A Message from Our Executive Director

Since 2000 ArtSouth has been a home to artists, nurturing the creative process and unleashing a passion for art in its students. ArtSouth’s school of visual arts has been instrumental in shaping the lives of many students in our community through our Service Learning Program. On each “Second Saturday” of the month, ArtSouth opens its studios from 3-7 p.m. to the public providing musical and dance performances, refreshments and hands-on demonstrations. Second Saturday offers the public an opportunity to meet ArtSouth’s studio artists, staff and ArtSouth members. 

Plans are underway to bring a Community Theatre Program that will enhance our arts center’s ability to provide the community with a fully-functioning performance setting. This program will, not only bring quality programming to the culturally under-resourced community, but will also serve as professional training venue for prospective theater enthusiasts. ArtSouth’s Community Theatre Program will serve the unanswered call in South Miami-Dade County for a strong and permanent theatre training center that capitalizes on home-spun talent. ArtSouth will offer unlimited opportunities to educate performers and theater enthusiasts from diverse experiences, cultures, and economic standing. Our community theatre will recruit and assemble youth, playwrights, actors, emerging artists, and teachers from various backgrounds in a cooperative spirit to participate in all types of performance presentations.

An exhibit of Shona Sculptures from Zimbabwe will be on display later this year. They are the creation of a relatively young movement of African artists and are carved entirely by hand from serpentine and spring stone rocks that give them dazzling color. They feature a superior technique and a transcendental language of their own. Our patrons will be able to experience this subtle level of visual communication as they stand in front of these unique three-dimensional pieces.

These programs would not be possible without the invaluable help and the generous contributions from individuals and institutions that care about art in our community. As a nonprofit institution, donations and volunteer efforts are of critical importance to help us continue our tradition of offering the finest quality of art education at an affordable cost and to ensure that we can continue to bring the community quality programming. We thank our donors and volunteers for their dedication and loyalty, and look forward to working with new friends as we shape the future of our great institution.

Sincerely,

Rosa I. Brito
August 2008