but you already knew that
Posted November 12, 2019
by Maya Vivas As an artist, community member, and co-director of a small non-profit arts organization (Ori Gallery), I’ve not only experienced what it’s like to navigate the Portland arts scene as a person holding multiple marginalized identities, but I am also a witness to what is prioritized, what is celebrated, and what is neglected. […]
The Unity Project: Unlocking Exploration in Our Foster Youth
Posted November 1, 2019
by Taryn Sauer When we invest in the creativity of our youth, we open doors to fundamental facets of learning and self-discovery. This is exactly what Color Outside the Lines has been involved in for almost a decade: harnessing creative expression in foster children and opportunity youth* as a way of connecting with themselves and […]
Introducing Giyen Kim, City Arts Program Manager
Posted October 29, 2019
The City of Portland has hired Giyen Kim to serve as the new City Arts Program Manager. With a public service career spanning nearly two decades, Giyen’s diverse background includes work in affordable housing, environmental conservation, policy development, homeless response, marketing and emergency management. She also brings a strong interest in the arts and a […]
Fresh Paint with Anke Gladnick
Posted July 31, 2019
In a city known for murals, how do you get your foot (or art) through a door when you’re an emerging artist of color? Fresh Paint, a partnership between RACC’s Public Art Murals program and Open Signal, offers that door to have artist work in the public realm. In this 2019 cycle of Fresh Paint, a selection […]
Portland Parks & Recreation + Prosper Portland + RACC: Lents Fair
Posted July 31, 2019
The Regional Arts and Culture Council, in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation and Prosper Portland, have selected artist Molly Mendoza to create a mural in early 2020 on the exterior of a new bathroom facility in Lents Park. Molly has created a preliminary design of the mural (see image above) and is interested in […]
Fresh Paint with Bizar Gomez
Posted June 28, 2019
In a city known for murals, how do you get your foot (or art) through a door when you’re an emerging artist of color? Fresh Paint, a partnership between RACC’s Public Art Murals program and Open Signal, offers that door to have artist work in the public realm. In this 2019 cycle of Fresh Paint, a selection of […]
In celebration of Madison’s first 100 days
Posted May 30, 2019
Madison Cario has been on the job here at RACC since January. In their first 100 days in Portland they met with over 100 creatives, electeds and community partners — and recently they reflected on that experience in a blog piece here on racc.org. In addition, they also sat down to chat with three of […]
Fresh Paint with Maria Rodriguez
Posted May 24, 2019
In a city known for murals, how do you get your foot (or art) through a door when you’re an emerging artist of color? Fresh Paint, a partnership between RACC’s Public Art Murals program and Open Signal, offers that door to have artist work in the public realm. In this 2019 cycle of Fresh Paint, a selection of […]
Walkouts for comprehensive funding for education
Posted May 1, 2019
“Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.” – Kofi Annan On Wednesday, May 8, a large number of teachers across Oregon will be walking out of classrooms in an organized action calling for the state to fully fund education. Here in […]
100 Days: Executive Director Madison Cario reflecting back and looking ahead
Posted May 1, 2019
Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead Hello. April 25 marked my first 100 days. Phew! As promised when stepping into this role, I’m pausing after this 100 day mark to share some of what I’ve learned and answer ‘What’s Next?’ I’ve so enjoyed that most days were spent outside of my RACC office as I […]
Fresh Paint brings new mural to Northeast Portland
Posted March 29, 2019
Artists Maria Rodriguez, Bizar Gomez and Anke Gladnick have finished painting a new mural on the exterior wall of Open Signal: Portland Community Media Center on NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at Graham Street in Portland. “Let’s talk” is the fifth temporary mural created in the last two years as part of the Fresh […]
Can’t Blame The Youth // THE KIDS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
Posted February 28, 2019
As part of the Art & Power conversation series of 2019, we have asked an artist from each panel to expand on their experience based on the discussion topic they participated in. These “essays” are critical companions to each Art & Power and are meant to move the conversation beyond the spaces that hosted them. […]
March 2019 Night Lights: The Midnight Variety Hour
Posted February 25, 2019
Our final Night Lights, RACC’s outdoor public art series, is wrapping up its 2018-19 season with The Midnight Variety Hour (MVH) – Night Lights Edition March 7, at 6pm. For RACC’s Night Lights Program, MVH will present a video program with live music, sound and vocals. MVH deconstructs the world of live television and the essence of the […]
“Blightxploitation” Seeks to Change the Landscape of Art and Civic Engagement
Posted January 31, 2019
by Bruce Poinsette Art is a powerful tool for communicating complex ideas. When utilized effectively, art doesn’t just help us better understand the world, it also enables us to make real change. Such has been the case with Cleo Davis and Kayin Talton-Davis, two artists in residence with the Portland Archives & Records Center (PARC). […]
February 2019 Night Lights: Untitled
Posted January 10, 2019
Night Lights, RACC’s outdoor public art series, continues its 2018-19 season with Megan Mckissack’s Untitled work on February 7 at 5:30pm. Mckissack’s Night Lights work was inspired by the current Presidential Administration’s deletion of climate data. Mapping and generating visualizations of Oregon LIDAR point cloud data from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and […]
How Will I Know if it’s Really Native (and other Whitney Houston B-sides)
Posted December 7, 2018
by Anthony Hudson Art & Power panelist The next time a white Portlander proudly and publicly identifies as a “Native Portlander” or a “Native Oregonian,” ask them what Tribe – and then watch their brain paint itself into a corner. These “Native Portlanders” are the same Native Portlanders that say to me, “I was wondering […]
Get to Know Incoming Executive Director Madison Cario
Posted November 30, 2018
What an exciting month it’s been since we announced Madison Cario as the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s incoming Executive Director come January 2019! Madison is joining us from Atlanta, Georgia, where they served as the inaugural Director of the Office of the Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology. While Madison will be making […]
December 2018 Night Lights: Three Moons/Tres Lunas/3つの月
Posted November 19, 2018
Our outdoor public art event series, Night Lights, will feature Roland Dahwen and Stephanie Adams-Santos in December! Happening on December 6 at 5pm, Dahwen and Adams-Santos will present Three Moons/Tres Lunas/3つの月, a two-channel video installation and altar, dedicated to, and made alongside, our elders. In conjunction with the video and text projections, the artists will build several temporary altars. […]
Worrying is Just Another Form of Storytelling
Posted November 9, 2018
How Kathleen Lane is working with youth to understand anxiety as a universal human experience by Lokyee Au, Communications Manager It’s estimated that we create anywhere between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. These tens of thousands of thoughts running through our head every day have the ability to reinforce, dictate, or alter our actions, […]
New mural materializing now on NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Posted October 17, 2018
Local artists channel Día de Muertos in next installment of Fresh Paint, a temporary murals program October 17, 2018 — PORTLAND, OR – Passersby can now see the newest work-in-progress from Fresh Paint, a temporary murals program, on the exterior wall of Open Signal: Portland Community Media Center on NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard […]