Left: Headshot of Marie Watt by Sam Gehrke. Right: Things Remembered in the Flood, 2022, Wakanim Art Collective (Travis Stewart, Earl Davis, Tony Johnson, Shirod Younker).

In collaboration with the Port of Portland, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is proud to announce that Oregon Indigenous artists Travis Stewart, Marie Watt, and Lillian Pitt with team members Juno Lachman and Ben Dye have each been chosen to create a large-scale public artworks for Portland International Airport (PDX), anticipated to be installed in spring 2026. The three new signature sculptures will be installed in three distinct sites within the expansive remodeled entry hall of the main terminal. The artworks will be experienced as the first impression and welcome to the airport from PDX’s front entry. 

Lillian Pitt is a Pacific Northwest Native American artist whose ancestors lived in and near the Columbia River Gorge. Born in Warm Springs, Oregon, on lands of the Confederated Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute Tribes, Pitt incorporates the history and legends of her people into the contemporary art that she creates. Collaborating team members with Lillian Pitt for this project are Ben Dye and Juno Lachman. Both Dye and Lachman have been collaborating with Pitt for many years, including a publicly commissioned artwork that they created together for the Lake Oswego City Hall in 2021.

Travis Stewart is a contemporary Northwest artist of Chinook, Rogue River, and Kalapuya descent. He lives in Grand Ronde, Oregon, and works in a variety of mediums to depict stories defined by the cultural landscape and design of the Willamette Valley and Columbia River people. 

Marie Watt is a member of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nation of Indians whose work draws on images and ideas from Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) protofeminism and Indigenous teachings. Her practice is Interdisciplinary, incorporating printmaking , painting, textiles and sculpture. Watt conducts both solo and collaborative projects, but in all of them she explores how history, community, and storytelling intersect. 

Portrait of Lillian Pitt, Ben Dye and Juno Lachman. Courtesy of the artist team.

We’re excited to invite you to RACC’s First Thursday on September 4th, from 5–8 p.m at 411 NW Park Ave #101, Portland, OR 97209. This month, we’re celebrating with our new Executive Director, Patricia Rojas, and we’d love for you to be there.

Passionate about the value of the arts and culture in fostering inclusive, thriving communities, Rojas brings a leadership style to RACC grounded in collaboration, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to social impact. As RACC continues a transformative chapter, Rojas will work with our team and community partners to advance this change, build strategic partnerships, and guide our organization into a newly defined role in the regional arts ecosystem.

At this event, we’ll be highlighting past collaborations, welcoming new artists and partners, and creating space for conversation, inspiration, and future possibilities. This is a great chance for you to connect with your local arts and culture community! RSVP here

Photo of Lost Freedom: A Memory with George Takei courtesy of Portland Arts Project Grantee Portland Japanese Garden. Project in collaboration with Chamber Music Northwest. Photo by Shawnte Sims. 

In partnership with the City of Portland’s Office of Arts and Culture, the Portland Arts Project Grant program is available to support the making and sharing of artistic work and the development of the arts community in Portland, Oregon. Individual artists, arts organizations, arts businesses, and other nonprofits are eligible to apply for grant funding to support arts programs and activities that have community impact. 

Artists and organizations can apply for up to $5000 to support artistic projects, including programming, presentations, events, or artistic development that results in sharing your learning or activity with the public. You will be asked to clearly explain what you need grant funding to support, and then make the case for how the public investment of the grant will impact both you and the community.

Key Dates & Information

Read the full guidelines, find answers to frequently asked questions and apply here. 

Want to review applications for this round instead? Apply now to be a community reviewer! Community Reviewers will perform and complete their work between October and December 2025 and selected participants will serve on 1-3 grant panels. Reviewers receive a stipend of $300-$450 per panel on which they serve.

Reviewers should be practicing artists and/or have experience facilitating or curating arts programming or managing an arts-based business. Community members who have not recently or have never served on a RACC panel are strongly encouraged to apply!

Forms submitted by September 3, 2025 will be given priority. Apply here.

RACC is at a transformational moment in its 30-year history. As public funding structures and political landscapes shift, RACC is building a new, strategic, entrepreneurial approach to revenue generation, storytelling, and stakeholder engagement.

RACC is hiring our first Development Director to lead the creation of a comprehensive, sustainable fundraising program. Working closely with the Executive Director and senior leadership, the Development Director will be charged with launching and growing a culture of philanthropy at RACC—setting vision, building infrastructure, and cultivating deep relationships with funders, donors, and partners.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to build something new within a well-established organization with a strong regional presence and a powerful story to tell. If you are a builder, a strategic fundraiser, and a believer in the power of arts and culture to transform communities, we want to meet you!

The salary range for this role is $95,000-$115,000 annually. Applications are due by September 1, 2025. Learn more and apply here. 

Arts and culture are the heartbeat of our region, helping us reflect who we are and what we stand for. For decades, RACC has believed in the power of art as a resource for community well-being and economic vitality, providing tailored services, growing a nationally acclaimed public art program, and facilitating career-changing opportunities. 

Created by community, for community, RACC remains dedicated to protecting, celebrating, and sustaining arts and culture in our region. We invite you to join us in creating space for arts and culture in every neighborhood. The time to evolve is now, and we want you to be a part of our future.