RACC is excited to announce that 74 Professional Development Grants totaling $116,000 have been awarded! This program supports artists and arts administrators by offsetting expenses related to unique opportunities that will significantly impact one’s artistic career or business development. Grantees will use these funds to attend artist residencies, conferences and workshops; consult with mentors; produce artistic research; and present work in exhibitions outside our region. Read the full list of grantees here. 

Examples of funded activities include:

This round of grants was awarded through public investment from Multnomah County and Washington County and bolstered with funding from the estate of Harriet Beal Cormack. Cormack was a civic leader with an interest in urban affairs, social justice, women’s rights, and the arts. She was known as a remarkable patron of the performing, visual, and literary arts, and RACC is pleased to honor her entrepreneurial spirit and artistic interests with this grant program to support the growth of artists and arts leaders across the tri-county region.

Left: Portrait of Ryan Pierce by Sadie Wechsler. Right: Portrait of James Lavadour by Walters Photographers, Pendleton, Oregon.

In collaboration with the Port of Portland, the RACC is proud to announce that Oregon artists James Lavadour and Ryan Pierce have each been chosen to create a large-scale, 2D public artwork for Portland International Airport (PDX), anticipated to be installed in late 2025 and debut to the public in 2026. Both artists were selected by the PDX Terminal Core Redevelopment (TCORE) Public Art Committee.

James Lavadour is a self-taught artist whose painting practice is informed by an intimate attention to and deep connection with the natural world. Lavadour’s paintings are created through a process of improvisation, resulting in abstract landscapes of rich colors and broad brushstrokes. For the PDX airport, Lavadour’s piece will be composed of 36 individual painted 24” x 30” panels in a grid formation that create one unified, complex painting. "Conduit," the title of the painting, represents the idea of a passage or connector. Painted in Lavadour’s signature expression over a period spanning more than 10 years, the assembled panels represent the depth and breadth of Lavadour’s painting practice, his commitment to uplifting Native artists, and a welcome to visitors. 

James Lavadour, In Plain Sight, 2019, oil on wood panel, 28" x 32"

Ryan Pierce's paintings, prints, and experimental artist books envision a world recovering from human industry amid the throes of climate chaos. He draws on influences from ecological theory, literature, and folk art to create scenes that portray the resilience of the natural world. For the PDX airport, Pierce will paint "Liberated Luggage," an original panoramic landscape to be translated into kiln-formed glass in collaboration with Glasmalerei Peters Studios. The composition is inspired by the question: What if your luggage got to Oregon before you, and your things were already having a good time? The landscape leads travelers on a visual journey through the ecoregions of Oregon from the Coast to The Great Basin.

Ryan Pierce, Cover Crop, 2023, flashe, ink, and spray paint on canvas over panel, 72 x 96"

On Thursday, June 12th, Multnomah County adopted a budget that included a $300,000 cut to the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s (RACC) core county community program funding. These cuts are the result of Amendment #11 to the Chair’s proposed FY26 budget, reallocating funds from Program 10200—RACC’s primary County-based funding source—to other County services.

While we recognize the difficult decisions facing our County leaders, we must also speak plainly about what this reduction means: fewer programs, less support, and lasting impact on community access to the arts.

RACC has served as Multnomah County’s designated arts and culture agency. Through leadership, advocacy, and grantmaking, we work to ensure that public investment supports a thriving, equitable cultural ecosystem. This loss of County support has real consequences for the services we provide.

Read more to understand the impact of these cuts and to learn how to get involved!

Arts and culture don’t belong to one county, one agency, or one moment. They belong to all of us. We need our community to help us sustain service in the region. We appreciate your support. Thank you for standing with us and for helping carry this work forward! 

Image courtesy of Charliehorse and Friends of Noise. 

Come meet the team, including our two Summer Community Engagment Interns Adi Galindo Lopez and Alex Neal, and enjoy an evening filled with youth-powered art!

Friends of Noise, an organization supporting creative youth in Portland through all ages concerts, workshops, and experience navigating the music scene, will be promoting their new all-ages music venture in Kenton called Off Beat! They’re bringing youth musicians, Charliehorse, who will perform a live music set at the event! 

Charliehorse is a noise, folk, pop band from Portland, based in New York City, dedicated to making music for sad teen girls. Using improvisation, cups and knives, synths, and anything else they can find in their basement, Charliehorse hopes to express some of the weird stuff they can’t really describe with words but know exists.

In addition, purchase youth-made artwork and ephemera from artists at P:ear, a local organization building positive relationships with homeless youth through education, art, recreation and job training.

We hope to see you there!

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.