Miami-Dade student art auction raises more than $100,000

Miami-Dade County Public Schools students and teachers turned donated materials into auction art that helped raise more than $100,000 at The Education Fund’s For The Love of Art event on May 18 at Jungle Island. The fundraiser also honored public school alumni and spotlighted programs that support arts education and classroom supplies across the district.

Why it matters: - The auction turned surplus supplies into funding for arts education and classroom resources in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. - The Education Fund says its Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials has provided more than $32 million in materials to public school classrooms since it launched. - The organization has raised $99 million for Miami-Dade County Public Schools students since the 1984–85 school year.

What happened: - The Education Fund’s For The Love of Art Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration took place May 18, 2026, at Jungle Island in Miami. - The event raised more than $100,000 for public school students. - Ocean Bank presented the event. - The fundraiser also included The Education Fund’s annual Alumni Achievement Awards, which recognized graduates of Miami-Dade County Public Schools who are community and business leaders.

The details: - Attendees bid on luxury items and one-of-a-kind works created by public school students and teachers. - The event also featured live music, an open bar, hands-on art activations and an epicurean feast. - This year’s auction had two categories: Art of Found Objects and Beyond the Page. - Art of Found Objects featured pieces built from donated surplus materials. - Beyond the Page was a new paper art category supported by a grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation. - The grant brought paper into Miami-Dade County Public Schools classrooms as an artistic medium and expanded arts programming across the district. - Teachers loaded carts of free supplies from The Education Fund Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials before taking those materials back to classrooms. - The supplies included fabrics, paint, glass tiles, cigar boxes and discarded furniture. - Students and teachers transformed those materials into the auction artwork displayed at Jungle Island. - Speakers and presenters included Miami-Dade County Public Schools leaders, Ocean Bank, Amazon, Taubco, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation. - Public School Alumni Achievement Award honorees included leaders from health care, law, banking, education, media, publishing and business. - Major support came from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Amazon, The Kirk Foundation, Peacock Foundation, Knight Foundation, Ken O’Keefe and Jason Stephens, South Florida Business Journal and Miami Herald. - More information is available at The Education Fund’s website.

Between the lines: - The event showed how a school-supply pipeline can become both an arts program and a fundraiser. - The student artwork doubled as proof of concept for The Education Fund’s broader model of private-sector support for public education. - Public recognition of student work can reinforce the value of arts education beyond the classroom, as one teacher said the community validation matters. - Ocean Bank’s long-running sponsorship signals that the fundraiser is part of a broader, yearslong corporate relationship with The Education Fund.

What’s next: - The Education Fund said proceeds will continue to support arts education and classroom supplies. - The organization will keep promoting private-sector investment in public schools through programs such as its free school-supply warehouse, Food Forests for Schools and college-and-career initiatives. - The Education Fund will continue using alumni awards and public events to spotlight Miami-Dade County Public Schools graduates and student achievement.

The bottom line: - Miami-Dade students turned donated materials into auction art, and that creativity helped generate fresh money for classrooms, arts programs and student support.