Portland Monuments Project moves forward with support from the Mellon Foundation |
An empty plinth in the South Park Blocks (Another Believer, Creative Commons license)
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As the City of Portland prepares for a robust series of community engagement activities to discuss current and future monuments, we are excited to announce a generous $350,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support this work.
The Mellon Foundation grant is part of the organization’s $250 million initiative to “transform the nation’s commemorative landscape through public projects and more completely and accurately represent the multiplicity and complexity of American stories.” Portland’s award of $350,000 was one of nine grants to municipalities, which also included Asheville, North Carolina; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; Providence, Rhode Island; and San Francisco, California. (Read the full press release here.)
The Mellon Foundation grant dramatically increases the City’s ability to invest in a number of community engagement strategies that have been recommended by a Monuments Engagement Process Committee – work that was commissioned by the City and convened by Lewis & Clark College in January. Their report, published on June 20, 2023, includes several recommendations for monuments and memory work acknowledging our complicated and important histories -- as a nation rooted in colonization, a state whose exclusionary laws of the 1800s prohibited Black people from living here, and a city that has displaced and decimated communities of color through numerous urban renewal projects in the last 100 years.
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The Monuments Engagement Process Committee report and Mellon Foundation grant will be officially presented to Portland City Council on July 20, 2023 at a time still to be determined. To learn how to provide written or verbal testimony on these and other Council items, visit portland.gov/council-clerk/engage-council.
Visit our new Monuments landing page at portland.gov/monuments for all the latest information.
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Funding secured to restore Thompson Elk Fountain |
In other public art news, we are pleased to report that the City's FY2023-24 budget, adopted today, includes $1.5 million to restore the city's beloved Thompson Elk Fountain. The restored fountain will include a recirculating water pump, and Portland Parks Foundation is collaborating with the Portland Water Bureau on final designs and engineering plans now. Reconstruction is expected to begin in early 2024.
For more information on Culture and Livability priorities in the new budget, check out Commissioner Dan Ryan's latest newsletter.
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Artists and creative workers gathered at The Portland Building in April to discuss the future
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Cultural planning continues |
Over the last four months, our cultural planning process hosted more than 50 listening sessions and other events across the tri-County region and online. More than 700 people took part in these events and shared their ideas for Our Creative Future. In addition, more than 1,500 people provided input through an online survey.
The purpose of this project is to shape the future of arts and culture in our region – celebrating successes, identifying gaps and developing strategies to meet those needs. In the months ahead, the consulting team will analyze and develop findings from all of the input received thus far, and work with the Steering Committee to turn these findings into a draft cultural plan.
The draft plan will be completed by the end of the calendar year and released for review and feedback from the community this winter. Then, the plan will be presented to Portland City Council and other government agencies for adoption in early 2024.
Stay tuned for more information to come, and subscribe to our cultural planning newsletter for more updates.
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There are so many great things to do this summer!
Portland Parks & Recreation has announced its 2023 lineup for Summer Free for All – free movies, concerts, and cultural celebrations taking place in parks across the City from July 8 – September 2. Visit portland.gov/parks/arts-culture/sffa for additional information and event schedules.
Music on Main: Portland'5 Center for the Arts is staging free outdoor concerts next to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall every Wednesday evening from July 12 - August 30. Visit portland5.com/events/music-main for the full schedule.
Speaking of Wednesdays, check out the “Every Wednesday” campaign hosted by Here for Portland – a city-sponsored collaborative of community organizations and businesses. Designed to brighten your week and make your lunch hour fun and productive, Every Wednesday features a rotating schedule of events, activities and giveaways, including food tastings, music, shopping and live performances. Join the fun from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (every Wednesday, of course!) at Director Park and Oak Street Plaza, on the south side of the US Bancorp Tower. For a sneak preview of events, promotions and specials, sign up for a weekly bulletin.
The Portland Events & Film Office, housed at Prosper Portland, has invested in 115 exciting events taking place in Portland through September 30 -- many of them free of charge. Visit portlandfilmoffice.com/blog/cegawardees to learn more and to download the full calendar.
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Other opportunities and updates
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Artists Repertory Theatre and the Regional Arts & Culture Council invite artists/artist teams to submit qualifications for a new mural at the renovated Artists Repertory Theatre building in the Goose Hollow Neighborhood. The budget for the murals is $75,000, and RFQ submissions are due Friday, July 14.
Prosper Portland is accepting applications through June 26 for "The Restore Grant Program," which can provide up to $25,000 to eligible small businesses to reimburse for eligible expenses related to damages and vandalism that occurred since January 2022.
Portland's transition to a new form of government continues, with new recommendations from the Independent Salary Commission and the Independent District Commission published in June. Visit portland.gov/transition for all the latest information.
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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
Learn more about the City Arts Program online at portland.gov/omf/arts-program.
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