OCTOBER 22, 2018
What role has philanthropic investment in the arts played in Miami’s economic and cultural growth over the past decades—and why is it so important for building community?
A Philanthropy Initiative regional program
Join Jorge Pérez, chairman and CEO of The Related Group, and Dennis Scholl, president and CEO of the ArtCenter/South Florida and former VP/Arts of the Knight Foundation, in conversation about Miami’s transformation over the past three decades and their roles in this dramatic story. Claire Costello, a U.S. Trust philanthropic specialist, moderates.
Pérez and Scholl connect Miami’s success to the evolution of the community’s belief in itself as a cultural place, and discuss how the Knight and Pérez Family Foundation, and others, have invested in the arts to help facilitate this connection. They also talk about the importance of funding in different forms and scales—from individual artists and neighborhood nonprofits to anchor institutions such as the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the site of the discussion.
Additionally, Pérez speaks about his family’s decision to sign the Giving Pledge and the fact that their letter is now a part of the Smithsonian's Giving in America exhibition.
Dr. Amanda B. Moniz, the National Museum of American History’s David M. Rubenstein Curator of Philanthropy, shares the conversation’s origin in a talk given earlier that year by Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen, “Arts Bind People to Place and Each Other,” from the 2018 Power of Giving symposium.
The program was co-hosted with U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, at the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
About the Speakers
Speaker
Amanda B. Moniz, PhD
David M. Rubenstein Curator of Philanthropy
National Museum of American History
Amanda B. Moniz is the David M. Rubenstein Curator of Philanthropy at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Her first book, From Empire to Humanity: The American Revolution and the Origins of Humanitarianism was awarded ARNOVA’S inaugural Peter Dobkin Hall History of Philanthropy Book Prize. She is now working on a book about how philanthropists today look to history to inform their work, as well as on a biography of Isabella Graham, a philanthropic leader in the early United States.
Interviewer
Claire Costello
National Philanthropic Practice Executive for Philanthropic Solutions
U.S. Trust Bank of America Corporation
Claire Costello is the National Philanthropic Practice Executive for Philanthropic Solutions at U.S. Trust Bank of America Corporation. She is a recognized expert in philanthropy. Her reputation results from her involvement with a variety of nonprofit ventures and her extensive work assisting high net worth individuals and families in identifying and fulfilling their philanthropic ambitions. She supports clients in making a broad range of philanthropic decisions concerning the design and execution of their giving strategies and is responsible for providing thought leadership and identifying best practices for both philanthropic families and nonprofit institutions. Previously, Costello founded and managed the Citigroup Private Bank Global Philanthropic Advisory Service. She also practiced law as a litigator in both the public and private sectors, prior to which she clerked in the U.S. District Court. Claire is a graduate of Amherst College and New York University School of Law. Costello serves on the Council of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute and has served as vice chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and on the Advisory Board of Global Giving, the Hewlett Foundation Donor Education Committee, and the Block Island Trust. She does not provide legal advice in her role at U.S. Trust.
Panelist
Jorge Pérez
Chairman and CEO
Related Group
Jorge Pérez is the chairman and CEO of the Related Group, which has revolutionized Miami’s skyline for nearly 40 years with a portfolio of projects worth in excess of $15 billion. While he’s not working to shape South Florida’s landscape, Pérez is working on ways to enrich the city’s cultural fabric. Known for his philanthropy and commitment to the arts, he recently donated $15 million in cash and art to the Pérez Art Museum Miami. A commitment to “building better cities” and a natural ability to identify emerging trends has made him a trusted and influential name in real estate. Pérez started out in the 1970s, making a name for himself in the public housing market of neighborhoods like Miami’s Little Havana and Homestead. His continued passion for vibrant urban communities has made him a trendsetter, and often the first developer to enter undiscovered neighborhoods like Miami Beaches’ South of Fifh, Brickell, and Edgewater. An avid art collector, Pérez infuses each development with carefully selected pieces from master artists, such as outdoor installations by Fabian Burgos at SLS LUX and Brickell Heights and Markus Linnenbrink at SLS Brickell. Works by Jaume Plensa, Fernando Botero, Pablo Atchugarry, and others are also proudly displayed at Related developments, complementing each building’s unique character.
Panelist
Dennis Scholl
Dennis Scholl is a collector of contemporary art whose willingness to experiment and encourage artists and curators to push boundaries is well known in the art world. Over the last 20 years, Scholl created a series of initiatives dedicated to building the contemporary art collections of museums, including the Guggenheim, the Tate Modern, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, which resulted in hundreds of patron-funded art acquisitions. He has served on the boards and executive committees of the Aspen Art Museum; Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; the Pérez Art Museum; and the Linda Pace Foundation. He was named three times to the annual WESTAF list of the Most Powerful and Influential Leaders in the Nonprofit Arts. He is an eleven-time regional Emmy winner for his work in cultural documentaries, including films about Tracey Emin, Theaster Gates, Wynton Marsalis, and Frank Gehry. From 2009 to 2015, Scholl was the Vice President/Arts of the Knight Foundation. He oversaw the foundation's national arts program, including the Knight Arts Challenge and Random Acts of Culture, with grants to cultural organizations totaling close to $200 million. In 2012, Scholl was named a Harvard University Advanced Leadership Fellow, focusing on the role of culture in community engagement. From 2012 to 2015, Scholl was a Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab.
