Chicago based Latino Art Beat founded in 1998, offers its nationwide art and film competition to high school juniors and seniors. The general competition theme is “What Hispanic Heritage & Culture Means to Me?” To date over $5.5 million in scholarships have been awarded the talented winners of this high-profile initiative, thus enabling students to attend an institution of higher learning that they otherwise might not be able to afford. The program is available to students in multiple cities across the United States, with MIAMI being the highlight of this national initiative. This year’s 2022 Miami Latino Art Beat awards presentation was held in Miami City Hall in the presence of the Mayors delegates, City Commissioners, and with all the student winners, their teachers and families present. Also, representatives of Miami-Dade County Public Schools were in attendance, as one of Latino Art Beats premier collaborative partners in addition to the Directors of the Miami Hyatt Regency Hotel, who is a new partner of this program. This ceremony typically takes place annually at the end of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Previous Miami Mayors have acknowledged Latino Art Beat’s positive benefit to youth in the arts over the years and in 2016 awarded Don Rossi Nuccio, its President, with one of the highest accolades the city can bestow on a citizen by granting him a “name day” on the 27th of October in Miami as “Don Rossi Nuccio Day.” This year, six years to that anniversary date Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez issued a Certificate of Merit to Nuccio stating:
“In recognition of his excellent service, the City of Miami issues this Certificate of Merit to Don Rossi Nuccio. Thank you for your continued efforts to support the arts in our community, particularly our young artists (and filmmakers) and the future generation of artists. Don has performed his duties as President of Latino Art Beat for over 20 years, which holds an annual art competition that awards scholarships and monetary prizes to its winners and celebrates these award-winning artists by holding various art gallery showings of their work throughout the year. Thank you for your service. We are confident that you will continue to excel and to serve in our community to advance our quality of life and contribute to Miami.” FRANCIS X. SUAREZ, Mayor October 27, 2022.
This year’s scholarship winners include Julia Carvajal for her artwork titled “The Next Generation” and to Esteban Rodriguez for his film titled “Slumber Symposium.” Other Miami winners include Khira Fernandez-Nocito, Allyson Miranda, Angimar Sanchez, Valentina Martinez and Richard Webber. For more information on how to participate in the National Latino Art Beat art and film competition visit www.latinoartbeat.org or email latinoartbeat@hotmail.com for instructions. The 2023 competition deadline will be in May 2023.
