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Community comes together at Arts Talks across the City
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Throughout October and November, the City Arts Program and Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan have been hosting a series of Arts Talks to foster a deeper connection with the arts community in Portland and provide insights into the transformative journey of the City Arts Program. More than 150 Portlanders have attended the first three Talks in Districts 1, 2 and 3 and shared their views on many topics including the City’s proposed changes to its arts service delivery model, monuments and memorials, the Arts Education and Access Fund, the future of Keller Auditorium, and more.
Among the materials that have been shared at these gatherings:
Slide deck: How the City funds the arts and plans to reorganize its arts service delivery model (PDF)
Timeline: Monuments and Memorials (PDF)
Report: Arts Education & Access Fund Impact Report for 2018-2021 (PDF)
The final Arts Talk of 2023 is coming up on Thursday, November 16 from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Multnomah Arts Center in District 4 – we invite you to meet the team and be part of the conversation. This session will also be livestreamed for those who wish to watch online, and posted online for later viewing. For more information and to register, click below.
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Portland Monuments Project
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Portlanders are invited to help shape the future of the city’s monuments and other works of public art, and the City has launched a new website to support this work. Visit Portland.gov/monuments to learn about the five monuments that were toppled or removed in 2020, and to participate in a survey to help the City determine the fate of these five sculptures and the future of monuments and memorials in our community.
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In other public art news… the Thompson Elk Fountain is returning to SW Main Street in 2024! The Portland Parks Foundation has been working with a historic preservation firm, Architectural Resource Group, on final designs, and the Portland Water Bureau will lead the construction process next year. Community members are invited to attend a briefing for the Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday, December 11 from 2:40-3:40 pm.
To learn more and to attend the hearing on 12/11, click here.
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Celebrating a new service area: Vibrant Communities
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On November 1, 2023, Portland City Council adopted a new organizational chart, including a new service area for Vibrant Communities, which will include arts and culture, parks and recreation, and the Portland Children’s Levy. This new community-facing service area focuses on making Portland a more livable city for all residents, and goes into effect July 1, 2024 to prepare for the transition to a new form of government at the start of 2025.
“Our commitment to parks, play, nature, trees, arts and families is the lifeblood of our City,” says Commissioner Dan Ryan. “Vibrant Communities will showcase our passion, our commitment, our talents, and our diverse cultures – and will steward services for a City we want to live in for the long run.”
To learn more, visit portland.gov/transition/government/city-organization.
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Cultural Planning updates
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Last month, members of the steering committee for Our Creative Future convened a community conversation to share some initial findings, and to discuss the City’s recent decision to change its arts service delivery model. Participants responded in real time to three over-arching questions: What worries you now, what opportunities do you see, and what else do you want us to know? Community responses, as well as a recording of the meeting itself, are available online:
Watch the YouTube video
Slide deck: Initial research findings (PDF)
Slide deck: Community responses to the three questions that were posed (PDF)
Coming up next: Join us for a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 28 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Learn about the research that has been conducted thus far, and next steps in our efforts to develop a bold new vision for arts and culture in the region.
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Keller Auditorium updates
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Planning for the future of the City’s largest performing arts facility continues! This year and next, City leaders are considering several options for ensuring that large-scale theatrical performances can continue to thrive in Portland – and whether to renovate Keller Auditorium or build something new.
A renovation concept for reimagining the existing Keller Auditorium, privately led by Halprin Landscape Conservancy, was developed and presented to Portland City Council earlier this year. The study was funded, in part, by the City of Portland and Metro and incorporates safety, accessibility and functionality upgrades. Renovating the Keller, however, would require a lengthy closure during construction, displacing the shows typically held at the venue.
The other possibility, building something new, drew eight proposals in response to a Request for Expressions of Interest. Evaluators from Prosper Portland, Metro, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts and the City of Portland met with the top five proposal teams and selected two proposals for further conceptual development: Lloyd Center and Portland State University.
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Please share this newsletter with others who may be interested in learning more about how the City cultivates culture, creativity and the arts in Portland. Thank you!
cityartsprogram@portlandoregon.gov
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