Local Issues

RACC’s local advocacy efforts help inform budgets and policies in the City of Portland, Metro, and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties. RACC is funded by all five of these jurisdictions and there are a variety of ways that our constituents can encourage public support for art and culture in the tri-county Portland region.

RACC shares update on the Thompson Elk restoration plan from the Portland Parks Foundation

Released to media on 10/3/22 from the Portland Parks Foundation CONTACT: Randy Gragg, 503-799-2655; rgragg@portlandpf.org Thompson Elk Fountain Restoration Feasibility Study Update Portland Parks Foundation’s team completes study and preliminary cost estimate The Portland Parks Foundation has completed its feasibility study and preliminary cost estimates for the restoration and reinstallation of the Thompson Elk Fountain. […]

City of Portland Urgency/Stability ARPA Grants Awarded

The Regional Arts & Culture Council has awarded $450,000 to 196 artists through the City of Portland’s Urgency/Stability Support for Artists grant program, a part of the American Rescue Plan: Investing in Portland initiative. The Urgency/Stability program was designed to support artists and other creatives working in the arts who identify as under-served or under-represented, […]

RACC Creative Spotlight: Artist James Enos

Introducing the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s Artist and Organization Creative Spotlight, where we will feature one artist and one organization in consecutive months that have been impacted by the support of programming, training, grants, or other services through RACC, and/or have been nominated for their impact on our community. James Enos was a Make|Learn|Build […]

Change the Conversation About the Arts-AEP6 Now Open

CHANGE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ARTS The arts bring us inspiration and joy, and make our community a beautiful place to live and work. But the arts do so much more.  Portland, Oregon — The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is pleased to announce its participation in Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), the […]

Arts & Economic Prosperity 6

THE ARTS MEAN BUSINESS IN THE GREATER PORTLAND AREA The Arts & Economic Prosperity (AEP6) survey is back. AEP6 documents the economic contributions of the arts in over 250 diverse communities and regions across the country, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. During 2015, AEP5 in Oregon the nonprofit arts and culture […]

Regional Arts & Culture Council’s What’s Next Survey Summary

What’s Next: Connecting artists and creatives to opportunity and access Over a year and half ago, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) reached out early on during the COVID-19 shutdown to our community and stakeholders to ask what their needs were during this extremely challenging time. Administered in 2020, the What’s Next survey sought […]

Montavilla wine shop bets on jazzy future

In mid-November, the day that Governor Brown’s 4-week “freeze” in Multnomah County went into effect, Vino Veritas General Manager, Trevor Gorham called RACC. Trevor was anxious to learn when his wine shop, Vino Veritas, would receive their grant funding. In business since April 2017, Vino Veritas is a small wine bar and bottle shop located […]