What happens when you mix one Mexican Folkloric dance troupe, three inspirational acts of collaboration, surgeons who formed an 80s cover band, and Commissioner Chloe Eudaly? Add one giant light-bulb with feet and you get an event called, “Juice.”
On Wednesday, February 8, over 350 arts supporters and practitioners will participate in RACC’s Juice: Fueling Innovation presented by Portland General Electric – hence the appearance of Larry the Lightbulb. Formerly the Arts Breakfasts of Champions, the longstanding event was renamed Juice to celebrate the creative “juice” that flows through businesses and the arts alike. The hour-long program will honor the Top Corporate Donors to the Arts and Top Work for Art Campaigns from 2016. Mexican dance troupe Ballet Papalotle will perform and local actor La’Tevin Alexander Ellis will emcee the program. La’Tevin lends his powerful acting talent to Hands Up, a production of The August Wilson Red Door Project directed by Kevin Jones. You can also catch La’Tevin at this year’s Fertile Ground Festival in Left Hook, directed by Damaris Webb.
At the heart of Juice are three stories of giving, service and collaboration. RACC’s Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) led the process in which a wide variety of non-profits and individuals submitted nominations in the following categories:
- Outstanding In Kind Contribution – hear how a gift of time and talent lead to a lasting impression on one aspiring young artist
- Extraordinary Service to the Arts – see how one passionate board member was a catalyst for equity and inclusion in arts programing
- Innovative Partnership Award – find out which arts nonprofit wins the cash prize of $5,000 for their imaginative collaboration with a business
What if these stories inspired just one Juice participant to use creativity to improve a workplace or neighborhood, bridge a cultural divide or just help a business build something really awesome? That’s the potential power of Juice. The more people plug in to creative collaboration in our region, the more we thrive as a community. Now, more than ever, is the time to come together as a community.
There will be plenty of opportunities to choose your own creative adventure at Juice. Consider getting trained to serve on an arts board, help bring the Work for Art program to your workplace, or join the Battle of the Bands planning committee. But before you decide, let the rad stylings of Kaiser Permanente’s 80s cover band, “Members Only,” take you back in time. The band won the RACC’s 2016 Battle of the Bands Best Showmanship award and plans to perform again on May 17 at this year’s competition, co-chaired by Portland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly and ZGF Architect’s, Sharron Van der Meulen.
Everyone is invited to attend Juice to see what’s possible in collaboration between business and the arts. Juice is an opportunity to celebrate these innovations, connect to this creativity, to find inspiration and unique ways to engage. We believe that everyone will come away from the Juice event with their own unique experience, inspiration and call to action. The nature of art is that we all bring our own lens. This is also true of our creativity. The possibilities for partnership, innovation and engagement are endless.
Join the movement, see you at Juice!
P.S. There’s also a juice bar.
Juice: Fueling Innovation
Presented by Portland General Electric
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Portland Art Museum
Tickets and a few tables are still available. To purchase tickets, visit www.racc.org/juice/. For tables please contact Alison Bailey at 503-823-5424 or abailey@racc.org.