Our Organization

Fact Sheet

Situated at the cultural crossroads of the Americas and in the heart of one of the world’s fastest-growing urban centers, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the largest performing arts centers anywhere. Strategically located in downtown Miami, the Arsht Center occupies 570,000 square feet along historic Biscayne Boulevard between N.E. 13^th and 14^th Streets.

Principal Components:

• Ziff Ballet Opera House: 2,400 seats.
• John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall: 2,200 seats.
• Carnival Studio Theater: A flexible black-box space designed for up to 300 seats.
• Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts: An outdoor social and performance space linking the two main houses across Biscayne Boulevard.
• Carnival Tower: An architectural icon from one of Miami’s oldest Art Deco buildings.
• Peacock Education Center: A 3,500-square-foot workshop and classroom space.
• Magnificent public art installations by five outstanding artists commissioned by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places.

Programming and Education:

• Adrienne Arsht Center Presents: A diverse group of more than 300 performances are selected and presented by the Arsht each year, organized into series. These series include Broadway in Miami, Jazz Roots, Knight Masterworks Classical Music, Live at Knight, Dance@Arsht, Theater Up Close, among others.
• The Arsht’s internationally acclaimed resident companies: Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony present many of their Miami performances at the Arsht Center.
• The Arsht also offers many free community-based performances and programs designed to make the performing arts as accessible to as wide an audience as possible. These include a monthly outdoor family event, a free gospel concert series, an annual volunteer service day and more.
• Since its inception, the Arsht has supported South Florida artists and the creation of new work through commissions, access to artistic advice from Arsht staff and other arts professionals, and public presentations. The Arsht also collaborates with local arts presenters to support culturally and artistically diverse entertainment.
• Education programs, many of which are planned with Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the resident companies and community-based organizations, offer unique opportunities for young people and adults to learn about and enjoy the performing arts both in the Arsht and out in their communities. Examples include AileyCamp, which debuted in 2009, and the Learning Through the Arts program, which provides live music, theater and dance components via the public school system’s Passport to Culture initiative.

Design:

The Arsht Center was designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. The design team includes theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates Inc. and acoustician consultancy ARTEC Inc., both of whom have been working on the project since its inception.

Construction:

Adrienne Arsht Center for the 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. The total project expense is $472 million.   

• Design Phase - 1996-1999
• Groundbreaking - Fall 2001
• Construction Phase - 2001-2006
• Opening of the Center - 2006