During the weekend of October 26th, Midland Library reopened their doors to the community. We are so proud to announce the completion of three significant public artworks we’ve been working on in this beautifully renovated space, shaped by panels of community reviewers and the voices of the neighborhood. 

Ukrainian-Canadian artist team, HYBYCOZO, created large-scale exterior sculptural artworks, providing a sense of welcome and belonging well before entering the building doors. The exterior canopy, designed by the collaborative duo Que Lo Gi, consisting of artists Paola De La Cruz and Lillyanne Pham, reflects the dynamic spirit of the neighborhood through illustration and storytelling. Inside, Kanani Miyamoto’s artwork surrounding the Gathering Circle invites reflection and connection, honoring the importance of having spaces to come together. ⁣

You can now view these artworks and enjoy the renovated library for yourself by visiting Midland Library!

Photos courtesy of Bob Kerns Photography. 

The arts are a powerful way to express a community’s identity. RACC has played a vital role in supporting public art initiatives that reflect the diverse voices of the community, bringing beauty, conversation, and awareness into shared environments for more than 30 years. By creating spaces where art is accessible to everyone, Your investment in RACC makes art a part of daily life rather than a privilege for the few. 

Rendering courtesy FFA Architecture and Interiors.

Submit your artwork now! In partnership with Portland Parks, the Regional Arts & Culture Council invites artists living in Oregon and southern Washington to submit portable scale original two-dimensional artworks for direct purchase into the Public Art Collection at the soon-to-be renovated and expanded Mt Scott Community Center. Our preference is to spend a maximum of $2000 per artwork. The budget available for these purchases comes from the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program and ranges approximately from $75,000 – $85,000. Submissions are due by Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 11:59pm PDT.

For more information and to apply, please read the full call here. Find a recorded Info Session here and recorded Instagram Live Q&A here.

Photo courtesy of Waves of Change. 

Funded in part by RACC's Public Art Murals Program, Waves of Change is a mural initiative that brought together fifteen local artists and fifteen local youth from the Color Outside the Lines network to transform water utility boxes around Portland into works of public art. Each artwork in this project centers around the theme of water, highlighting the importance of clean water and healthy ecosystems in our city. 

Before painting the utility boxes, each youth artist attended several meetings with their artist mentors to receive one-on-one art lessons and work through their design ideas.  Together, the group created a series of vibrant murals located in all four quadrants of Portland!

Do you have a RACC supported event that you’d like to share? Tag us @regionalarts and use our grantee event calendar in partnership with Travel Portland!

Our Journey Together (2010) by Joe Seymour, Jr., silkscreen.

Joe (wahalatsu?) Seymour, Jr.'s artistic practice is interwoven with his Squaxin Island and Pueblo Acoma heritage. Through his diverse use of mediums—glass, photography, Salish wool weaving, prints, wood, and drums—he explores themes that connect viewers to Indigenous narratives and ecological concerns central to his identity.

Our Journey Together, created for the Squaxin Island Canoe Family for Tribal Journeys in 2009, is a visual narrative of unity, represented by the Raven, Eagle, and Bear from different clans. We are proud to have this piece as part of RACC's Public Art Collections.

If you haven’t already, please explore our new Public Art Collections website!

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!