Spring 2022 News from the City Arts Program
Behold the arrival of spring! From the cherry blossoms at Tom McCall Waterfront Park to the strumming of guitars at sidewalk cafés, we hope you are enjoying this season of renewal, growth, and art.
It's a busy time for the City Arts Program! Here are a few of the things we're working on...
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Celebrating ten years of the Arts Education & Access Fund
As this year’s tax deadline approaches, Portlanders have surpassed a big milestone: together we have invested a total of $100 million in local arts programming since voters approved the Arts Education and Access Fund in 2012.
Now entering its 10th year, the so-called “arts tax” makes it possible for every grade school student across six school districts in Portland to take art, music, dance or drama classes. The funding also supports grants for local nonprofit organizations, with an emphasis on expanding access to underserved communities.
This year’s tax is due on April 18. All adult Portland residents with income of $1,000 or more owe $35. (Adults with income less than $1,000 during the tax year or who are below the federal poverty level may claim an exemption by filing the arts tax return.)
Resources:
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Next steps for the Thompson Elk Fountain
Few pieces in the City’s public art collection are as beloved as the Thompson Elk Fountain, and we have some encouraging new developments to share regarding the return of this historical landmark.
In mid-February, the City Arts Program filed a so-called “120-Day Demolition Delay” notice to comply with City Code and formally recognize that the Elk and Fountain no longer exist on the site. (Two years ago, protestors lit several fires in the fountain’s troughs and destroyed portions of the granite. To protect what remained, the Regional Arts & Culture Council removed the Elk bronze, and Water Bureau contractors removed the Fountain in the summer of 2020, salvaging what stones they could.)
The purpose of a Demolition Delay notice is to pause any decisions for four months, and to invite ideas from the community. Robust conversations have ensued!
The City initially offered one idea as a solution to some of the longstanding transit safety issues along that stretch of Main Street, proposing that we return the bronze sculpture to the same location but with a smaller pedestal that is not a fountain. In response, the City received hundreds of letters and emails encouraging us to restore the fountain as well. We have heard this feedback and, in the months ahead, will be working on two scenarios for public consideration:
(1) PBOT will develop a new, simple and narrower pedestal that is less ornate and primarily functional, addressing public safety issues without having to change the street; and
(2) The Portland Parks Foundation will develop a design for a restoration as faithful to the original fountain as possible, along with scenarios for a street redesign to address public safety issues.
These scenarios will be presented later this summer through a “Design Advice Review” process, which includes opportunities for the public to offer feedback on these or any other idea that they would like to put forward for consideration. We invite you to sign up for the City Arts Program newsletter, if you haven’t already, to ensure that you receive notification of public presentations and opportunities to testify.
Public input will continue to be critical in determining the future of the Elk and the Fountain. We hope you will participate!
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Reconsidering our public art monuments
The City is working to make community-informed decisions about what to do with five statues that were toppled or removed in 2020 -- Harvey Scott, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt and “Promised Land." To lead this process, and to incorporate public feedback into future public art policies, the City has issued an RFP (Request for Proposals).
It is vital that we center the City's values of anti-racism and equity in this work, so we are inviting proposals from consultants with a track record of building relationships and tailoring engagement for marginalized communities, such as Black, Indigenous, people of color and people with disabilities. Proposals are due April 14, and we expect the consultant to deliver their initial recommendations this summer.
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Relief and Recovery for Artists of Color
Friday, April 7 is the last day for culturally-specific organizations to apply for Resiliency Grants to support their arts programming. (Application information available in several languages here.) Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), this program provides financial support for organizations that are led by and serving Black, Indigenous, other People of Color (BIPOC); organizations led by and serving LGBTQIA+ communities; and organizations led by and serving people with disabilities. The goal is to reinvigorate community-based artistic programming that was lost due to COVID-19 impacts.
Next month, the Regional Arts & Culture Council will launch a program to support individual artists in under-represented communities. Stay tuned for guidelines and application materials to be posted on racc.org in late April.
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Cultural planning
We are excited to be embarking upon a cultural planning process that will assess the state of arts and culture in the Portland metro region and develop a bold new vision for arts and culture in our communities.
Our first big step in this process is to hire a lead consultant, and we have assembled a team of representatives from various local jurisdictions to help with this important task, including Dianne Alves from the Clackamas County Arts Alliance; Beaverton Arts Program Manager Laura Becker; Raziah Roushan from Tualatin Valley Creates in Washington County; Sara Ryan from the Office of Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal; Stephan Herrera from the Office of Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio; and Mario Mesquita from RACC.
The City published an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) in January and we are now interviewing the four most qualified consultants out of the 10 responses we received. Once a lead consultant is hired in June, we anticipate establishing a Steering Committee of 20-30 individuals and stakeholders from across the metro region to guide the cultural planning process going forward, to ensure a robust community engagement process throughout, and to vet the recommendations that emerge from this process.
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Top banner photo credits: Portland Art Museum; an artist painting a mural, photo by Dodge and Burn Studios; "The Central Park Five" at Portland Opera, photo by Christine Dong; a student from David Douglas High School; the Thompson Elk Fountain.
Do you have a great photograph that is representative of our local arts community? We are looking for images to include in future issues of this newsletter and elsewhere in the City's communication channels. Email cityartsprogram@portlandoregon.gov.
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