Advocacy & Community Engagement

Courtesy of RACC Arts3C Grantee Jennifer Wright who’s grant funded music in the project Break to Build: Anthropocene, by Laura Cannon and ProLab Dance. Photo by Rowdy Webb.

Strengthening Arts & Culture for a Thriving Region

At RACC, we believe in the power of arts and culture to unite communities, spark innovation, and drive economic vitality. As the central arts organization for the Portland metro region, we bridge creatives with opportunities, advocate for a thriving cultural ecosystem, and foster deep connections between artists, organizations, and public and private partners.

A Connector, Advocate, and Catalyst for Regional Arts & Culture

RACC plays a crucial role in ensuring that arts and culture are at the heart of our region’s future. By working alongside artists, cultural organizations, and policymakers, we are building a more inclusive, sustainable, and interconnected arts landscape. Our work includes:

Creative Opportunities & Support – We provide artists and cultural organizations with funding, professional development, and resources to grow and thrive.
Public Art & Placemaking – We collaborate with local governments, businesses, and communities to integrate public art into the spaces where we live, work, and gather.
Cultural Advocacy – We champion policies and investments that support the arts, ensuring that creative industries are recognized as a vital part of our economy and civic life.
Regional Leadership & Collaboration – We serve as a coordinating networking hub for regional collaborators and important tenets of the evolving Arts & Culture Regional Framework, ensuring that local arts organizations, artists, and creative workers have a voice in shaping the future of our region.

Shaping the Future: A Regional Cultural Vision

Recognizing the need for a unified approach to arts and culture, representatives from government agencies across the tri-county metro area—including Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, the cities of Portland, Hillsboro, and Beaverton, Metro, and RACC—came together to launch a cultural planning process to define the next generation of arts and culture for our region.

This collaborative effort, initiated in October 2022, engaged a diverse 20-person steering committee, prioritizing voices that have historically been underrepresented in cultural planning. The result is Our Creative Future, a dynamic and flexible framework that reflects our community’s vision for arts, culture, and creative expression.

RACC is proud to have played a key role in this effort, ensuring that the perspectives of artists, cultural organizations, and creative workers were embedded in the plan’s foundation. As we move forward, RACC continues to lead and advocate for the implementation of important tenets of Our Creative Future, leveraging our expertise and regional partnerships to turn vision into action.

Advancing a Thriving Arts Ecosystem

Our work is grounded in the belief that arts and culture are essential to the growth and well-being of the tri-county region and beyond. Inspired by cultural planning models and guided by ongoing input from local creatives, we are shaping a regional vision that:

Strengthens funding and infrastructure for arts organizations of all sizes.
Advocates for equitable access to arts education, public art, and cultural programming for all.
Builds bridges between government, private partners, and the creative sector to drive innovation.

Join Us in Building a Thriving Arts Future

Whether you’re an artist, arts organization, policymaker, or community leader, we invite you to partner with RACC in advancing a vibrant and equitable cultural landscape. Together, we can create an arts ecosystem that supports creativity, empowers communities, and ensures a sustainable future for arts and culture in our region.

Learn more about how you can get involved by signing up for our monthly newsletter!