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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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!
Posted May 12, 2022
First, I would like to thank the members of the Regional Arts and Culture Council and Open Signal projects for this incredible opportunity. I am honored to have been a recipient of this grant, and creating a mural for the first time has been a dream come true. Second, I have to thank my mentor, […]
Posted April 6, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2022 Catch the artist at work at Open Signal’s building on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Artist Zeinab Saab pays homage to the intimacy of porch conversations with their mural Benni wa bennek, now in progress at Open Signal’s building on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd at Graham […]
Posted April 3, 2022
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 […]
Posted February 23, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 23, 2022 A Response to School Districts across our Region Portland, Ore. – The impacts of the global pandemic have had profound effects on our entire society. As families and communities look to recover, heal, and move forward, we also must confront the barriers that existed prior to the pandemic lockdown of […]
Posted February 15, 2022
Regional Arts & Culture Council 2022 Legislative Priorities 2022 State Legislative Priorities – Adapted from the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon The Regional Arts & Culture Council’s (RACC) mission is to enrich our communities through arts and Culture. We envision a thriving region, powered by creativity, with arts and culture in every neighborhood. To do […]
Posted February 7, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2022 Portland, OR – The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) joins fellow arts and cultural organizations, City Councils, the City of Portland, Counties, Legislators, and individuals across Oregon in support of HB4040 during this Short Legislative Session which commenced on February 1, 2022. HB4040 will “appropriate money to the […]
Posted January 28, 2022
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 […]
Posted November 19, 2021
Funding will enhance RACC grantmaking for Clackamas, Washington county artists, and art organizations The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) will receive a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for the American Rescue Plan Grants to Local Art Agencies for Subgranting. The funds will deepen RACC’s commitment to equitable funding in […]
