Artefactus

ARTEFACTUS began its artistic and educational work in the spring of 2008 and so far, has sustained uninterrupted cultural work, dedicated to artistic creation and training in the areas of theater, music, visual arts, and literature.

More than 220 organizations and 750 artists have been attended at the ARTEFACTUS Cultural Center and more than 600 citizen participation events have been held.

The Cultural Center is in Kendall, an established urban area south of Miami with a population of 80,241. The organization's cultural services are aimed at these historically underserved communities, with a high percentage of racialized people (67.5%, mainly Latins), high levels of poverty (10.7%), and far from the centralized cultural circuit of the city.

This cultural management has been supported by government and private institutions such as Florida Department of State, Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade College, The Knight Foundation, The Windhover Foundation, The National Book Foundation, The Miami Foundation, The Knight Foundation, and FUNDarte.

Among its permanent programs are:

THEATER AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTS:

PROFESSIONAL THEATER, started in June 2009 with the purpose of producing plays by classic and contemporary authors. More than 35 shows have been produced, which have received numerous awards, including: The Latin Alternative Theatre, New York, 2018; The Puerto Rico Theater Festival (2017, 2018); the Latin Entertainment Critics Association (NY-2017); FuerzaFest (Orlando, Florida, 2016); The Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors (NY-2016); and Independent Theater Artists (NY-2016).

OPEN ARTS FEST, instituted in October 2018 with the aim of generating visibility spaces for the Arts and promoting exchanges with professionals on the international scene. It is an international festival in which groups and artists from Ecuador, Cuba, Russia, Mexico, and Spain have participated.

SOLO THEATER FEST, started in March 2019 to support the empowerment of the actor, dancer and/or performer, becoming today an opportunity for artistic exploration, and for the confluence of styles, criteria, and aesthetics.

QUEER SHOWCASE, created in 2014 and reformulated in 2022 as a showcase for the exhibition of gender issues and artists from the LGBTQIA+ community, through the arts and multidisciplinary and humanistic events.

EVENINGS FOR CHILDREN, a series that emerged in July 2013 with the purpose of offering familyoriented programming, with an emphasis on children. Since its inception, there have been more than 23 plays, concerts, artistic initiation workshops, and book presentations.

ARTISTIC APPRECIATION AND TRAINING, launched in October 2015 with a team of professionals in the specialties of voice, diction, movement, makeup, and dramaturgy. It culminates with a staging and a short cycle of presentations to the public.

SUMMER COMEDY, created in 2021 to produce ‘’Comedies’’ by classic or contemporary authors to be presented in the summer season.

LITERATURE:

AUTHORS, created in March 2008 with the purpose of disseminating and preserving the literary work of Miami writers. So far more than 34 authors have been presented, approximately 33 theatrical readings have been carried out, and 7 publications have been published with the ARTEFACTUS Editions seal.

STORIES ON STAGE, created in February 2019 with the mission of disseminating the life and work of writers of universal stature, whose literary creations retain validity and social and cultural interest. The approach to the writers is carried out through a performance show whose dramaturgy is based on the articulation of stories, poems, short plays, epistles, and interviews.

CUBAN THEATER IN EXILE, established in May 2013 with the purpose of promoting dramaturgy and theatrical work produced by Cuban artists in the diaspora. Since its first edition they have brought together important actors, set designers and playwrights.

VISUAL ARTS:

ART GALLERY, started in September 2014 with the aim of promoting the work of plastic artists. Works by 31 local artists have been exhibited as well as pieces by international creators.

MIAMI NEW CINEMA, began in November 2019. It is a space to show the audiovisual creation of young talents from Miami, an alternative that supports young filmmakers in their expressive search.

ARTEFACTUS theatrical creations have been invited to festivals in Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, among others organized within the USA. For its outstanding work was nominated for the People's Choice Award and won the Knight Arts Challenge Award (2015-16).

ARTEFACTUS educational agenda promotes the defense of racial and gender rights, inclusion, and environmental conservation, generating:

• Visibility spaces for women.

• Scenarios to show the values of Afro-American culture.

• Shows, talks, and festivals on LGBTQ+ themes, climate change, and gender violence.

• Participation opportunities for young talents, disabled, Latinos, and seniors.