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Artists Spotlight

The RACC Artists Spotlight honors and supports individual artists from throughout the tri-county Portland area. Their success and accomplishments are our inspiration, and we are proud to share them with you. Artists that have recently received grant support or public art commissions from RACC will be featured throughout the year on a rotating basis.

Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, Newar priest, dancer, choreographer, educator, director, and meditation teacher. Recipient of 2008, 2005 RACC Project Grants

Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya is a dancer, Newar Buddhist priest and ritual master of Charya Nritya, classical dance of Nepal. He is the premier performer and proponent of the tradition and is a veteran of several world tours, with beginning and advanced students around the globe. In 1996, Prajwal established Dance Mandal: Foundation for Sacred Buddhist Arts of Nepal to preserve the artistic and spiritual practice of Charya Nritya and its related disciplines.He will offer a performance and workshop of his work on August 2-3, 2008. > More about this artist

Marne Lucas, a photographer and installation artist Recipient of 2006 Project Grant

Marne Lucas is a photographer and installation artist using nature, pop-culture and sexuality as fundamental themes in her work. Exploring relationship intimately she has collaborated extensively both behind and in front of the camera, celebrating the body. Her most recognized work is portraiture based, exploring intimacy with candor in her artist portraits series and her ongoing self portrait series titled MLSP, currently part of an exhibition at Newspace Center for Photography (7/3-27). (Photo: Bruce Conkle) > More about this artist

Marie Watt, multidisciplinary artist Public Art Grant for Installation Space, 2008; Recipient of RACC Project Grants 2001, 2004; recipient of RACC Professional Development Grant 2004

Marie Watt is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Portland,Oregon. Formally, her work draws from Indigenous design principles, oral tradition, and history. Currentely she is one of the five honorees being featured at the Portland Art Museum's Contemporary Northwest Art Award, June 14- September 14. (Photo: Vanessa Bertagnole) > More about this artist

Dana Lynn Louis, sculptor and public artist Recipient RACC 2007 Project Grant; Public Art Commissions for the City of Portland in 2003 & 2004

Dana Lynn Louis works both as a studio artist, creating delicate sculpture, drawings and prints, and as a public artist. Dana has employed a variety of media including bronze, glass, mica, steel, water, tile, and landscape to create both temporary and permanent installations, and she continues to investigate new media. Dana's current show, Reflection, is at the Nine Gallery, June 5-29, 2008. > More about this artist

Linda Wysong, artist and teacher RACC Public Art Design Team Roster; 2005 Project Grant; RACC's "intersection" Artist-in-Residence; RACC Public Art Commissions 2002; Visual Chronicle of Portland

Linda Wysong is a Portland-based interdisciplinary visual artist whose work has been shown nationally and internationally. From June 3-28, 2008, Linda will participate in the South Waterfront Artist-in-Residence Program (AiR). Her project Backyard Conversations is comprised of a series of performance tours and a compilation of video portraits of residents, construction workers and users of the South Waterfront community. > More about this artist

Judy Cooke, painter RACC 2003 Individual Visual Arts Fellowship

One of the Northwest’s most influential abstract painters, Judy Cooke has investigated abstract imagery and the structure of painting for over 30 years. In 2003, Judy was the recipient of the prestigious RACC Fellowship Award in Visual Arts. She was recognized as one of the strongest abstract painters in the Northwest. Cooke will show some of her current work at Elizabeth Leach's Gallery May 1-31. (Photo: Jim Lommasson) > More about this artist

See Artists Spotlight Archives (previously featured):

Lava Alapai, playwright, actor, designer
Susan Banyas, writer and performer
Rose Bond, director, animator & educator
Michael Brophy, painter
Stephen Cohen, musician and visual artist
Judy Cooke, painter
Fernanda D'Agostino, public artist
Akbar DePriest (1930-2007), musician and teacher
Myra Donnelley, producer and playwright
Sarah Ferguson, visual artist and educator
Sally Haley (1908-2007), painter
Chisao Hata, performer, choreographer and dance educator
Kirby Jones, multi-disciplinary artist
Adam Kuby, public artist
Horatio Hung-Yan Law, installation and public artist and educator
Brian Lindstrom, filmmaker
Dana Lynn Louis, sculptor and public artist
Thara Memory, musician, composer and educator
Bruce Orr, puppetteer, painter, cartoonist, educator
Mary Oslund, choreographer, dancer and educator
Zen Parry, sculptor, performer, and writer
Joanna Priestley, animator & filmmaker
Remedios Rapoport, Visual artist, painter, sculptor, fileteadora, poet and lettering artist
Dmae Roberts, playwright, actor, radio artist
Ethan Rose, musician and composer
Linda Wysong, artist and teacher
Marie Watt, multidisciplinary artist

RACC Staff to Contact

Mary Bauer
Communications Associate
503.823.5426
mbauer@racc.org