RACC Blog

Two new supports announced for our artists and art organization partners

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Arts and culture organizations, individual artists and creative workers need support now – we have been uniquely impacted and are among the first folks hurt financially by the limits on public gatherings and physical distancing requirements. 

That is why RACC moved quickly to advocate for and provide relief to the arts community. Our first actions included setting up the Emergency Fund for Individual Artists and bringing together arts funders from around the state to create a one-stop, pooled fund for nonprofit arts organizations administered by the Oregon Community Foundation. 

Last week, more than 200 artists were awarded emergency funds of up to $500. Next week, awards will go out to another 100+ artists – thanks to generous community support (donate here). 

We’ve been asking – what other support can we offer to artists and art organizations right now? 

I’m pleased to say we announced today two new efforts:  

Two new calls for public art – $85,000 total to invest in artists from Oregon and Southwest Washington, including new acquisitions of art for The Visual Chronicle of Portland. Find out more on our website – submissions due end of May. 

Distribution of $800,000 from RACC reserves directly to our local arts organization partners this fiscal year. These additional funds will go to the 68 arts organizations already receiving annual awards of general operating AND capacity building support from RACC. The reserve funds are available thanks to Portland residents that voted for and paid into the Arts Education and Access Fund also known as the “arts tax”. In 2018 RACC was given an unexpected allocation of arts tax revenue collected by the city. While much of that windfall went directly to our partners, placed a portion of those funds in reserve for the unexpected – such as we are now facing. 

We know the toll this pandemic is taking on our creative community and arts organizations. That is why we’ve moved quickly to provide emergency relief – collecting data, mobilizing resources and collaborating with other funding partners on behalf of artists and our arts nonprofits.  

We must also be strategic about what will follow, planning for the future and how to fortify and rebuild the region’s arts ecosystem. I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of the artists and arts community that will help all of us build and heal our City.

-Madison Cario, Executive Director, Regional Arts & Culture Council

Get ready for second chance to apply for SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program

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Paycheck Protection Program is reopening – your guide to get ready

In late March, Congress approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including $350 billion for a new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides fully forgivable loans to small businesses and nonprofit organizations, self-employed individuals, and gig economy/contract workers to help pay employees during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PPP ran out of funding on April 16 before many small businesses were able to submit their applications. Congress has recently replenished the program with an additional $310 billion, and lenders are beginning to accept applications again.

This guide is intended to help artists, creative workers and nonprofit organizations prepare their applications and gather all of the necessary information.

Who is eligible

  • Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, including 501(c)(3) organizations.
  • Sole proprietors, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and self-employed individuals who can demonstrate that they received income in 2019.
  • Borrowers will need to demonstrate that their business was operational as of February 15, 2020.

Loan amounts

Small businesses and self-employed individuals can borrow 250% of their average monthly payroll expenses, up to a total of $10 million. This amount is intended to cover 8 weeks of payroll expenses, with some for making payments towards other debt obligations (rent, utilities, etc).

Loan forgiveness

Loans will be fully forgiven (you do not have to repay it) after 8 weeks if borrowers can demonstrate:

  • At least 75% of their loan was spent on payroll costs, including employee salaries and wages (up to an annual rate of pay of $100,000), paid sick or medical leave, and group health insurance premiums.
  • For self-employed individuals, loans can cover wages, commissions, cash tips and other income that is reported in IRS Form 1040 Schedule C or 1099-MISC.
  • Up to 25% of the loan principle may also be forgiven if spent on mortgages, rent payments, leases, and utility service agreements.

If you would like to use the Paycheck Protection Program for other business-related expenses, you can, but that portion of the loan will not be forgiven. Loan payments are deferred for 6 months at an interest rate of 1%.

If the borrower’s average number of FTE employees decreases during the period of the loan, the forgiveness amount will be reduced. If you have already laid off some employees, you can still be forgiven for the full amount of your payroll cost if you rehire your employees by June 30, 2020. The forgiveness amount will also be reduced if employee salaries are cut by more than 25%.

How to apply

Applicants must work with lending institutions that have been pre-approved by the Small Business Administration. There are hundreds of eligible lenders in Oregon, including most major banks in the area. Contact your current bank as soon as possible to see if they can assist you with a PPP application, or find a participating lender at https://www.sba.gov/paycheckprotection/find. A list of Portland-area lenders is also available at https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/articles/Lender_Listing_4.17.pdf.

You can call your local Small Business Development Center or Women’s Business Center for assistance; see “other resources” below.

Information you will need in order to apply

Your lender will ask you to help fill out a Borrower Application Form (fillable PDF). In order to complete this form, your will need:

  • Contact information for your business
  • Business Tax ID number or Social Security Number
  • Detailed payroll information to help the lender determine your average monthly payroll costs

Organizations should gather the following documents for your lender to expedite the process:

  • Bank account number and routing number
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Bylaws
  • Board-approved budget and financial statements
  • Payroll tax filings
  • Payroll processor records
  • Most recent IRS Form 990

Individuals (sole proprietorships, independent contractors and gig workers) should gather:

  • Bank account number and routing number
  • IRS Form 1040 Schedule C for 2019. Even if you haven’t filed a 2019 tax return, you will still be required to fill out this form.
  • IRS Form 1099-MISC, if appropriate (for freelance workers)
  • Payroll tax filings for 2019
  • Bookkeeping records, including bank statements and invoices, that provide detail on wages, commissions, cash tips and other income

Individuals will also need to authorize the Small Business Administration to run a criminal background report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can self-employed individuals and contract workers receive unemployment benefits and a PPP loan at the same time? You should consider the payout of each program to determine which is the best fit for you.

What is the deadline? Applications and required documentation must be submitted by June 30, 2020. Given the competitive nature of this program, we recommend working with your lender to submit your application as soon as possible.

How long does it take to complete an application? The application itself is relatively short, but you may experience delays in getting your lender to complete it and submit it. The sooner you get started, the better off you will be.

How long to I have to spend the funds? Once the loan is funded, you have 8 weeks to spend the money on qualified expenses.

What happens after 8 weeks? You will need to submit a request to the lender who is servicing the loan. The request will include all documents supporting the spending of the funds, number of full-time employees, and compensation levels. The lender will have 60 days to decide on forgiveness.

How much of the loan can be used for rent, mortgage, and utilities? PPP funding can cover these expenses, but remember: if you want to have your loan forgiven, you must spend at least 75% of the loan funds on payroll costs. The remaining 25% can be spent on rent, mortgage, interest and utilities and still be forgiven. Individuals with a home office can claim expenses for the percentage of your home that’s used as a home office.

What happens if I don’t use all the funds on qualified costs? You may be required to pay back all or a portion of the loan, including 1% interest. Interest will accrue on the PPP from day one, even though you will not have to make any payments for six months following the date of disbursement. The interest will only be forgiven on the amount related to the principal forgiven.

If I applied for, or received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) related to COVID19 before the Paycheck Protection Program became available, will I be able to refinance into a PPP loan? If you received an EIDL loan related to COVID-19 between January 31, 2020 and the date at which the PPP becomes available, you would be able to refinance the EIDL into the PPP for loan forgiveness purposes. However, you may not take out an EIDL and a PPP for the same purposes. Remaining portions of the EIDL, for purposes other than those laid out in loan forgiveness terms for a PPP loan, would remain a loan. If you took advantage of an emergency EIDL grant award of up to $10,000, that amount would be subtracted from the amount forgiven under PPP.

Other helpful resources

Grantmakers announce new relief fund for Oregon arts organizations

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Hard-hit nonprofits benefit from program’s streamlined process, pooled funds

Theaters are dark, museums shuttered, contracts canceled, revenue lost. In a matter of weeks COVID-19 destabilized the nonprofit arts world. The damage is difficult to quantify and, for some organizations, may be irreversible.  Artists themselves were among the first to rally, organizing efforts to provide immediate emergency support. Now, a collaborative group of funders is ramping up an ambitious effort to help organizations and artists in need. To date, $1.3 million in pooled resources is dedicated to the Oregon Arts and Culture Recovery Program.

Established in partnership with state and local arts funders, and administered by the Oregon Community Foundation, funds will support nonprofit arts and culture organizations throughout Oregon with grants for emergency operating support and recovery activities. Pooled funds will give preference to arts nonprofits led by and serving communities disproportionately impacted by the social and economic consequences of the outbreak of COVID-19.

“We know that this unprecedented crisis requires unprecedented collaboration,” stated Madison Cario, Executive Director of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. “Together public and private funders – as well as individual donors – can make the greatest impact by pooling our resources, prioritizing those with few reserves, and streamlining our application processes.”

Local economic impact
Comprised of thousands of individual contractors and nonprofit organizations, the state’s creative sector is a driver of local economies and employment. In the Portland metro area alone, Data Arts reports more than 9,150 jobs in the arts sector in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Regulations limiting group sizes and public gatherings issued in early March by the City of Portland and the Governor had an immediate and devastating effect on artists, performing arts organizations, staff, and contract workers throughout the state. The economic impact quickly spread through the entire arts community as COVID-19 restrictions led to massive layoffs from closed venues and canceled events, exhibitions, and performances.

In a recent statewide survey conducted by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, 260-plus arts organizations in Oregon estimated losses of more than $46 million in March, April and May 2020 alone. Revenue from earned income is by far the largest source of funding arts organizations (nationally estimated to be about 60% of all sources). Even small changes in revenue can mean trouble for most arts organizations who operate with small reserves.

The emergency funds will be awarded to meet immediate operating needs and losses related to the cancellation of performances, gallery exhibitions, fundraising events and more. Additionally, funders will look for proposals with strategies that allow art organizations and cultural institutions to innovate and adapt to the challenges of COVID-19. Organizations serving as a hub or facilitator for the arts and artists in their local, state and regional communities will also be prioritized for funding.

Collaborating to serve the common good
Partners contributing toward the pooled fund currently include: The Collins Foundation, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Regional Arts & Culture Council, and Schnitzer CARE Foundation/Jordan Schnitzer. Other partners aligning and supporting the effort include: Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Arts Commission, Reser Family Foundation, and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

Further details
In order to reach as many communities and organizations as possible, the first wave of collective awards will give priority to requests under $5,000. Proposals requesting between $5,000 and $25,000 will be highly competitive, with rare awards over $25,000.  Funding priorities are limited to the pooled funds. Additional funding partners may make awards from this group of applications using their own individual priorities.

Find the streamlined application on the Oregon Community Foundation’s website: https://oregoncf.org/grants-and-scholarships/grants/oregon-arts-and-culture-recovery-program.

New RACC Emergency Fund for Artists and Creative Workers

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Initial fund provides more than $120,000 in small grants for individuals

Thousands of individual artists and creative workers have already lost contracts, gigs, and teaching work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Performance cancellations, closures and physical distancing requirements are having a devastating impact on greater Portland’s creative community. In Multnomah County alone, more than 900 individual artists responding to a recent survey estimated over $9 million in lost income March through May, 2020.

In the face of this unprecedented crisis, the Regional Arts & Culture Council April 2, 2020 announced a new fund to provide some financial relief to Portland area creative professionals and the region’s cultural workforce. RACC’s Emergency Fund for Artists and Creative Workers, offers financial assistance to cover lost income to artists experiencing economic hardship.

New donations to the fund will be distributed directly to individual artists and creative workers in need along with more than $120,000 in unrestricted funding RACC has redirected from other programs. Applications to the emergency fund open on April 2, 2020 and should be submitted online no later than 5 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2020 for initial consideration. As new funds are donated and identified, RACC will award additional funds.

“Our artist community has lost much but it remains rich with diversity of skills, resources and creativity,” said RACC Executive Director, Madison Cario.  “That’s why it’s essential that in the short-term RACC look at all available resources, ramp up partnerships, and raise money. We will be looking to the arts community to innovate with us to create longer-term solutions and creative ideas that will support our resilience and recovery.”

RACC’s Emergency Fund for Artists and Creative Workers supports individuals who have experienced a financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund is open to artists at all levels of their careers, in a broad variety of disciplines. Applicants will be asked to share evidence of their artistic practice, household income, and financial loss in the application. RACC will make awards up to $500 in order to support as many individual artists as possible, prioritizing those without access to other COVID-19 relief funds.

“It’s not just individual artists who are losing out as a result of the pandemic; the whole region risks losing much of our artistic wealth and with it the contributions of individual creators who inspire and uplift us, and who can help our spirits heal from this disaster,” stated Linda McGeady, RACC Board Chair.  “RACC is being nimble and creative, and staff is working hard to get dollars out the door as quickly as possible.”

The picture of the impact of COVID-19 on the arts community came into sharp focus last week as RACC released results from a statewide survey. The survey collected estimated losses from individuals and arts organizations during March, April and May. Statewide, losses were reported at more than $56 million for artists and arts organizations in just a three-month period. The survey did not include a response from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which has subsequently announced it will delay reopening of its 2020 season until September and laid off a majority of staff.

Many artists responding to the survey offered examples of how restrictions on group sizes, public gatherings and requirements for physical distancing during this health crisis are affecting their income and their community.

  • A self- employed visual artist explained, “My galleries are ALL closed – including a major solo show – and my classes are ALL cancelled. I have stopped submitting to future shows. My solo and two-person shows this summer are in limbo. My income is sporadic by nature so I can’t tell you what would have sold had the galleries remained open.”
  • A Saturday Market vendor shared how they rely on tourism to support and sustain their revenue, which currently is reduced to nothing.
  • A local animator, currently employed on a stop-motion feature film being made in Portland, described how their team typically works as a large crew, in close proximity. Initially shut down for two weeks, the film – and team – is on hiatus indefinitely.
  • A musician who makes their income by composing and producing music described how they also own and operate a recording studio, which is now shuttered. “My income not only helps provide food for my family, but also helps keep the lights on at the studio.”

More emergency relief measures for artists and arts organizations are in the works. RACC is currently reviewing all projects and programs as potential relief funds, as well as any new sources anticipated in next fiscal year, starting July 1, 2020. Information about new opportunities will be shared with the community as they are confirmed by RACC staff, board members and funding partners in the coming weeks.

More information about RACC’s Emergency Fund for Individual Artists can be found here: https://artsimpactfund.racc.org/covid-19/

Para solicitar asistencia para la aplicación en un idioma que no sea inglés, envíe un correo electrónico a: grants@racc.org

在申请过程中，如果您需要语言上的帮助请发邮件到：grants@racc.org

Oregon Artists and Arts Organizations report $56M lost revenue

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Survey results forecast 3-month financial impact of COVID-19 on arts & culture community

Portland, Ore – Across the world, life has changed dramatically as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold. The picture of that impact on the arts community came into sharp focus this week as the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) tallied results from a statewide survey conducted last week.

The Oregon COVID-19 Impact Survey is an effort to measure estimated losses during March, April and May 2020 on individuals working in the arts as well as arts organizations. Reported losses include revenues from lost contracts, shows and teaching work that have all been cancelled in order to comply with restrictions on group sizes, gatherings and requirements for social distancing during this health crisis.

RACC, the nonprofit arts council for the tri-county area including Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties, collected more than 1,200 responses from individuals and more than 260 arts organizations across 25 counties. Multnomah County-based artists provided the bulk of the data with more than 900 respondents reporting a total of $46 million in losses for the single quarter. Initial analysis of the data show impacts increasing month over month. RACC intends to share the data to support efforts at the state, federal and local levels and to lead advocacy efforts and guide resource collection and distribution for individuals and organizations.

“Thank you to the people who took the time to respond to the survey,” said Madison Cario, RACC Executive Director. “They have collectively confirmed that many individuals and organizations working in arts and culture lack sufficient infrastructure and resources to sustain continued financial and social disruptions.” The information is well-documented in the field, Cario added, “The survey data empowers advocates and funders with specific financial details of what is currently being lost as we work towards solutions.”

As part of the response to COVID-19, RACC is relaxing funding restrictions in order to get dollars out the door faster, and partnering with other grant makers to deepen impact. “We are grateful to have the Oregon Community Foundation and the Miller Foundation at the table with the shared goal of relief for the arts community, said Cario.  “This relief is intended as breathing room so we can be creative about possible pivots and planning adaptations for the long haul.”

RACC updates – staff working remotely and resources

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As the country and world respond to coronavirus and the COVID-19 situation, RACC would like to share some information and resources.

First and foremost, RACC is invested in the health and well-being of the artists, arts organizations, and our communities. Please follow all directions and recommendations from your local and state authorities as well as entities such as the CDC and WHO.

Additionally, for information specific to artists and arts organizations, please refer to ArtsReady, the Performing Arts Readiness project, and the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response. These resources are available with best-practices, updated information, and resources specifically for the arts community. Locally, please also see this new opportunity for emergency funding for artists.

For those of you who are currently operating with grants funded by RACC, we are responsive to individual concerns and necessary changes to the originally-proposed activities. Should you need to modify your grant, please contact your program officer to discuss options. More information for grantees can be found here. Starting today, March 13, RACC staff will be working remotely.

We also want to make you aware of campaigns to include artists and the nonprofit arts community in any federal relief funds that are made available. There are currently campaigns being conducted through both The Performing Arts Alliance as well as the American Alliance for Museums. We recommend reading about these campaigns and, should you feel strongly about the causes, informing your legislators. In addition, RACC will also be working closely with local and regional governments, service organizations, and individuals, as well as local funders and businesses, to develop an emergency fund to support artists and arts organizations through these difficult times.

We recognize the impact that this virus and the necessary reactions may cause. Artists, technicians, administrators, and everyone involved in the arts community are facing an unprecedented situation as events get canceled or postponed. Ultimately, we believe that the arts are about bringing people together. We share emotions and ideas. These connections strengthen us. Looking forward, as we work our way collectively through this pandemic, we are hopeful that the artists, arts organizations, and everyone who make up our arts community will come together and be stronger for it.

Here are some additional ways we can help our community:

Check on older neighbors, colleagues and friends with a call or text – older people seem to be particularly vulnerable to contracting coronavirus, according to health officials – but also are likely staying home and not allowing visitors as a precaution.

Safely drop off food – particularly to anyone who is under quarantine or isolating from others due to their risk factors. Let folks know you’ll be dropping something by – and leave it at the door or on the porch.

Donate money – lots of organizations including food banks, social services groups and others offer direct help to people in need and may be one of the first places people turn if they are hurt economically by the virus.

Fight discrimination and stigma – fear and anxiety can lead to social stigma when people associate an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, with a population or nationality, even though not everyone in that population or from that region is specifically at risk for the disease (for example, Chinese-Americans and other Asian-Americans living in the United States). Stigma hurts everyone by creating more fear or anger but we can fight this type of discrimination and help others by providing social support.

News For RACC Grantees

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We’ve heard from many of you with concerns about the COVID-19 virus. We want to assure you that RACC is committed to supporting the artists and organizations we work with in this rapidly evolving situation. Our staff is working remotely and you can reach your grants officers by email – see contact information below.

If your planned project or performance needs to be cancelled, rescheduled, or modified as the result of the virus, RACC can be flexible. We’re happy to discuss modifications to your proposed activity as needed—remember that there is no set deadline for completion of your project.

Reminder, there may be some delays in getting grant payments sent out. Direct Deposit (ACH) payments will continue to be sent weekly, but paper checks may take longer to generate. If you need a grant payment quickly, we recommend you email us a completed version of the ACH form to your grants officer.

Helen Daltoso hdaltoso@racc.org

Ingrid Carlson icarlson@racc.org

New art brings a glow to the city’s iconic Portland Building

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Come visit your new art collection at the reconstructed Portland Building

Public art installed in the Portland Building adds a glow to the newly renovated architectural icon. The building has always doubled as a venue to showcase public art and that role has grown with the reconstruction, which includes new pieces commissioned through the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC). RACC’s Public Art Program acquires and cares for publicly owned art.

A local panel of artists, curators, community members and city staff worked for several years to commission and purchase these artworks for the Portland Building as part of the City’s 2% for Art requirement. The current installations, located on the first and second floors of the building, are part of the first phase of art selected and created specifically for the building.

Please note, to protect public health, the Portland Building is currently closed to the public.the City of Portland is postponing the grand reopening of the Portland Building scheduled for Thursday, March 19. All Design Week Portland events are rescheduled for August 2020.

New commissioned artworks installed to date in the Portland Building
Refik Anadol Studio, Data Crystal: Portland
One of the most impactful aspects of the building renovation is the addition of a large window wall and gathering space on the east side facing Chapman Square. Today, people passing by on Fourth Avenue can gaze into the building through the double-height wall of glass and see Refik Anadol Studio’s large-scale, 3-D printed, A.I. data sculpture, Data Crystal: Portland, which was designed specifically for the Portland Building.

The artwork is visible to building visitors from both the first and second floor. It represents the material connections that emerge from invisible interactions between fellow city dwellers by combining art, technology, and the interconnected communities of Portland. Anadol was inspired by the last line of Ronald Talney’s poem, inscribed on the plaque that accompanies Raymond Kaskey’s sculpture Portlandia, “This is how the world knows where we are.”

The visuals projected on to the sculpture were conceived by Anadol in partnership with the mind of a machine, utilizing cutting-edge machine learning algorithms trained on a data set of nine million publicly available photographs and digitized archival documents of Portland. The shape of the 3-D printed structure on which the visuals are projected was also informed by the same data set, but created by using advanced robotic 3D printing and A.I. technologies.

For this artwork, Anadol theorized that with today’s technology, it’s nearly impossible to get lost in this world – both geographically and historically.  With every photograph taken, a digital memory is captured, and a virtual record of a specific time and place is recorded.  These memories are “crystalized” when shared publicly.  When aggregated, the repeated acts of sharing digital memories eventually solidifies the collective memory of a specific place.

Portlandia, Raymond Kaskey
Get up close and personal with the iconic Portlandia statue from a new publicly-accessible balcony, or with a smaller, 3-D print located at the top of the second floor stairs, made with the partnership of local Portland business, Form 3D Foundry. Originally installed in 1985, Portlandia by Raymond Kaskey, is the second-largest hammered-copper (or repoussé) sculpture in the United States, and was rededicated in 2019 as part of the building reconstruction. Tag your photos of either version of this Portland icon to #weareportlandia.

Neither Here Nor There, Shelby Davis and Crystal Schenk
Located on the first floor adjacent to the building’s front entrance, is Neither Here Nor There by husband and wife artist team Shelby Davis and Crystal Schenk. Together the two transformed a huge, 100-year-old silver maple removed from the Laurelhurst neighborhood in 2015. Extracting the tree itself was a labor of love, involving large cranes and slabbing the trunk with a rare ten-foot chainsaw. But the stunning material lives on, reborn, in the renovated building. The installation includes several hand-carved and meticulously crafted wooden benches where visitors can sit, as well as hanging shelves and floating sculptural pieces suspended from the ceiling.

Topography from around the state was computer modeled and fit to some of the biggest boards from the tree’s trunk and then cut to relief on a computer-controlled (CNC) router. Afterward, each piece was carefully glued together, hand carved, and sanded. Glass castings implanted in the floating panoramas, with their shift of scale, create new perspectives on the familiar. Their subtle and grander shapes recall actual time spent in those landscape folds – creating memories and inspiring visitors with a sense of connection and curiosity. Look for local and significant places in Portland and Oregon including neighborhoods, the Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, Mount Hood, and more.

Portion of Neither Here Nor There, Shelby Davis and Crystal Schenk

We’ve Been Here by Kayin Talton Davis
In the new Lizzie Weeks room to the north of the front entrance is We’ve Been Here by Kayin Talton Davis. The primary focus is Lizzie Weeks, along with images of other Black women establishing lives in Portland at the turn of the century into the 1930s. Talton Davis describes the significance of creating this large, vibrant panel and the research she did to collect stories about the lives of important, but overlooked, women as part of her process. “I went into city archives, Oregon Historical Society,” she said. “I also reached out to other people within the community to get different pictures and stories.” Additional women portrayed include: Lola Ondine Graham Chandler (with her sister), Frances Josephine Harlow Chandler (a Lakeview midwife), women from the Walker family (Rutherford Collection), Beatrice Morrow Cannady and Thelma Johnson Street.

Small Works Collection
Visitors can also enjoy several locations on the first and second floors hung with smaller-scale artworks made by artists from the greater Portland area. There are three artwork zones, each with its own curatorial focus.
Zone One, First Floor – Sublime Landscape – painting by artist Adam Sorensen (not currently installed)
Zone Two, Second Floor – Cityscape – many artists
Zone Three, Second Floor – Social Landscape of Portland, life experience of living in Portland, the cultures, multiplicity of viewpoints, fun and quirkiness of the residents – many artists

On the second floor, comfortable, modern seating is placed next to the second-story balcony, adjacent to the new artworks. Visitors to the balcony area can enjoy expansive views of the park blocks and downtown buildings through the large, window and views of the hanging sculpture Data Crystal: Portland.

Complete list of artists and artworks featured in the “Small Works Collection,” below.


Zone Three, Second Floor – Social Landscape of Portland (north wall) – many artists

Installation Space
Also on the second floor, visitors will find the building’s new Installation Space. Since its start in 1994 the Portland Building’s Installation Space has hosted more than 200 site-specific exhibitions, showcasing and promoting local contemporary artists and reflecting the creative rigor and diversity of Portland. The Regional Arts & Culture Council curates these rotating exhibitions.

The new space will be programmed with interdisciplinary conceptual art work made by regional artists and is envisioned as a way to energize public dialogue, understanding and exposure of visual art, as well as draw new audiences to the public’s new building.

King School Museum of Contemporary Art – KSMoCA
The inaugural exhibition in the Portland Building’s new Installation Space includes a selection of ephemera curated by the Student Curatorial Committee from KSMoCA’s archive.

Photo by MOE of the Student Curatorial Committee in an exhibition they curated at PSU
(left to right: Roz Crews, Solianna, Isaiah, Rocky, JaMiyah, Ana, and Diana with Dr. MLK Jr. school Community Agent Tiffany Robinson)

The King School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA) is a contemporary art museum inside Dr. MLK Jr. School, an elementary school in Northeast Portland. Creating unusual connections between kids and internationally renowned artists, KSMoCA reimagines the way museums, public schools, and universities can affect people, culture, and perspectives by creating radical intersections for sharing resources across organizations. KSMoCA was founded in 2014 by artists Lisa Jarrett and Harrell Fletcher and is collaboratively developed with the Dr. MLK Jr. School community, PSU students, and a team of artists.

KSMoCA’s Student Curatorial Committee is led by fourth and fifth graders from the school with KSMoCA Program Managers (and artists), Roz Crews and Amanda Leigh Evans. The committee conducts research about local and non-local artists to inform their work as curators of KSMoCA’s MLK Jr. Gallery. As part of this research, students meet with curators, gallerists, and educators to discuss curatorial topics, study books about contemporary artists, and conduct studio visits with local artists. In 2018, this group established a student-run gallery within the museum to display work by their peers in addition to work by local artists in Portland, OR.Learn more: http://www.ksmoca.com/

RACC advocates for public and private investments in the arts, provides grants for artists and arts organizations, manages public art, raises money through workplace giving, conducts arts education in public schools, and provides community services, including workshops for artists, organizational consulting, and a variety of printed and electronic resources. RACC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that receives funding from a variety of public and private partners to serve artists, arts organizations, schools and residents throughout Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. For more information visit racc.org. 

Get Directions

MEDIA CONTACTS:
For information about artworks and artist contacts:
Heather Nelson Kent
Communications Manager, Regional Arts & Culture Council
503-823-5426
hnkent@racc.org

For Portland Building information:
Heather Hafer
Public Information Officer, Office of Management and Finance
heather.hafer@portlandoregon.gov
503-823-6965

Small Works Collection
Zone Two, Second Floor – Cityscape (near Installation Space)

First Name Last Name Artwork Title Year
Akihiko Miyoshi Protocol 2019
Avantika Bawa Coliseum #4 2017
Avantika Bawa Coliseum, Red Sky 2018
Elena Thomas From the Bridge 2018
Ivonne Saed Sellwood Bridge Construction 1 2015
James Allen Portland Trolley Years 2016
Loren Nelson 3600 NW John Olsen Parkway; Hillsboro, Oregon 1999
Marie Watt Untitled 2012
Marie Watt Part and Whole: Ripple, Hoop, Baron Mill 2011
Michelle Muldrow Portland Trailer 2018
Rory ONeal Overpass Glow – PDX 2019
Ruth Lantz Veil of Density 2015
Gabe Fernandez Audi with 356 cover 2018

Zone Three, Second Floor – Social Landscape of Portland (north wall)

First Name Last Name Artwork Title Year
Deb Stoner Hellebore and Pieris Japonica in Winter 2016
Hsin-Yi Huang The Light Within 2009
Katherine Ace Friends and Neighbors (1) (group of 6) 2019
Rebecca Rodela Abuelito y yo reunidos 2014
Sabina Haque New Portlanders 2019
Stuart Allen Levy Cinco De Mayo 2009

Zone Three, Second Floor – Social Landscape of Portland (south wall)

First Name Last Name Artwork Title Year
Emma Gerigscott Dog Party No. 1 2017
Jo Hamilton The Ruth Nebula – 1948 2018
Sabina Haque HALFIE 2010
Samantha Wall 31 Days series 2017
Oriquidia Violeta Madrina 2019
Ralph Pugay Cattle Rave 2013

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