Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. On our Haute 100 Miami list is Adrienne Arsht, the philanthropist who is most recognized for her dedication to the arts and bringing vivid performances to audiences.
Adrienne Arsht
Category: Philanthropists
Company: Adrienne Arsht Center
Industry: Performing Arts
What Made Her Haute: For 10 years, Arsht served as chairman of the board of TotalBank of Miami, which under her leadership, grew to have some $1.4 billion in assets. She sold the bank to Banco Popular Español in 2007, and since that time, she has all but dedicated her life to philanthropy. She divides her time between Miami, New York, and Washington D.C., and she makes headlines in each of her hometowns for her generous gestures. Here in Miami, Arsht became the first woman to join the Million Dollar Roundtable of United Way of Miami-Dade in 2004, and, in 2008, committed more than $6 million to the University of Miami. But nothing tops her pledge of $30 million to Miami’s then-struggling Performing Arts Center, which thereby became known as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.
What Makes Her Haute Now: The community-minded business woman and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts recently held a free art festival called Fall for the Arts. More than 1,000 non-profit art organizations participated in the free, six-hour event in order to garner attention within the community; everything from theater to music had a booth.Great expectations still remain for the Arsht center; the center has opened two spots for drinking and dining — the Prelude by Barton G. and the new Bombay Sapphire Lounge. There is also said to be an expected increase in the number of patrons for the center. An estimated 500,000 are expected to attend 500 events this season.
Honoring the strong Cuban influence in Miami, the Arsht center recently debuted Babalu, a celebration of Desi Arnaz’s musical career showcased by Lucie Arnaz, Raúl Esparza and other Broadway big names. The show aims to revive Arnaz’s Latin roots and will also incorporate new music given to Lucie by a collector. As an avid supporter of the arts and board member of The Metropolitan Opera, Arsht recently interviewed renowned opera singer Renée Fleming on her recent performance in Armida and helped raise funds for the Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, a non-profit organization that provides New York City’s Hispanic residents with informative and artistic programs.
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