Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts facts for kids
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, February 2010
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| Full name | Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County |
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| Former names | Miami Performing Arts Center (planning/construction) Carnival Center for the Performing Arts (2006-08) |
| Address | 1300 Biscayne Boulevard Miami, Florida |
| Location | Arts & Entertainment District |
| Coordinates | 25°47′15″N 80°11′32″W / 25.7876332°N 80.1920912°W |
| Public transit |  Adrienne Arsht Center |
| Owner | Government of Miami-Dade County |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 15, 2001 |
| Opened | October 5, 2006 |
| Construction cost | $472 million ($780 million in 2022) |
| Tenants | |
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Building details
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| Design and construction | |
| Architect | César Pelli & Associates |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| Services engineer | Cosentini Associates |
| Civil engineer | Balmori Associates |
| Other designers |
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| Main contractor |
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The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is a huge place in Miami, Florida, where amazing shows happen. It's one of the biggest performing arts centers in the whole United States.
The Arsht Center brings artists from all over the world to Miami. It also features special shows from its three main groups and local artists. Plus, it hosts many free community events. These events celebrate Miami's unique culture and offer arts education to thousands of kids every year.
Some popular free events include Family Fest, Free Gospel Sundays, and Heritage Fest. These events help bring people together to enjoy live performances. Since 2020, the Arsht Center has also put on over 100 pop-up shows. These shows took place in hospitals, parks, and libraries across Miami-Dade County.
The center was partly built where an old Sears department store used to be. This store had a cool Art Deco design from 1929. In 1997, it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places. By 2001, only the tall, seven-story entrance tower remained. Builders decided to keep this tower and make it part of the new performing arts center.
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History of the Arsht Center
The center first opened on October 5, 2006, and was called the Carnival Center. Many famous people attended the opening. These included singer Gloria Estefan, politician Jeb Bush, actor Andy García, and actress Bernadette Peters.
On January 10, 2008, a kind person named Adrienne Arsht gave $30 million to the center. This big gift helped the center become financially stable. Because of her generosity, the center was renamed The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Most people just call it the Arsht Center.
In December 2008, M. John Richard became the center's president and CEO. He had worked at another arts center for over 20 years. Later, in 2019, Johann Zietsman took over as president and CEO.
The Arsht Center also runs a program called AileyCamp Miami. In 2016, this program won a National Arts and Humanities Youth Award. They even received it at the White House! In 2022, the Arsht Center was nominated for a Latin Grammy. This was for a documentary called Bailaora, which they made with a flamenco dancer.
The Adrienne Arsht Center cost about $470 million to build. It has helped bring over $1 billion in new investments to downtown Miami.
Building Design and Performance Spaces
The famous architect César Pelli designed the Arsht Center. It covers two large areas on either side of Biscayne Boulevard. A special bridge connects these two parts for people to walk across. The sound quality inside the halls was designed by Russell Johnson. He also worked on the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.
The Arsht Center has three main performance halls. People can also rent these spaces for their own events.
- The Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House can seat 2,400 people.
- The John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall holds 2,200 people. Its stage reaches out into the audience. There are also 200 seats behind the stage for extra guests or a choir. This hall can even turn into a "Grand Ballroom" for parties. The floor is placed over the seats for dining and dancing.
- The Carnival Studio Theater is a flexible "black-box" space. It can hold up to 250 people, and its setup can change for different shows.
There are also two smaller spaces for different uses:
- The Peacock Rehearsal Studio can hold 270 people.
- The Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts is an outdoor area. It's used for social gatherings and performances. It connects the two main buildings across Biscayne Blvd.
| Seating Capacity | |
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| Ziff Ballet Opera House | 2,400 |
| Knight Concert Hall | 2,200 |
| Thomson Plaza for the Arts | 1,000 |
| Adams Foundation Lobby | 600 |
| Ryder System Lobby | 400 |
| Peacock Foundation Studio | 300 |
| Carnival Studio Theater | 297 |
| Peacock Education Center | 150 |
| Next Generation Green Room | 80 |
| Terra Group Patrons Club | 77 |
Events and Shows
The Arsht Center hosts about 400 performances and events each year. These events bring around 450,000 people to downtown Miami. Most of the shows are presented by the center itself.
Some popular series include Jazz Roots, Knight Masterworks Classical Music, and Theater Up Close. They also have the Flamenco Festival and Family Fest. City Theatre's yearly short play festival, Summer Shorts, is also held there.
Community and Education Programs
The Arsht Center offers many educational programs. These are often planned with local schools and other organizations. They give young people and adults chances to learn about the performing arts. Programs happen both at the center and in local communities.
One example is Jazz Roots Sound Check. This program brings 1,000 high school jazz musicians to the center. They get to see a sound check, play with artists, and attend a lecture. They also get free concert tickets.
Another program is AileyCamp Miami, a free summer camp. It started in 2009 and offers a full scholarship. The Learning Through the Arts program brings live music, theater, and dance to Miami public school children. This program includes musicals produced by the Arsht Center, like Kitty Hawk, I am Me, and The Busy Bees’ Great Adventure. The Busy Bees’ Great Adventure teaches kids about protecting our planet.
Hosting Important Debates
The Arsht Center has been chosen to host important national debates. In June 2019, it was the site of the first Democratic primary debate for the 2020 presidential election.
It was also supposed to host a general election debate in October 2020. However, this debate did not happen as planned. The Arsht Center later hosted the third Republican primary debate for the 2024 presidential election on November 8, 2023.
Broadway in Miami Shows
The Arsht Center brings popular Broadway shows to Miami. The 2018–2019 season included Hello Dolly, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Les Misérables, Waitress, School of Rock: The Musical, Come From Away, and The Lion King. People who bought tickets for that season also got early access to Hamilton tickets.
Shows from the 2017–2018 season included On Your Feet!, The Bodyguard, Finding Neverland, The Color Purple, and Chicago.
See also
In Spanish: Centro de Artes Escénicas de Adrienne Arsht para niños
- List of concert halls
