonmusic.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Canon Chamber Collective</a> and <a title="Blues Embers Bluegrass Boy" href="http://www.facebook.com/blueembersband" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Embers Bluegrass Boy</a>s. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.miamidadearts.org">www.miamidadearts.org</a>. About the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs The <a title="Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs" href="https://miamidadearts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs</a> and the Cultural Affairs Council develop cultural excellence, access, and participation throughout Miami-Dade County by strategically creating and promoting opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, and our residents and visitors who are their audiences. 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 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 <a href="http://www.miamidadearts.org/">www.miamidadearts.org</a>. no 2026 00 a.m. 00 a.m. Dana Pezoldt 305-375-4634 [email protected] org1462991764124130 1 rel1770919824036414 Cultural Affairs Stephen P. Clark Center 111 NW 1st Street Miami 33128 local county miami-dade department department Cultural AffairsCUA Contact Us http://www.miamidadearts.org/content/contact-us About Us http://www.miamidadearts.org/about /global/publicrecords/search.page Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs We strategically create and promote opportunities for artists, cultural organizations and their audiences by developing cultural excellence, diversity and participation.   <div id="_mcePaste" class="mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: 0px; top: -25px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden;"></div> We are developing better cultural facilities in neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade, improving the visual quality of the County's built environment and making cultural activities more accessible for all of our residents and visitors. We manage, program and operate the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, the Joseph Caleb Auditorium and the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. Our Art in Public Places program commissions, curates, maintains and promotes the County’s award-winning public art collection. <div id="_mcePaste" class="mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: 0px; top: -25px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden;"></div> /resources/images/banners/cultural-affairs.jpg other Interim Director Ashlee Thomas Ashlee Thomas /global/government/biographies/cultural-affairs.page Stephen P. Clark Center - 111 NW 1st Street [loc1454454181420459] : Miami ^ 33128 loc1454454181420459 Suite 625 305-375-4634 http://www.miamidadearts.org/ facebook twitter <a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/MiamiDadeArts" data-widget-id="732209526099873794">Tweets by @MiamiDadeArts</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script> cultural-affairs org1462991764124130 loc1454454181420459 Stephen P. Clark Center 111 NW 1st Street Suite 625 Miami 33128 305-375-4634 http://www.miamidadearts.org/ facebook,twitter https://www.facebook.com/miamidadearts,https://twitter.com/MiamiDadeArts Interim Director

Cultural Affairs Council Chairman Brian E. May calls for innovation and collaboration to sustain the County's cultural ecosystem

MIAMI-DADE ( February 12, 2026 )–

On Thursday, February 12^th, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava joined Brian May, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Council, elected officials, and arts advocates at the 17th Annual State of the Arts Address, reaffirming her commitment to supporting the county’s vibrant cultural ecosystem.

Mayor Levine Cava underscored the critical role of arts and culture in shaping Miami-Dade’s identity and economy. "The arts are essential to our quality of life, our economy, and our shared future" said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "Miami-Dade is a county of dreamers and doers, and the arts help us tell our story to the world, showcasing not only our diversity but our shared humanity."

In his address the Cultural Affairs Council Chairman May delivered a powerful message about the resilience and innovation of the arts community amid challenges and underscored the transformative and economic power of the arts. The arts generate more than $2.1 billion in economic impact annually and support over 32,000 full-time jobs in Miami-Dade County.

"Miami-Dade has become an internationally recognized cultural capital through strategic partnerships and steadfast governance. I urge our cultural community to embrace innovation and collaboration so that the arts remain mission-critical to Miami-Dade's future," stated Chairman May. "The Cultural Affairs Council is committed to exploring revenue streams for arts and culture, expand public polling, and strengthening partnerships to sustain long-term funding."

As Miami-Dade celebrates milestones such as 42 years of the Miami Book Fair, 43 years of the Miami Film Festival, and 50 years of the Marshall L. Davis Sr African Heritage Cultural Arts Center and Miami-Dade Art in Public Places, the Cultural Affairs Council reaffirmed its shared vision, to ensure that the arts remain integral to the county's growth and identity.

The 2026 State of the Arts Address featured cultural moments, including a poem by Miami-Dade Poet Laureate, Caridad Moro-Gronlier; artworks by Miami-Dade Artist-in-Residence, Edouard Duval-Carrie; and performances by Young Musicians Unite, New Canon Chamber Collective and Blue Embers Bluegrass Boys.

For more information, visit www.miamidadearts.org.

About the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs

The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council develop cultural excellence, access, and participation throughout Miami-Dade County by strategically creating and promoting opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, and our residents and visitors who are their audiences. 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 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.