For decades, your Regional Arts and Culture Council has fostered creativity and resilience in our regional creative ecosystem. Our General Operating Support and Capacity Building Programs have been a bedrock of our mission to enrich our communities through arts and culture. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to these cohorts of organizations. The relationships built and the lessons learned have been invaluable in shaping the equity-first lens we apply to all our work. We wish you all continued sustainability and success and we eagerly anticipate learning about your future achievements!

As we close the chapter on these programs, we want to congratulate the final cohort of General Operating Support Recipients including six new partner organizations: North Pole Studio, OK You, Open Hearts Open Minds, Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater, Vanport Mosaic, and Willamette Light Brigade, dba Portland Winter Lights Festival! All of the organizations are chosen based on their artistic excellence, proven service to the community, administrative and fiscal competence. 

At present, we are proud to steward several significant projects. The small grants program will continue to provide essential material support to emerging and established artists, organizations, and arts-based businesses. We are continuing our several-year public art projects around the region: Multnomah County Libraries, Portland Parks (now Vibrant Communities), the Port of Portland, and many more! Looking ahead, we are excited about our future and the opportunities for evolution and innovation. From your feedback, it’s clear that our work – from professional development workshops to application reviews, coaching and mentorships, grantmaking, and advocacy training – remains vital for our communities. 

We look forward to collaborating with you to learn about your specific needs as members of the creative community in our region and provide you with the best services possible. Now more than ever, we need your financial support as we continue our work to guarantee access for all to resources and opportunities and strengthen our community through the care we provide as an advocate, thought partner, and connector. Your contribution will be instrumental in maintaining RACC as a guiding presence for the arts, fostering creativity, and promoting the cultural vitality of our region. Together, we can stabilize and transform our operations, ensuring that our local artists and arts organizations receive the services they deserve. 

Thank you for your unwavering support.

With gratitude,

Your Regional Arts and Culture Council

From left to right, Eloise Damrosch, Tonisha Toler, Helen Daltoso, Lorin Dunlop, Ingrid Carlson, and Kristin Calhoun at the General Operating Support Celebration Event, June 24, 2024. Photo courtesy of Della Rae, Chief of Internal Operations. 

The 2022 cohort for Going Public! during a skill-building workshop. Photos courtesy of Leo Townsell. 

RACC has received an award from the National Endowment of the Arts for our program, Going Public! A Mural Skill-Building Intensive. This professional development program is invested in training the next generation of public artists. A cohort of BIPOC artists new to mural-making will receive mentorship from experienced muralists, attend workshops, and obtain a paid commission to create their first mural. Stay tuned to learn more about how to get involved.

Poetry Flash Mob in the North Park Blocks! 

In late May, as the weather got warmer and the flowers bloomed, artists and community members gathered in the North Park Blocks for a Poetry Flash Mob. Facilitated by Crystal Meneses, this event took the word poetry, meaning: to create, and brought together dance, music, free food and live, communal writing. We want to offer a warm thank you to Meneses, Flash Grub, and to everyone who made this afternoon possible! 

Documentation of Kanani Miamoto’s Japanese Wet Mounting workshop taken by Abinezer Aragie.

On May 24th, our friends at APANO hosted community members for a BIPOC wet mounting workshop! Taught by selected Midland Library public artist Kanani Miamoto, participants learned how to make original, textured collages with vibrant blue Japanese papers using traditional wet mounting techniques. This engagement will inform Miamoto’s final artwork framing Midland Library’s interior Gathering Circle, a communal seating area that will encourage and foster connection. 

Now more than ever, RACC needs your financial support as we continue our work to guarantee access to resources and opportunities, and strengthen community through the care we provide as an advocate, a thought partner, and connector.  Make your gift today and join us in harnessing the power of access, community, and care to create a brighter, more vibrant world through the arts! 

As part of our commitment to facilitate participation in arts and culture for all members of our community, RACC offers numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Visit our website to find current positions!