ArtPlace funding will support the activation and stabilization of a 12,000 sq. ft. multi-tenant performance and visual art space in the heart of Wynwood, an up-and-coming light industrial warehouse arts district in Miami. The Light Box, orchestrated by Miami Light Project, will be a space for artists to research and make work, explore disciplines, and hone their unique voices through extended residencies, international exchange, cross-disciplinary approaches and the presentation of new work.

ArtPlace spoke with Rebekah Lengel, Managing Producer for Miami Light Project, about The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse, about Miami Light Project’s strategies to not only activate neighborhoods, but engage artists and audiences in new and deeper ways.

What do you have to do really (really) well to achieve success with your initiative? How do you expect the community to change as a result?

One of the most important things we can do to make The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse truly a place for the creation of new performance and a home for performance in our Wynwood neighborhood is remove as many barriers to participation as [possible. For our general neighborhood, many of the barriers are economic and awareness. To remove the economic barrier, we offer a variety of free community events throughout the year. Additionally, we purposefully keep our ticket prices low and offer additional discounts to residents in our zip code, and other affiliated partners, like school, community centers and the like.

Another of the most important things we can do is creating a welcoming culture in our space; this is an organization wide focus of developing a culture of openness. Our doors are open and we welcome visitors, artists and patrons and questions.

Anytime an organization aims for success in their business model. True success only can come from a deep commitment from all parties involved. Our success is part and parcel to the buy in of the vision we have for The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse by all of our stakeholders- our tenant partners, our staff, our board our audience and our community of artists. Our inaugural season has indicated the support and enthusiasm our community has for our space, and we are confident that they will continue to engage in and embrace the additional programming and offerings we have planned that will allow for our long term success of creating a vital artistic community.