Ruth Greenfield
A true Miami arts pioneer, Ruth Wolkowsky Greenfield, Founder of Miami-Dade Community College's Lunchtime Lively Arts Series, was a trailblazing pianist and educator who innovatively used the arts to help combat racial segregation. Her family moved to Miami in 1924, settling on the east side of Biscayne Boulevard. Miami, not too
far away from its inception in 1896, was thriving with many visitors enjoying the consistently good weather. Classically trained as a concert pianist by Nadia Boulanger, Greenfield saw music as a way to bridge the racial divide she was witnessing. In 1951, she courageously founded the Fine Arts Conservatory, one of the first racially integrated theaters and arts schools in the south, teaching music, dance, drama and visual arts to Black and White students together taught by Black and White teachers for nearly 30 years. Her husband Arnold Greenfield was her biggest supporter and a perfect partner. Ruth was Music Department Chair at Miami Dade College, where she taught music for 32 years. By fostering a space where students of all backgrounds could learn together, Greenfield helped break racial barriers through music and education. Greenfield’s transformational legacy endures in Miami-Dade County’s cultural institutions and through the many artists she inspired.