An initiative of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Parkrose, and Portland Public Schools in Partnership with The Kennedy Center and Ingenuity/Chicago
Portland, OR – Through a unique partnership with the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child and Ingenuity-Chicago, The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is pleased to announce the expansion of Portland Metro’s artlook® oregon. Selected for a 3-year pilot program, RACC joined other arts education organizations and school districts across the United States to work with the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child program and Ingenuity in Chicago to create a free, accessible, online arts/culture education search engine. An interactive mapping platform and software, artlook® oregon, allows school districts of all sizes to collect, map, and analyze data regarding the availability and distribution of arts staffing, funding, and services on a school-by-school basis.
Chanda Evans, RACC’s AEAF Specialist, explains the importance of the initiative and how it fits into the art nonprofit’s strategic plan. “Our advocacy agenda includes creating a culture of accessibility and inclusivity as we move forward equitable arts/culture education for all K-12 students,” she said. “We know that supporting a well-rounded education includes an arts education: visual arts, dance, theatre, music, and media arts.”
As RACC looks to partner with more school districts and arts and culture organizations, artlook® oregon gives school districts a snapshot of the arts landscape within their district. It provides up-to-date mapping of how arts resources are allocated during the school day and uses data to help administrators set strategy and measure progress. Arts and culture organizations can more efficiently connect their services to schools and thousands of students.
The coalition partners, led by RACC, hope for collective impact including:
- Accelerate arts equity for students in schools and monitor progress towards this goal over time
- Build responsive, targeted, collective impact agendas with strong data backing
- Use real-time progress indicators to guide monthly and annual decision-making
- Leverage aggregated data to make a compelling fundraising case to supporters/donors
- Make a data-driven case for better arts/culture policies and practices at district, city, and state levels.
The benefits of artlook® oregon reach across all levels of the community by unifying data in a comprehensive, interactive map.
You can find artlook® oregon at https://portlandmetro.artlookmap.com/
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About the Regional Arts & Culture Council
An independent nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, RACC supports greater Portland’s creative economy by providing equitable funding and services to artists and art organizations; managing and growing our diverse, nationally acclaimed public art program; and developing long-lasting public and private partnerships. For more information visit racc.org.