April 2024
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Announcing new leadership in the Office of Arts & Culture
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We are thrilled to announce that Chariti Montez and Darion Jones will be leading the city's new Office of Arts & Culture in the Vibrant Communities service area.
Chariti Montez brings her extensive experience as a public servant and lifelong musician to her new role. Most recently, she served as the City’s Houselessness Strategies Manager, leading both the creation and implementation of the City’s Safe Rest Villages. Chariti also spearheaded the City’s food security efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Chariti has enriched the lives of countless Portlanders through the Portland Parks & Recreation’s Summer Free For All program, which reached hundreds of thousands of residents and youth each summer.
Darion Jones joins us with a dynamic blend of artistic passion and strategic insight. His arts advocacy journey began at the Arts & Communications Magnet Academy and flourished during his tenure as Senior Policy Director of Arts, Culture & Equity in Commissioner Dan Ryan’s office. A lifelong writer, Darion played a crucial role in transitioning the City arts-related services, authoring pivotal cultural and arts policies. His prior role managing digital communications at Meyer Memorial Trust, along with his leadership roles in community organizations underscore his deep commitment to racial equity and social justice.
Jeff Hawthorne will continue leading the City’s arts-related grantmaking services and partnerships. Dawn Issacs will continue as Arts Education Coordinator, helping the City develop clear and consistent data to assess and communicate the impact of our Arts Education & Access Fund (arts tax) investments.
Meet the team and learn more here.
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City to negotiate with additional grants administration service providers
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On Wednesday, the City announced its intent to negotiate with two more organizations— Friends of IFCC and MusicOregon — to distribute up to $100,000 each in small grants on the City’s behalf. This follows last month’s announcement that City had selected the Regional Arts & Culture Council to distribute up to $1,000,000 in small grants to artists and arts organizations — and those negotiations are continuing. Small grants were defined in a recent RFP as ranging from $500 to $5,000 per grantee.
Separately, the City’s new Office of Arts & Culture will directly award approximately $3.5 million in grants next year to more than 75 organizations that currently receive “General Operating Support” from RACC. In all, the City and its partners will award more than $4.7 million to artists and arts organizations in FY24-25.
For questions related to the City’s RFP process that led to these new partnerships, please contact Tristan Sakamoto at Tristan.Sakamoto@portlandoregon.gov.
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Celebrating student art and ten years of the Arts Education and Access Fund:
Franklin film students create AEAF videos
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Franklin High School film students produced mini documentaries highlighting the impact of the Arts Education and Access Fund providing a decade of elementary arts education funding. Each film features a Portland sophomore sharing what access to the arts has meant to their education and the importance of beginning arts education in elementary school. This video shares the story of Addie, a David Douglas musician.
Portland Building art installation
A collaborative student art exhibit continues on the second floor of the Portland Building through June. At the opening reception Zeyma, a Rieke Elementary 5th Grader, shared her thoughts on arts education. Watch this video to hear her insightful remarks. The Portland Building, at 1120 SW Fifth Avenue, is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
HeART of Portland continues through April 28
Portland Public Schools welcomes Portlanders to a showcase of student artwork at the Portland Art Museum Mark Building. The showcase culminates with the Miller Family Free Day, including student performances in the galleries and art making activities, on Sunday April 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Miller Family Free Day is free and open to all community members.
IN THE NEWS: Watch KPTV's coverage of the HeART of Portland opening night festivities.
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Cultural plan to be presented to Portland City Council on May 22
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“Our Creative Future,” a new cultural plan for the greater Portland region, will be presented to Portland City Council on Wednesday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. We invite the arts community to save the date and be part of the festivities – join us in council chambers (temporarily located at 1900 SW Fourth Avenue, Room 2500) or online (via the City's YouTube Channel).
The plan is being finalized now, following excellent feedback from hundreds of community members over the past several weeks. Visit ourcreativefuture.org for a draft of the plan and a video recording of the April 9 virtual town hall meeting. The final plan will be published on Friday, May 17 before the City Council meeting on May 22.
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Inside the Keller Auditorium. Photo by Jason Quigley.
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Venue news: The Keller's next act
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For more than a century, Keller Auditorium has played an essential role in Portland’s arts community. The Keller is home to the Portland Opera and the Oregon Ballet Theater—and is the only performance space in the greater Portland area capable of hosting large-scale theatrical performances like touring Broadway shows.
However, as with most buildings of its age, the Keller was not built to withstand a major earthquake, and its guest amenities, backstage facilities and mechanical and production systems are outdated, creating many operational, production and longevity challenges.
So what’s next?
Three exciting possibilities are taking shape, including renovating the existing building, or building a new performing arts venue at Lloyd Center or Portland State University. The three concepts under development will be formally presented at the Portland City Council meeting on May 29, before a larger public outreach effort kicks off this summer.
To learn more about the possibilities, visit Portland.gov/Keller.
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Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
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The vision to redevelop the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC) into an expanded center for Black arts and culture continues to progress. The second community meeting took place on March 20 at Jefferson High School. See the presentations materials (meeting #2) and the results of community input (meeting #1) here:
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center Feasibility Study | Portland.gov
The building is currently activated by artists as part of the IFCC Grant and Residency Program. Check this page for more information and upcoming events:
IFCC Grant and Residency Program | Portland.gov
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PBOT's Public Street Plaza program makes it easy to host a variety of events in one of their many plazas across Portland. The Small Plaza Activation process is intended to remove barriers for small-scale neighborhood-based events that build social and community connections. Last year, Portlanders hosted over 200 events in plazas including: dance parties, game nights, art markets, live performances, and more. If you have an idea for how you would like to use the space, PBOT offers a simple application to bring these public spaces to life.
Larger event permits are also available through a Community Event Permit.
Investment awards for organizations that receive General Operating Support from RACC: Applications are due Wednesday, May 8 by 5:00 p.m. Eligible partners who report in any cycle have access to this opportunity. Investment Awards will be announced in late June 2024. Visit racc.org/grants.
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We're the City Arts Program. Meet the team here, and let us know how we can support you! cityartsprogram@portlandoregon.gov
Please share this newsletter with others who may be interested in learning more about how we are working to cultivate culture, creativity and the arts in Portland. Thank you!
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