September 25, 2023

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Expanding arts and culture services for a stronger Portland

The City of Portland is in the process of restructuring how arts services — including grants and public art — are delivered beginning in July 2024. Rather than renewing a large and complex no-bid contract with the Regional Arts & Culture Council, the City is carefully exploring partnerships with RACC and other potential providers for arts-related services in the future. The City will maintain or increase its investments in artists and arts organizations throughout this process.

 

Later this fall, the City will publish Requests for Proposals, seeking partners who can collaborate deeply with the City Arts Program to provide arts services in Portland in 2024 and beyond. Our goal is to develop contracts that feature more public process with stronger accountability measures, while limiting program management costs and administrative expenses.

 

In the meantime, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (racc.org) continues to provide services on the City’s behalf. All grantmaking and public art activities will continue without changes through June 2024.

 

For more information on the City’s plan and timeline, read our FAQ document. You can also read Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan’s opinion piece in Oregon Arts Watch.  

 

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

 

Join us for the District 3 Community Arts Talk 

Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan and the City Arts Program are hosting a series of Arts Talks this October and November, spanning Portland's new voting districts at East Portland Community Center, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, Mt. Scott Community Center, and Multnomah Arts Center. These discussions aim to foster a deeper connection with the community, delving into the transformative journey of the City Arts Program, the Arts Education & Access Fund, and the significance of our Monuments and Memorials.

 

These interactive sessions will shed light on the current landscape of the arts in Portland — and we want to hear from you! Each session will feature comprehensive dialogue about the issues that matter most to Portlanders, with a Q&A period. Join us and be part of Portland's arts evolution!

 

Tuesday, October 17, 2023, from 6:00-7:30 pm

at the Mt. Scott Community Center in District 3, 5530 SE 72nd Ave, Portland, OR 97206.

RSVP by October 10 here.

 

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 from 6:00-7:30 pm

at East Portland Community Center in District 1, 740 SE 106th Avenue, Portland, OR 97216

Registration information will be included in the next City Arts newsletter.

 

Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 6:00-7:30 pm

at Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center in District 2, 5340 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR 97217

Registration information will be included in the next City Arts newsletter.

 

Thursday, November 16, 2023, from 6:00-7:30 pm  

at Multnomah Arts Center in District 4, 7688 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219

Registration information will be included in the next City Arts newsletter.

 

City Council celebrates our Creative Laurates

On September 20, Portland City Council announced the appointment of Jason Margolis, an instrumental music teacher at Roosevelt High School, as our City's new Creative Laureate. His unwavering dedication to the arts and belief in the transformative power of music was evident when he led the Roosevelt Jazz Band to a winning performance at the State Championship — watch on YouTube here.

City Council also invited Joaquin Lopez, a performing artist, musician, and mental health counselor, to serve as Creative Laureate for another year. As Creative Laureate since 2021, Joaquin has led impactful projects including two storytelling events: "Pentimento Community Stories: Memoir, Music & Poetry" featuring elder Linda Jaramillo, and "VOZ ALTA: Ahí Vamos! The Story of David Martinez." We are grateful to Joaquin for his many contributions to culture, creativity and the arts in Portland.

Creative Laureates serve as the City’s official ambassadors to our vibrant arts and culture community, and advocate for culture and creativity in our community. They are appointed for two-year terms and receive an honorarium of $10,000 per year. You can reach Jason and Joaquin at creativelaureate@portlandoregon.gov.

 

Arts Education & Access Fund: measuring our impact  

On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, Commissioner Dan Ryan will present a five-year summary of the transformative impact of the city’s Arts Education & Access Fund (AEAF), or Arts Tax. This report serves as a compilation of the AEAF Oversight Committee’s findings and recommendations from fiscal years 2018 to 2022.

 

During this five-year period, Portlanders made significant investments in the Arts Education & Access Fund, channeling more than $56 million in taxpayer funding to ensure access to arts education for every child, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status. The fund provides for K-5 arts teachers in all the elementary schools serving Portland.

 

The Arts Education & Access Fund also played a vital role in providing grants to artists and arts organizations that support a wide range of performances, exhibits, lectures, and community events, expanding arts access for communities of color, veterans, artists and audiences with disabilities, and underserved neighborhoods.

 

The report will be presented in Council Chambers on Wednesday, September 27 at approximately 10:00 am, and will be livestreamed.   

Are you passionate about arts education and access? The AEAF Oversight Committee is recruiting new members!

We’re searching for passionate individuals to fill six available seats on the AEAF Oversight Committee (AOC). As a key oversight body, the AOC plays a crucial role in ensuring the Arts Education & Access Fund performs as intended, meticulously reviewing expenditures and presenting their findings to the City Council annually. Your insights will not only be documented in public records but will also shape recommendations about the Fund's future.

 

We highly value diversity and encourage applications from all corners of Portland. Ready to make a difference? The deadline is Monday, October 16. Learn more and apply at portland.gov.

 

Calling all artists: your artwork could be Portland's next treasure

The City of Portland, in collaboration with the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), is excited to announce an opportunity for artists to showcase their talent and love for our city. We're on the lookout for captivating two-dimensional artworks—be it paintings, photographs, drawings, or any other medium—that reflect the spirit of Portland and our vibrant new voting districts.

With individual artwork valuations ranging from $200 to $5,000, we have allocated a generous budget of approximately $50,000 to bring these masterpieces into the City’s esteemed Portable Works Public Art Collection.

Dive deep into the essence of Portland, draw inspiration from its people and places, and let your creativity shine! For detailed guidelines and to submit your artwork, visit racc.org. Submissions are due by Wednesday, October 18, 2023.  

More grants and other opportunities for artists and organizations

The Oregon Arts Commission has two grant opportunities this fall, including:

 

Arts Build Communities, provides up to $5,000 in matching support to $5,000 to arts and other community-based organizations for projects that address a local community problem, issue or need through an arts-based solution. Deadline: October 4, 2023.

 

Individual Arts Fellowship program honors Oregon’s professional artists and their achievements while supporting efforts to advance their careers, with grants up to $5,000. Deadline: October 11, 2023.

 

The Multnomah Arts Center in SW Portland has two spaces available for lease. Visit Portland Parks & Recreation for more information, and apply by September 30, 2023.

 

TriMet is accepting applications from local artists, designers, architects, curators, and other people with considerable visual arts experience to participate on its Public Art Advisory Committee. Applications are due October 15, 2023. Visit trimet.org for more information.

 

The Portland Events and Film Office at Prosper Portland will award three grants of $10,000 each to amplify previously unheard stories of Portlanders. The Amplify Portland: Local Filmmakers Production Grant supports filmmakers utilizing local talent, crew and vendors during production, with a focus on professional development and bringing exposure to Portland on screen. Visit the Portland Events & Film Office for more information. The deadline is October 9, 2023.

Updates from the Portland Monuments Project

The City Arts Program is excited to share recent activities and milestones related to the Portland Monuments Project.

 

As background: Portland City Council accepted a report on Portland's Monuments and Memorials in July, along with a grant from the Mellon Foundation to support an inclusive and robust public engagement process.

 

The City Arts Program has assembled a core advising team, including representatives from the Office of Civic & Community Life, Portland Parks & Recreation, and the Office of Equity & Human Rights. We also appreciate the ongoing advice of Jess Perlitz, Associate Professor of Art, Studio Head of Sculpture at Lewis and Clark College, and Mack McFarland, Public Art Project Manager for the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Both Jess and Mack served on the committee that developed the report for how the City should go about engaging the community to make decisions about its public art monuments – including those that were toppled and removed in the summer of 2020, as well as guidelines for considering new monuments. Amara H. Pérez, community educator and participatory action researcher, has been hired to serve as the project’s Inquiry & Engagement Coordinator.

 

The advising team has developed an outreach matrix to track benchmarks and set participation goals to help us strengthen and deepen community partnerships throughout this process. In the coming weeks, we will finalize outreach materials, contact potential partners, and launch a project website to provide updates, present engagement opportunities and resources, and invite input.

 

We recognize the public is eager to in this community engagement process. If you have any questions, please reach out to stephan.t.herrera@portlandoregon.gov.

Earlier this year, the team for Our Creative Future conducted more than 50 community listening sessions across Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas Counties. More than 700 people took part in events between November 2022 and May 2023, including many events that were open to community members across the region. Several other events were convened by invitation only to reach historically underrepresented communities — in partnership with our Steering Committee, Project Management Team, and several community-based organizations.

 

Our research also included an open community survey (with 1,500 responses); a statistically-valid survey; an arts demand study; an arts grants review; a creative economy portrait; and an asset inventory. 

 

Over the past few months, the project team and the Steering Committee have been unpacking what we heard and learned, and developing research findings that will inform a new regional cultural plan. As we move from research into developing the plan, we're excited to share what we found and hear your responses.

 

Please save the date to join us for a virtual community town hall on Tuesday, November 28 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. More information — and a registration link — will be posted in the next City Arts newsletter.

We invite you to 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!

 

Online at portland.gov/omf/arts-program. Email us at cityartsprogram@portlandoregon.gov.

 

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