Making cultural experiences accessible for all

Marialaura Leslie, deputy director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, was recognized by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as a 2022 Knight Arts Champion for playing a key role in cultivating Miami-Dade County’s arts community. She serves our County by working every day to ensure that great cultural experiences are accessible and affordable for all.

As an arts administrator with more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit arts management, cultural policy and local arts agency operations, Marialaura has worked with Miami arts institutions since 1995, including Miami City Ballet, City Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse and the Jerry Herman Ring Theater at the University of Miami.

In 2001, she joined the Department of Cultural Affairs as cultural projects administrator and was promoted to deputy director in 2018. During her tenure with Cultural Affairs, Marialaura has managed millions of dollars in grants programs, served on national committees in the development of leadership and equity initiatives and created professional development opportunities for artists and arts administrators of color.

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, she worked closely with Cultural Affairs director Michael Spring to successfully develop and implement the Miami-Dade Arts Support (MAS) program, allocating 100 percent of the federal CARES Act Coronavirus relief funds approved for Miami-Dade County’s arts community, representing more than $10 million, to the cultural organizations, artists and artist-entrepreneurs that make Miami-Dade an innovative and exciting global center of culture.

In 2021, Marialaura secured a major federal grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts with American Rescue Plan Act funds to create the Miami Individual Artists (MIA) program to support diverse artists of all disciplines in Miami-Dade County, including artists with disabilities.

“How truly fortunate for our entire arts community and for our department that we have a deputy director as talented and passionate as Marialaura Leslie. She has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues, locally and nationally, for her creativity, commitment and compassion. She is the epitome of public service and of the core value of ensuring that all people can have their lives made better through the arts. Miami-Dade County’s reputation as one of the nation’s most diverse and dynamic cultural centers is directly attributable to the outstanding dedication of Marialaura Leslie,” stated her supervisor, Michael Spring, director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.

Learn more about the Department of Cultural Affairs and Marialaura.