Meet City of Miami Commission Chairwoman and District Five Commissioner Christine King
City of Miami Commission Chairwoman and District Five Commissioner Christine King
Born in Guyana, Christine King moved to Miami at the age 5. Prior to becoming an attorney, she worked for Miami-Dade County for fifteen years. She most recently served as President and CEO of the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation and worked as a practicing attorney.
In her role as Chairwoman and District Commissioner, she sponsored legislation to provide a $2 million grant to our organization as part of her American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allotment for essential renovations and repairs of our former industrial bakery building.
We recently spoke with Chairwoman King about why she and the City Commission support the mission of Bakehouse Art Complex.
Tell us why the City of Miami awarded this transformative grant to Bakehouse Art Complex.
I was happy to sponsor and provide $2M of funding from my ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act 2021) allotment as a grant to Bakehouse. The City was instrumental in the organization’s founding when it made an initial investment in the early 1980s from the City of Miami’s Community Development Block Grant program. Since then, it has served over 1,500 artists and tens of thousands of Miami residents. Our support now ensures that it can achieve its vision to become a major cultural anchor to Wynwood Norte and help us attract, develop, and retain local cultural talent. I am thrilled that it is now one step closer to realizing an expanded live and live-work campus with spaces for artists and other community members.
Why is it important for the City to support artists and organizations that serve them?
Having grown up in a home that appreciated arts and culture, I personally have witnessed how it can transform lives and communities. Our City’s robust cultural ecosystem has improved quality of life for residents, fueled our local economy, and has put us on the map as a global epicenter for cultural production and consumption. Our support to artist-serving organizations like Bakehouse ensures that artists have the tools they need to thrive.
Tell us about how this gift aligns with the City’s goals to help residents address affordability challenges.
One of my campaign priorities and concerns for the City Commission is to address the affordability crisis. This grant allows the largest and oldest artist-serving organization in the City to continue to provide workspace security for local artists while making progress towards adding affordable housing to its campus.
What inspires you about Bakehouse?
Seeing how Bakehouse artists care about and engage with Miami residents including those who live in District 5 is deeply inspiring. They donated their time and talent in many ways, including teaching art at local schools, making masks for community residents, donating their artwork to support local fundraisers, and gifting fresh loaves of bread to their neighbors in Wynwood Norte.
Why should private donors step up and donate to Bakehouse?
While the City of Miami’s grant is a significant step forward to helping the organization realize its ambitious plans, it needs much more resources from a wide array of stakeholders to achieve its vision. Donations to Bakehouse Art Complex — whether they be from individual donors, philanthropic organizations, or corporate sponsors — are an investment in our City and ensure it will continue to be a place where local artists can thrive and enrich the community at large.