I'D LIKE TO THINK I'M PRETTY UNIQUE: a doppelgänger play Directed by Christine Freije. Theatre Photos by Jenny Graham. 

The arts don’t just enrich our lives — they sustain our communities. As we look ahead to a new year, we invite you to stand with RACC and help ensure that every artist and every community has the opportunity to create, share, and be inspired.

Make your tax-deductible year-end donation today.

Reading gallery in the new Northwest Library; rendering courtesy of Hennebery Eddy Architects. 

As part of the grand opening of the transformed Northwest Library, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, in partnership with Multnomah County Library, presents new community-centered public artworks by three artists whose practices reflect the cultural history, storytelling, and natural environment of Northwest Portland.

Christine Clark, a Portland-based sculptor and installation artist, created a multi-piece suspended artwork spanning the library’s clerestory. Working in powder-coated and mild steel, Clark drew inspiration from the history of Slabtown and the migration of the Vaux’s Swift. Basket-like forms reference Native weaving traditions, while green leaf elements acknowledge crops grown by Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s. Clark will give an artist talk at the opening event. 

Kyler Martz, an illustrator and tattooer living and working in the Pacific Northwest, created Bound for Slabtown, a room-spanning mural extending through the adult, teen, and children’s areas. The work explores reading, nature, and migration through the surreal transformation of trees into books and books into birds, and was informed by an art workshop with local teens.

Nia Musiba is a Portland-based multidisciplinary artist committed to diversifying art and design spaces through community-based projects and public art. Musiba’s mural in the gallery seating area takes a colorful, abstract approach inspired by Oregon’s flora and fauna, inviting moments of pause, reflection, and appreciation.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council, in partnership with CityFleet and the Office of Arts & Culture at the City of Portland, invites Oregon-based artists and artist teams to submit qualifications for a new public art opportunity at CityFleet’s Swan Island facility.

Funded by the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program, which specifies that up to 2% of qualifying infrastructure project budgets be dedicated to public art, this commission is for an interior mural or low relief artwork. The artwork will be located in CityFleet’s Training Room, a highly used gathering space for City staff and community members. The budget for the project is $45,000, inclusive of all costs for design, fabrication, and installation.

Submissions are due Monday, January 5, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Artists/artist teams representing communities of color are encouraged to participate.

This artwork will help create an inviting and inspiring environment that celebrates Portland’s industrial heritage, honors trade and industry workers, and reflects CityFleet’s essential role in keeping the city moving. Complete details and a recorded info session are available in the full RFQ 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.