PRESIDENT OBAMA APPOINTS ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER CHAIR RICKY ARRIOLA TO COMMITTEE ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Miami businessman and arts leader joins blue ribbon panel of actors, philanthropists, writers, and artists.
MIAMI, FL – November 9, 2009 – President Barack Obama has handpicked Miami businessman and arts leader Ricky Arriola to serve on his Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the nation’s preeminent body focused on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, and economic revitalization through the arts and humanities. A Miami native, Mr. Arriola currently serves as chair of Miami’s Performing Arts Center Trust, an independent body of business and civic leaders that oversees the nonprofit Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. He is also President and CEO of Inktel Direct, a national business process outsourcing company based in Miami.
The Committee serves as a liaison between The White House and federal cultural agencies, as well as civic, corporate, foundation, and private funders that seek
to further the nation’s investment in the arts and humanities. The 26-person panel is a veritable “who’s who” of the nation’s cultural landscape, including actors Sarah Jessica Parker, Forrest Whitaker, Alfre Woodard and Edward Norton, musician Yo Yo Ma, fashion luminary Anna Wintour, and philanthropist Teresa Heinz, among others. First Lady Michelle Obama serves as the Committee’s Honorary Chair.
“I am confident that these talented individuals will be valued additions to our administration and will offer wise counsel in their respective roles,” said President
Obama, in a statement. “I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”
As chair of Miami’s 41-member Performing Arts Center Trust board of directors, Mr. Arriola has been a driving force in the Adrienne Arsht Center’s emergence as one of the nation’s leading performing arts organizations. Today, the Center serves as a model public-private partnership, having balanced its budget for the second-consecutive year, paid off its last remaining bank debt seven years early, and elevated its role as a catalyst for economic development in Miami’s burgeoning urban core.
“Ricky Arriola is one of the Adrienne Arsht Center’s most valuable assets,” said M. John Richard, President and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “As chairman of our board, Ricky has demonstrated an innate ability to at once set a clear vision for our organization while rolling-up his sleeves and making a direct impact in Miami’s cultural community. I have no doubt that Ricky will apply the same degrees of leadership and passion as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.”
Mr. Arriola’s appointment reflects South Florida’s evolution as one of the nation’s most dynamic arts communities. Home to cultural institutions such as the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami Art Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art; festivals such as Art Basel and the Miami International Book Fair; and performance groups such as the Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera and the New World Symphony, Miami has
earned a spot on the global arts map.
While many communities struggle to fund cultural events and organizations in light of economic volatility, Miami’s commitment to the arts remains strong. The City’s base of individual and corporate donors continues to support the arts, and the public sector has provided funding for cultural organizations and capital projects, including a 29-acre waterfront park that will include new homes for the Miami Art Museum and the
Miami Science Museum.
The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities has served every president since 1982. Achievements include the origination of the Presidential Medals in the arts and humanities; groundbreaking cultural delegations to China and Mexico; and the creation of signature programs, such as “Save America’s Treasures,” the American Film Institute’s “Project: 20/20,” and the “Coming Up Taller” awards, which recognize exemplary after school arts and humanities programs for the nation’s youth.
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Education and Outreach is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from private ontributions to the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation, Inc. through its Visionary Society membership program and its Encore Circle major gifts program; American Express Company; Arison Arts Foundation; Bank of America Charitable Foundation; City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency; Dade Community Foundation; Funding Arts Network; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Southern Arts Federation, The Cowles Charitable Trust; The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.
About the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
The Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is Miami-Dade County’s largest ever public/private-sector partnership, comprised of an $150 million private capital campaign conducted by the Performing Arts Center Foundation and public funding drawn primarily from the County’s Convention Development Tax revenues, as well as the City of Miami Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency. Greatly enhancing the artistic and educational opportunities in South Florida, the Adrienne Arsht Center will have significant and long-term economic benefits for the city and the region.
The Adrienne Arsht Center, designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, includes the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, a 200-seat black box Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Carnival Arts Deco Tower, and the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, which unites the Center buildings across Biscayne Boulevard, providing a magnificent setting for outdoor entertainment and informal gatherings. The key members of the design team include theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc. and acoustician Russell Johnson of ARTEC, Inc., both of whom worked on the project since its inception.
The Adrienne Arsht Center is a Miami venue not only for its resident companies (Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony), but also for many smaller South Florida arts organizations that will perform in its theaters on a regular basis, as well as for the finest popular and classical performances from around the world. With state-of-the-art performance facilities in Miami for the first time, the Adrienne Arsht Center offers South Florida audiences the
best and most diverse theater, music, and dance—with a dedication to entertain, challenge, and educate all segments of the community. For more information, visit www.arshtcenter.org.