Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan recently announced that the City of Portland is restructuring its approach to arts service delivery, and will allow the City’s sole-source contract with the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) to expire on June 30, 2024. Rather than renewing the current contract, which is large and complex, the City will develop discrete RFPs (Requests for Proposals) for certain functions, such as grantmaking and public art, and other potentially new services to support a growing creative sector.

The City is also in the process of adapting the City Arts Program to becoming an Office of Arts and Culture, to better coordinate the City’s many arts and culture initiatives with a goal of maximizing taxpayer funds to support working artists and arts organizations.  

What does it all mean for artists and arts organizations? The City Arts Program is committed to ensuring continuity of services while increasing support for our vibrant arts and culture community. To learn more, read our FAQ document below, and stay tuned for opportunities to meet with City leaders in the weeks and months ahead.

Comments? Questions? Concerns? Email us at cityartsprogram@portlandoregon.gov. 

From Blind Insect Gallery:  BARRIO! Supported in part by the Portland Events & Film Office and the Regional Arts & Culture Council

RACC's Arts3C grant program supports Creation, Cultivation & Community in the Portland metropolitan tri-county region. Funds up to $5,000 are available to support artistic projects, programming, and presentations, as well as to support internal capacity, such as operations, personal or professional development, or business investment. Applications are due Wednesday, September 20, by 5:00 p.m. Visit racc.org for more information.  

The Prosper Portland Events & Film Office offers grant funding to support the production of events based in the City of Portland. These Community Event Grants are intended to advance the city’s economic and cultural revitalization through direct financial support. Grants of up to $5,000 awarded per qualifying applicant. Applications are due Wednesday, August 16, by 5:00 p.m. Visit portlandfilmoffice.com/community-event-grant for more information.

On July 19, Portland City Council accepted a report from the Monuments Engagement Planning Committee, convened by Lewis & Clark College, with recommendations and best practices for community engagement activities and public policy related to monuments and memorials. Jess Perlitz, an associate professor and head of sculpture at Lewis & Clark who led this process, discussed the report on OPB's Think Out Loud program earlier this week. We encourage you to have a listen!  

That same day, City Council also accepted a generous $350,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to fund the planning, policy, and engagement work to come for Portland's monuments and memorial efforts. Follow Portland Monuments Project on Portland.gov for more information.

The regional cultural planning process led by the City Arts Program has entered a new phase. Following the initial research and community engagement activities that wrapped in June, the Steering Committee and consulting team are now reviewing and making sense of the results, which will ultimately help shape the vision, goals and strategies in the cultural plan.

We have heard community voices calling for greater recognition and support of arts and culture throughout the region, more affordable spaces for arts and artists, and more connections in the creative community. Community members have also laid out multiple suggestions to help arts and culture become more equitable and accessible.

Steering Committee member Subashini Ganesan-Forbes and City Arts Program Manager Jeff Hawthorne discussed this plan and arts advocacy more broadly in a recent episode of Stumptown Soundcheck. We invite you to tune in to Episode 4 of the podcast to learn more.

A draft cultural plan will be shared in early 2024 for public review and comment. Subscribe to the cultural planning newsletter for more updates. 

Please share this newsletter with others who may be interested in learning more about how the City of Portland supports culture, creativity and the arts. Thank you!

Jeff Hawthorne
Arts Program Manager 
City of Portland, Office of Management and Finance
cityartsprogram@portlandoregon.gov

Visit us online at portland.gov/omf/arts-program.