DATE: May 28, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Jody Horne-Leshinsky
Broward County Cultural Division
PHONE: 954-357-7463
EMAIL: jleshinsky@broward.org
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - Today, Broward County announced plans for its 100 year centennial. “Broward 100 – Celebrating the Art of Community” will be a yearlong, community-wide celebration beginning October 2014, with numerous events and activities that utilize the arts to strengthen communities and build unity.
A media launch event was held Wednesday, May 28, at the Miramar Multi-Service Complex. The Miramar Multi-Service Complex is the site of the first unveiling of an Inside Out visual arts project, one in a series of dramatic photographic collages where local residents “show their faces” and “tell their stories” to become part of Broward’s history. Projects will be installed in various locations throughout the County as part of the centennial.
Inside Out was created by Parisian street artist JR and since 2007, has become an international community grassroots project with nearly 200,000 people from more than 112 countries and territories participating. Broward’s installation is expected to be the largest installation in the project’s global history.
Inside Out encourages communities to reflect the diversity of their residents in expressive black-and-white portraits that are exhibited in public forums, such as on building walls and sidewalks. The larger-than-life images serve as a reflection of community diversity that can be seen and enjoyed by all. JR, whose work combines art and action and deals with commitment, freedom, identity and limits, says his “goal is to turn the world Inside Out” and Broward’s project will seek to do just that, by creating exhibits and a global platform that allows people to share their untold stories.
Inside Out is one of four featured cornerstones of Broward’s centennial celebration. Others are:
VisualEYES – The VisualEYES cornerstone is a Broward 100 outdoor mural project that will create a legacy for the centennial and pay tribute to Broward’s past, present and future. The County is commissioning multiple professional artists or artist teams to design and implement at least one commemorative mural in each of Broward’s nine County Commission districts. Murals will be applied to walls owned by a city, Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) or a private entity in prominent locations throughout the County. The goal is to create a tribute to Broward County, while ensuring the visual arts are recognized as essential to a strong community.
Calendar 100 – The Calendar 100 cornerstone is an online calendar of all Broward 100 sanctioned events offered through cultural organizations and artists, historical organizations, as well as County agencies, municipalities and community partners. All sanctioned events will appear in this comprehensive calendar, making it easy for residents and visitors to find a way to participate in the celebration. Event organizers are encouraged to submit new events to be sanctioned, and incorporate their current annual events into an official celebration of Broward100 - Celebrating the Art of Community.
Grand Finale Event – The fourth cornerstone of the Broward 100 is a grand finale event, to be held October 2-4, 2015. This groundbreaking event will be designed and produced by Broward’s creative minds, and showcase our community’s diverse talent in a series of performances. It is anticipated that this weekend event will bring thousands of residents and visitors together for the ultimate celebration of 100 years of Broward County history, and lay the foundation for a recurring, annual signature event of global renown. In keeping with the County’s goal to encourage community involvement in the centennial, The Broward 100 team is seeking public input on a name for the annual event. Members of the community are being asked to vote on one of three offered options, or propose their own idea for a name.
To vote on or submit a name for the grand finale, visit Broward100.org. For more information on how you or your organization can participate in any of the cornerstone activities, visit Broward100.org, or email Broward100@broward.org.
“Time and again, it has been shown that all great cities have flourishing arts and cultural foundations and developments. When we started to build the Broward 100 celebration, we looked primarily towards arts and cultural, and our local talent to unify and mobilize the community. Broward County’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” said Broward Cultural Division Director Earl Bosworth. “To mark this centennial year, we have formed an alliance with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Community Foundation of Broward. This is an enormous step for us in the cultural tourism and arts arena. This is a partnership we hope to nurture, and the centennial is a perfect unified project for this partnership to thrive.”
“Few causes matter more than a tight-knit community of connected and engaged residents, because great communities truly are an art form. We know Broward100: Celebrating the Art of Community will take this art form to new heights and ensure Broward is a better place to live,” said Armando Leighton, a board member of the Community Foundation of Broward. The Community Foundation was Broward 100’s first sponsor, announcing a $400,000 grant in January 2014 to help fund the celebration of Broward’s 100th birthday. This grant is the first of its kind for the Foundation, and will focus on the power of art to bridge, bond and build communities.
Broward 100 will make extensive use of online media including social media throughout the year. A comprehensive website has been established, Broward100.org, and new social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Those attending Wednesday's event were encouraged to use the hashtag #Broward100 when talking about the event on social media throughout the yearlong celebration.
At the conclusion of the event, Miramar Mayor Lori C. Moseley unveiled the first public installation of Inside Out, pasted on the columns and sidewalks at the main entrance of the Miramar Multi-Sports Complex. This facility itself is a cornerstone of community life in Miramar and an especially appropriate location for an Inside Out project. Located in the heart of historic Miramar and site of the former City Hall, today it serves as a comprehensive social services center and a hub of activity and resources for residents of all ages in Miramar.
Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, served as master of ceremonies for the launch, and spoke about the importance of cultural tourism. “Cultural tourism helped Broward County attract a record breaking 13.4 million visitors spending $10.6 billion in the past year, or an average of $29.2 million spent by visitors each day. That investment creates jobs – for every 85 visitors, one local job is supported.”
Creating business opportunities and furthering economic development have been hallmarks of Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief’s administration. “The centennial projects will attract visitors, bring us together and engage our incredible diversity to strengthen our community impact locally and globally,” she said.
At the heart of the centennial is Broward’s history. “Broward County has a proud and exciting history and part of our goal will be to educate more residents and visitors about our history and the importance of respecting our history and preserving it for future generations,” said Steven Glassman, chair of the Broward County Historical Commission. “We must disprove the notion that historic preservation and development or progress are mutually exclusive.”
Broward County is seeking additional sponsors for centennial activities. Sponsor funds will be used to fund programming, marketing, professional fees and production costs associated with a series of events, exhibits and programs. Varying levels of sponsorship are available. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, visit Broward100.org and select BE A SPONSOR, or email Broward100@broward.org.
Photo Caption:
Celebrating the announcement of Broward County's centennial celebration are, left to right, Miramar City Manager Kathleen Woods Richardson, Miramar Lori C. Mosely, Broward County Commission Sue Gunzburger, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief, Miramar Vice Mayor Yvette Colbourne, Broward County Vice Mayor Tim Ryan, GFLCVB President Nicki Grossman, Miramar City Commissioner Wayne Messam, and Broward County Cultural Division Director Earl Bosworth.
About Broward 100: Celebrating the Art of Community
Broward 100: Celebrating the Art of Community is a yearlong, community-wide celebration of Broward County, Florida's centennial, beginning in October 2014. Broward 100 will commemorate, through a celebration of arts, Broward County's culture, creativity, history, heritage and beauty, and encourage new connections that further enhance diversity and strengthen community. For more information, visit Broward100.org or email Broward100@broward.org.
About the Broward Cultural Division
Broward Cultural Division is a local arts agency, one of thousands across the United States providing financial, technical and marketing assistance to artists and arts organizations. Broward County has more than 1.8 million residents, 13.1 million visitors, 10,000 artists, 7,773 arts-related businesses employing 26,755 people, 575 not-for-profit cultural organizations and 31 cities, some of which operate their own arts councils and public art programs. For more information, call 954-357-7457, visit Broward.org/Arts, “like us” on Facebook.com and “follow us” on Twitter.com/BrowardArts.
About the Community Foundation of Broward
Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Broward's mission is to provide leadership on community solutions, and foster philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. A public nonprofit organization with more than 450 charitable Funds and agency endowments representing $160 million, it has distributed $60 million to support community solutions over the past 29 years. As a community leader, it convenes citizens around critical issues, and builds the capacity of the nonprofit sector to respond to these issues. For more information about the Community Foundation of Broward, visit cfbroward.org or call 954-761-9503.
About the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
From the seagrass to the sawgrass, Greater Fort Lauderdale boasts more than 34,000 lodging accommodations at a variety of hotels, luxury spa resorts and Superior Small Lodgings reflecting a "beach chic" vibe. Visitors enjoy 23 miles of Blue Wave certified beaches, discover 300-plus miles of inland waterways that run from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Everglades, dine at thousands of restaurants and eateries, get immersed in a thriving arts and culture scene and indulge in top shopping. For more information, contact the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 22-SUNNY or visit sunny.org.
Follow Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at Twitter.com/visitlauderdale, Facebook.com/visitlauderdale, Pinterest.com/visitlauderdale and Foursquare.com/visitlauderdale. To have Greater Fort Lauderdale in the palm of your hand, download the free iPhone apps Defrost Your Swimsuit and ‘Fork' Lauderdale, and Mild to Wild the LGBT mobile site at sunny.org/apps.
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