The Frank Art Gallery Spotlights Food Insecurity in Broward with Community Foundation Art Grant

The Frank art gallery, scheduled to open in the new Pembroke Pines City Center in March, was awarded $30,010 from Community Foundation of Broward through an Art of Community grant, which supports art-based projects that will spark new collaborations and promote civic engagement in Broward County. This project was made possible by support from the following Community Foundation of Broward Funds: R.J. and Nancy Purdy Fund, Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund, Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund.

This grant will help develop The Frank’s “Feed Your Soul/Nourish Your Neighbor: Sharing Our Stories” project, which spotlights food insecurity and social isolation. According to Feeding South Florida, a nonprofit partner of this project, Broward has the highest percentage of food insecure individuals in South Florida. While the majority of the low-income population qualifies for SNAP (food as stamps) and other federal nutrition programs, 17 percent do not qualify for federal assistance and often must rely on emergency food assistance programs and need better wages and employment opportunities to help them meet basic needs.

“Unfortunately food insecurity is a prevalent issue in our community and frequently leads to social isolation. We’ve integrated initiatives into this project that we hope will break down barriers and initiate change that will have a lasting impact,” said Jill Slaughter, chief curator and head of cultural projects for the City of Pembroke Pines. “We are very fortunate and so humbled to receive this generous grant from the Community Foundation of Broward, which will allow us to fulfill our mission of fostering community connections, initiating cultural change and promoting innovation.”

“Feed Your Soul/Nourish Your Neighbor: Sharing Our Stories” will bring hundreds of Pembroke Pines residents together through multidisciplinary opportunities to foster community connections. Residents will participate in interactive writing workshops to create their own monologues and learn more about the stigma of food insecurity; engage in drum circles that will encourage team bonding; and design and paint a projectthemed mural at Pines Place, an affordable rental apartment complex in the city. In addition, Bergeron Land Development will donate native Florida wood for the design of a public art table to be auctioned off as a part of the crowdfunding campaign to support Feeding South Florida.

The newly constructed City Center will be the location of the Feed Your Soul/Nourish Your Neighbor celebration event planned for November 2017. The multi-disciplinary event will include a collaborative performance of participants carrying out their monologues about food insecurity and social isolation.

“Projects like Feed Your Soul/Nourish Your Neighbor will bring diverse residents together through the arts to address community issues,” said Sheri Brown, VP of Grants and Initiatives for Community Foundation of Broward. “The Frank is a deserving recipient of this grant and we are excited to see this project come to life.”

For more information about The Frank, call 954.392.2129. Follow The Frank on Facebook and Instagram at The Frank Pembroke Pines.

About The Frank

Scheduled to open March 2017 as a part of the new Pembroke Pines City Center, The Frank is a two story art gallery named after Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank C. Ortis for his decades-long commitment to the cultural arts. The Frank art gallery will showcase multi-disciplinary inclusive exhibitions to foster connections, initiate cultural change and promote innovation. The gallery’s exhibition and learning space will serve as a site of convergence for artists, performers, thought leaders and community members to create partnerships for social engagement, leveraging the power of the arts to create a sense. The Frank will offer art as experience, not entertainment.

The Frank is located at 601 City Center Way Pembroke Pines, FL 33025. Stay connected and follow The Frank on Facebook and Instagram at The Frank Pembroke Pines. For more information, call 954.392.2129 or email: thefrank@ppines.com.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission charges are subject to change during special events. Times and dates for special events will be announced.

Funding for this organization is provided in part by Broward County Cultural Division, Culture Builds Florida, Hello Sunny-Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center and Visitors Bureau and National Endowment for the Arts.

About Community Foundation of Broward

Founded in 1984, Community Foundation of Broward helps families, individuals, and corporations create personalized charitable Funds that deliver game-changing philanthropic impact. We provide leadership on community solutions, and foster philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. Our 450 charitable Funds represent $173 million in assets and have distributed $89 million to create positive change. For Good. For Ever. For more information about Community Foundation of Broward, visit cfbroward.org or call 954.761.9503. Connect at #cfbroward @cfbroward.

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