In support of CARTA 2020 and our engaged mission to use the power of architecture + the arts to create, innovate and inspire solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems, I am pleased to announce a partnership with Dr. Richard Florida and the Creative Class Group and the launch of the FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative.
Strategically based at CARTA | Miami Beach Urban Studios, the 3-year research initiative promotes an understanding of the factors accelerating greater Miami’s transformation into a creative economy, and specifically, CARTA’s impact on Miami’s creative talent base in the areas of arts, architecture, culture, design, and communication.
CARTA faculty and students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Dr. Florida and the Creative Class Group on research projects and to participate in CCG-FIU joint workshops, design charrettes, and creativity salons.
The first creativity salon will be held on January 29th at the Wolfsonian-FIU and will feature Roberto Rovira, Chair of Landscape Architecture + Urban and Environmental Design; Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine; CCG Founder Richard Florida; and FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. I invite you to RSVP today, as seating is limited.
The FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative immediately positions CARTA with the opportunity to become a regional and national thought leader in how creativity, design, and culture drive economies. It is through dynamic partnerships such as this—partnerships that integrate research, learning, engagement, and entrepreneurship — that we will achieve our vision of becoming the nation’s preeminent College of Architecture + The Arts.
Please join me in welcoming Richard Florida, Rana Florida, and the Creative Class Group to FIU and CARTA. The University’s official press release announcing the partnership is included below for your reference.
Warmest regards,
Brian Schriner
Dean
MIAMI (Jan. 20, 2015)- FIU and the Creative Class Group (CCG), founded by Richard Florida, have joined forces to launch the FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative, a project to harness creative and entrepreneurial forces that can help accelerate greater Miami’s transformation into a creative economy.
The FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative will engage political, business and cultural leaders, faculty, students, alumni and the greater community in a dialogue on how creativity, culture and design can drive a regional economy.
“At FIU we see creativity and the arts as equal partners with technology and entrepreneurship in moving our economy and job creation forward,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “The FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative is our way of helping to galvanize these forces in our community so that we create solutions, take full advantage of the opportunities that exist and create new ones.”
The three-year initiative, which will be based in the College of Architecture + the Arts‘ Miami Beach Urban Studios, on Lincoln Road, will kick off with an event on Thursday, January 29th at 6 p.m. at the Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach.
This first salon will focus on the topic of creating public spaces that ignite creativity and promote community, often referred to as “place making.” The discussion will feature Florida in conversation with Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and FIU Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental and Urban Design Chairperson Roberto Rovira. Florida, Levine and Rovira will discuss Miami Beach’s creative future around arts, design, culture, innovation and entrepreneurship and invite ideas on how to further support the revitalization and creative energy around the Miami Beach Convention Center, Lincoln Road and Washington Ave. area. The event is free and open to the public but seating is limited. Please RSVP here.
“The key asset to any city is talent,” said Levine. “We are creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem where existing talent will want to stay and work and where new talent will want to launch startups.”
In addition to other salons throughout the year, CCG will conduct research to further understand and define Miami’s creative economy and its impact on the region. The study will examine Greater Miami’s talent base, greatest needs and talent-based advantages.
“Greater Miami is at an inflection point,” said Florida. “Its economy, historically based on tourism and retirement, is shifting to a more robust creative economy, built around its stature as a global city: its ability to attract talent from Latin America, Europe and around the world; its global airport, its natural assets and quality of place; its arts and culture; educational institutions, and the ongoing resurgence of its urban core. These assets will be critical economic drivers for Miami’s future. We are looking forward to partnering with FIU to bring the city some insights.”
FIU Provost and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton noted that this initiative is directly tied to goals in the strategic plans of the College of Architecture + the Arts and FIU.
“Traditionally universities have served as catalysts for the creative economy, helping to create ecosystems where creative talent and enterprises thrive,” said Furton. “We want to use all of our resources, including the talents of students and faculty in the College of Architecture + The Arts, to spur economic development in Miami and beyond.”
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About CARTA:
FIU College of Architecture + The Arts engages our local and global communities by deploying the power of architecture and the arts to create, innovate, and inspire solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems. Offering 9 graduate and 8 undergraduate degrees within 7 academic departments, our more than 2500 majors have the unique experience working with our award-winning faculty in nationally ranked programs in the heart of Miami and Miami Beach — two of the country’s most vibrant, diverse, and creative cities! For more information, visit us at carta.fiu.edu.
About FIU:
Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
About CCG:
The Creative Class Group (CCG) is an advisory services firm composed of leading next-generation researchers, academics, and business strategists. Utilizing its unique approach and metrics, CCG works with companies and governments worldwide. Founder, Richard Florida, the Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at The University of Toronto’s, Rotman School of Management and Global Research Professor at NYU. He is Senior Editor at The Atlantic where he cofounded and serves as Editor-at-Large for City Lab and is a Visiting Fellow of the FIU, Miami Creativity Initiative. Rana Florida, CEO of who writes on business and entrepreneurship for Fast Company and the Huffington Post, serves as Director of the FIU, Miami Creativity Initiative. Steven Pedigo, Director of Research at CCG is a Visiting Fellow. Reham Alexander, CCG’S Director of Events will run the events programming for the FIU, Miami Creativity Initiative. www.creativeclass.com
Media Contact:
Isabel Gamarra
305-348-6944
igamarra@fiu.edu
news.fiu.edu
