RACC Blog

RACC will present 11 workshops for artists in 2013

Artists who are trying to make a living with their craft will benefit from a series of professional development workshops being presented by the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) from January through June of 2013. Each workshop is led by experts in his or her field; they focus on grant writing, marketing, legal issues, and building audiences to enhance and advance an artist’s career. RACC is committed to providing affordable learning opportunities that help artists succeed in the region; each workshop costs only $20-$30.

The 2013 workshop schedule includes:
• January 26: Fundamentals of Grant Writing for Individual Artists
• February 9: Marketing, the Same but Different
• February 20: To be or not to be a 501(c)3 and how (A panel discussion)
• March 2: Copyrights and Contracts 101: For Artists and Creative Professionals
• April 6: Putting the Pieces Together: How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Art or Event
• April 17: For Organizations: Building Audiences in a Complex and Competitive Environment
• May 4: The Artist Talk: How to Talk to Anyone Anywhere about Your Art
• May 21: Your Career in Music—options and next steps (A panel discussion)
• June 2: Music Business 101: Copyrights and Contracts for Musicians
• June 8: Grant Writing for Individual Artists: Making Your Story Work for You
• June 15: Writing for Artists: Engaging your audience

To register or learn more details about each workshop, including the presenter(s), the time and the location, visit website below. For more information, accessibility and translation needs please contact: 503-823-5111 or email info@racc.org.
 
 


Unveiling and Dedication of “Noble Architect” on NE Alberta Street

WHO: Noble Architect by artists Ruth Frances Greenberg and David Laubenthal

WHAT: Sculpture Unveiling

WHEN: Friday, December 14, 2012 at 3:30pm

WHERE: Corner of NE Alberta Street at 18th

NOTES: Artists Ruth Frances Greenberg and David Laubenthal conceived of the sculpture to “mirror the ebullient, raw and wonderful vigor of nature as well as our relationship to it.” Many different species of animals inhabited and thrived in this area before it was settled as the Portland we know. One of the abundant animals was the beaver. Its pose is dignified and vaguely humanized, standing on its stump, at just over six feet tall. This artwork was selected by a local panel of artists and citizens, and will become part of the City of Portland’s Public Art Collection, administered by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Refreshments to follow at Alberta Main Street, just next door.

LINKS: The Unveiling

www.facebook.com/events/398392830240242
 
 


“all the art that fits” returns to the Portland Building Installation Space

It is that time of year again; the annual City and County employee exhibition in the lobby of the Portland Building opens on Tuesday, December 4th and runs through the holiday season. This “salon style” exhibition, open to all current City or County employees, is a yearly favorite and is anxiously awaited by regular visitors to the Portland Building. All types of creative work are represented in the unique show, from quirky to thoughtful, from elegant and beautiful to amusingly odd. The exhibition will run through January 8, 2013. 

Only original artwork created by current employees of the City or County is eligible. The exhibition is non-juried—all the artwork submitted will be installed, hung wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling. For those eligible and interested in participating, submissions must be dropped off Tuesday, December 4th, between 8:00 and 10:00 am, to the Portland Building lobby located at 1120 SW 5th Ave. between SW Main and SW Madison.

For further information please see the exhibition guidelines on the RACC website below.

Viewing Hours & Location: The exhibition is free and open to the public 7 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday. The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland.
 
 


Tickets now on sale for “pARTy in the name of Art” on December 7th

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) announced today that tickets for “pARTy in the name of Art” can be purchased online at boxofficetickets.com and strangertickets.com. The event on December 7th is a benefit for arts organizations and arts education programs in the Portland metropolitan area. The arts community will also use the event to pay tribute to Portland Mayor Sam Adams for his passion and commitment to arts, education, equity and sustainability in the region.

WHO: The Regional Arts & Culture Council and the local arts and culture community

WHAT: A celebration of the arts in Portland, and a tribute to Mayor Sam Adams for his vision and leadership in promoting culture, creativity, innovation, education and equity in our city

WHEN: Friday, December 7, 2012

WHERE: YU Contemporary, 800 SE 10th Avenue in Portland

WHY: To raise money for two RACC programs that Mayor Adams has championed during his time in office – The Right Brain Initiative, an arts integration program in public schools, and Work for Art, a workplace giving program for the arts.

Patron tickets are $175. They include a patron reception with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 pm, followed by special tribute performances at 8pm. Confirmed entertainers include Storm Large, Bodyvox, The Circus Project, Scott Poole, Julianne Johnson and PHAME Academy. Only 400 tickets will be sold at this price.

Dance party tickets are $25. At 9pm both floors of the YU building will be open for dancing, featuring eclectic DJs, multicultural interactive arts activities, and pop-up performances throughout the night. At midnight, breakfast will be served. Approximately 500 tickets are available at this price.

Sponsorship packages begin at $2,500. Event sponsors to date include Apex Pharmacy, Arlene Schntizer, Boeing, Burgerville, Bull Run Distillery, Cupcake Jones, Hopworks Urban Brewery, KeyBank, Morel Ink, Norris Beggs & Simpson, Portland General Electric, Portland Mercury, Portland Timbers, Seabold Construction, Standard Insurance, Tonkon Torp and US Bank.

For tickets and information visit www.racc.org/party.
 


Linda Hutchins presents “Apart, Along, Together” at the Portland Building Installation Space, 10/22-11/16

Project Background: Using silverpoint to document gesture and movement, artist Linda Hutchins will bring a performance created specifically for the Installation Space to the Portland Building the week of October 22nd. Silverpoint is an old master drawing technique in which actual silver is drawn on a prepared surface much as we apply graphite to paper today. Linda Hutchins uses silver to create wall drawings that echo and record her drawing gestures. For this performance she will wear silver thimbles on all her fingers, and will strike and stroke the walls with both hands at once. In repeated short bursts, her hands will draw apart, along and together, gestures she likens to three choices about how to act in the world. Each gesture can be read by the mark it leaves behind and the completed wall drawings will remain on view after the performance. This unique performance/ installation has been created with the lobby of the Portland Building in mind, a place where people of all ages and backgrounds go about their daily lives apart, along, and together with each other.

Drawing performances will occur between noon and 1:00 pm Monday, October 22nd through Wednesday, October 24th. The completed set of drawings will be on view through November 16th.

About the Artist: Linda Hutchins lives and works in Portland, Oregon, where she earned her BFA in Drawing from Pacific Northwest College of Art. Before attending art school, she received a BSE in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan and wrote operating system software for Intel Corporation. Hutchins was recently awarded Career Opportunity Grants from both the Oregon Arts Commission and The Ford Family Foundation, and has received two fellowships from the Oregon Arts Commission and grants from the Regional Arts & Culture Council. She was awarded the Jurors’ Prize for her wall drawing in the Tacoma Art Museum’s 2009 Northwest Biennial, and her work has been exhibited internationally.

Viewing Hours & Location: 7 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday. The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland.  For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space series including images, proposals and statements for all the installations since 1994, go to www.racc.org/installationspace.
 
 


“Project Everyone” comes to the Portland Building Installation Space through October 12, 2012

Project Background: Project Everyone is an ongoing video series with the lofty goal of interviewing every person on earth. Creators Stephen Kurowski & Marina Tait bring their open interview station to the Portland Building lobby where they will conduct ten minute interview sessions with volunteer participants. Each interviewee is prompted by the same set of eight questions which range from mundane to esoteric. The edited video, reduced to less than five minutes, is then played back when the recording sessions are done. The Project Everyone interviews, which champion the significance of the everyday, have proven to be oddly addictive. Without a hint of Hollywood or Reality TV, the earnestness of the average person proves both captivating and refreshing.

Project Everyone
Interview Schedule at the Portland Building
1120 SW 5th Avenue:
Mondays: noon to 2pm
Wednesdays: 1pm to 3pm
Fridays: noon to 2pm

Drop-ins are welcome and other times are available by special arrangement. All those who might be interested are encouraged to drop by any time to watch and learn more about the project and the interview questions. Past interviews can be viewed online at http://projecteveryone.wordpress.com.

About the Artists: Marina Tait is a filmmaker and editor who thrives on artistic collaboration. She has contributed to numerous film and video projects over the past 15 years in Portland and Los Angeles. She enjoys listening to other people’s stories. Stephen Kurowski is a multidisciplinary artist whose previous works include short fiction, screen plays, children’s stories, painting, sculpture, photography, and most predominantly motion picture production and post-production. The pair has collaborated on a number of projects ranging from documentaries, to personal family histories, to underground short films.

Viewing Hours & Location: 7 am to 6 pm, Monday – Friday. The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland.

For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space series including images, proposals and statements for all the installations since 1994, go to www.racc.org/installationspace.

See previous interviews from Project Everyone

Carolyn from Project Everyone on Vimeo.


“Selected works from the Visual Chronicle of Portland” on view at Powell’s

Starting this week, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is presenting Selections of the Visual Chronicle of Portland at the Basil Hallward Gallery at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside in Portland. This exhibition, featuring 25 works from the collection, has been curated by Marci Macfarlane. An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 6 from 6:00 – 8:30pm in the Gallery. The show runs to October 1.

About the collection: The Visual Chronicle of Portland is a City-owned collection of works on paper— prints, photographs, paintings and drawings—that focuses on artists’ views of the Portland’s social and urban landscapes. The intent of the collection is to capture the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times, as our city evolves and changes. It is both an eclectic view of life in Portland as well as a record of artists working in the city. Currently there are 280 works by more than 160 artists in the collection.

Viewing Hours: On view during regular business hours, 9am-11pm, seven days a week at Basil Hallward Gallery, Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, Portland, Oregon 97209.

For more information, including links to images, visit www.racc.org/public-art/visual-chronicle.
 


Bold new public art projects now underway on Portland’s east side

Artists have begun creating three new large-scale public artworks in Portland, funded through the 2% for art ordinance as part of the Eastside Portland Streetcar expansion. Artist Jorge Pardo is creating a sculptural shelter at Broadway and Weidler, and Lead Pencil Studiois creating a pair of sculptures on Grand Avenue near the on-ramps for the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges.

An eccentrically-shaped art shelter (at right), created by Jorge Pardo, will feature a “rain on the outside, sunshine on the inside” experience for waiting streetcar passengers. Fabricated of steel, wood and fiberglass, the new shelter measures 35’ long by 18’ wide by 16’ tall. The multi-faceted structure will include over 300 individual panels in shades of gray on the exterior, with warm hues of orange and red on the inside. Ultimately, it will shelter passengers north of the Rose Quarter in a highly visible and fantastically colorful way. Los Angeles based Pardo was the recipient of a 2010 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship; this is his first municipal project in the United States.

Inversion: Plus Minus (below) is a set of towering site-specific sculptures created by artists/architects Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo of Lead Pencil Studio. Using weathered steel angle iron, the artists are presenting “ghosts” of former buildings at two similar sites along SE Grand Avenue. One site, at Hawthorne Boulevard, will feature a matrix of metal that almost appears as a solid building. The second, at Belmont Street, will render an enclosure around the perimeter of a “building,” emphasizing the negative space of the subject. In the artists’ words, “The sculptures reference the outer shells of ordinary industrial buildings found in the Central Eastside Industrial Area like those that once existed on the project sites.”

 

Construction on Inversion Plus Minus continues as weather permits, and the sculptures are scheduled to be completed by summer.

Lead Pencil Studio, based in Seattle, has strong Oregon connections. The artists have taken up local residence and rented a fabrication shop for the duration of this project. Han is a graduate of David Douglas High School, and both Han and Mihalyo are alumni of the University of Oregon School of Architecture & Allied Arts. The artists received the 2007-08 Rome Prize for Architecture from the American Academy in Rome.

These public artworks, managed by RACC and selected by a panel of local artists and community members, will be completed by the end of the calendar year. To arrange a site visit and/or interview with the artists, contact Kristin Calhoun at 503-823-5401 or kcalhoun@racc.org.

Links:

The Oregonian article (12/12/12) Southeast Portland bridge sculptures are designed to evoke central eastside industrial district’s past
The Oregonian article (11/30/12) Solving the mystery of the Hawthorne Bridge ‘thingy’
Jorge Pardo 
Lead Pencil Studio National Endowment for the Arts article 

Pardo Art Shelter concept
LeadPencilStudio_Inversion_plus_minus