RACC Blog

Artist Alex Luboff’s provocative installation “Pipelines” goes on display at the Portland Building November 14 to December 9

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PORTLAND, ORE – Beginning November 14th artist Alex Luboff will present an installation at the Portland Building that offers visitors a timely reminder of how extractive energy infrastructure is confronting communities in Oregon and across the continent. His series of meticulously hand-crafted wooden pipelines, unavoidable as they cleave and intersect the exhibition space, can be seen as craft objects, or as a design composition, but the reference to the imposing physical presence that pipelines represent in our landscape is unavoidable.

Luboff’s project highlights the large scale systemic obstructions dealt to nature and society by the continued expansion of extractive energy infrastructure through this metaphor of “pipeline.” Projects ranging from the Keystone XL pipeline, the proposed LNG terminals and pipelines in Oregon, and the current face-off over construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline are just a few of the growing number of energy infrastructure projects with the potential to significantly alter our surroundings, impact ecosystems, and force communities into confrontation with government, industry, their fellow citizens, and a swiftly changing climate.

“As a metaphorical obstruction pipelines represent the immense government and private investments that support fossil fuel based energy—at the expense of directing resources towards other solutions less damaging. As a systemic obstruction these infrastructure projects reinforce a value system that does not prioritize a sustainable and equitable vision for humanity and the planet.”    – Alex Luboff

About the Artist: Alex Luboff works primarily with built and assembled structure to respond to society in the environment. His work as an artist, educator, and woodworker reflects his interest in intersections of craft and human struggle and is influenced and inspired by the stories of change makers, dreamers, and fighters—their acts of courage, their proud, bold, and humble moments. Alex’s practice is driven by a deep belief in the power of experience, working with hands and body, and the learning that takes place beyond words. This extends to his work teaching boatbuilding, sailing, woodworking, and environmental science to teens around the Northwest.

Viewing Hours & Location: The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. Pipelines opens Monday, November 14 and runs through Friday, December 9.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) manages the 13’ x 8’ installation space in the lobby of the Portland Building and presents installation based art there year round. For more information, including images, proposals, and statements for projects dating back to 1994, go to www.racc.org/installationspace.

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

“Hands Up”

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Eloise’s Blog:

The August Wilson Red Door Project has been presenting a truly powerful and unforgettable production here in Portland over the past 6 months. Everyone I have talked with who has experienced Hands Up has been moved in ways new and startling to them. The play is a collection of monologues written by 7 Black playwrights and acted by 7 Black actors all in response to police shootings of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO, John Crawford III in Beavercreek OH and way too many other young Black men and women.

RACC is honored to join other underwriters in investing in this work and sharing this experience, not just the monologues themselves, but also the “talk backs” afterwards. The night that I attended, along with a group of RACC Board and staff, the talk back was extremely spirited, sometimes confrontational, and eye- and mind-opening.

The show moves around town and the region made possible by a very simple and portable set. Both public and private investments support this important work, and there will be more public performances scheduled in the weeks and months ahead, including November 17 at PCC Cascade, and December 2 and Wieden+Kennedy. Tickets are free but they often get snatched up within hours of being announced; subscribe to the August Wilson Red Door Project newsletter at http://reddoorproject.org/contact/newsletter to get the most timely notification when performances are added.

I hope you will be able to see this show and participate in the conversation. Please don’t be daunted if it takes you a while to get tickets. It will be worth it.

 

RACC distributes $555,358 in Work for Art proceeds, adds three organizations to its General Operating Support program

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PORTLAND, ORE – At its October 26 board meeting, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) board of directors approved to expand by three the number of organizations that receive General Operating Support annually from RACC, awarding grants to My Voice Music ($9,800), Portland Playhouse ($23,000) and The Circus Project ($12,800).

A total of 51 arts organizations in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties now receive annual unrestricted financial support from RACC to help them provide a wide range of arts programming for the public. Other General Operating Support organizations are listed at http://bit.ly/2e5lp9j. These grants are funded by Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties, the City of Portland general fund, and the city’s Arts Education & Access Fund, or arts tax.

In addition, RACC has distributed proceeds from its 10th annual Work for Art campaign to 49 local arts organizations, including:

Artist Repertory Theatre, $17,018

Bag & Baggage Productions, $ 8,980

Blue Sky Gallery, $5,086

BodyVox, $12,348

Broadway Rose Theatre Company, $21,543

Cappella Romana, Inc., $5,430

Chamber Music Northwest, $13,531

Children’s Healing Art Project, $5,787

Disjecta, $3,600

Echo Theater Company, $11,880

Ethos Music Center, $9,169

Friends of Chamber Music, $10,458

Hand2Mouth, $3,000

Hollywood Theatre, $9,768

Imago Theatre, $9,008

Independent Publishing Resource Center, $5,574

Lakewood Center for the Arts, $21,738

Literary Arts, Inc., $14,827

Live Wire! Radio, $5,653

Metropolitan Youth Symphony, $11,922

Miracle Theatre Group, $13,988

Northwest Children’s Theatre, $13,451

Northwest Dance Project, $10,190

NW Documentary Arts & Media, $3,699

Oregon Ballet Theatre, $19,581

Oregon Children’s Theatre, $22,757

Oregon Symphony Association, $19,388

PDX Jazz, $5,931

Pendulum Aerial Arts, $3,600

PHAME, $6,309

PlayWrite, Inc., $5,857

Portland Art Museum/Northwest Film Center, $24,109

Portland Baroque Orchestra, $12,196

Portland Center Stage, $23,163

Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, $6,690

Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, $9,691

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, $14,564

Portland Opera, $23,956

Portland Piano International, $8,256

Portland Youth Philharmonic, $14,961

Profile Theatre Project, $10,595

The Portland Ballet, $10,325

The Right Brain Initiative, $10,000

Third Angle New Music Ensemble, $4,850

Third Rail Repertory Theatre, $6,939

Triangle Productions, $3,000

White Bird, $14,760

Write Around Portland, $9,161

Young Audiences of Oregon, $17,069

Work for Art is a program of the Regional Arts & Culture Council that raises money and awareness for arts and culture organizations, primarily through workplace giving. More than $912,000 was paid or pledged in the Work for Art campaign that ended June 30, 2016. Approximately 20% of all campaign donations are designated for specific arts organizations, but a large portion of the proceeds were unrestricted, and RACC distributes 100% of those to its General Operating Support organizations and through other grant programs throughout the year. A total of $555,358 was distributed to the groups listed above, and additional proceeds will be distributed to other arts organizations during the course of the year.

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

Light a Fire Award: George Thorn

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Eloise’s Blog:

The Regional Arts & Culture Council heartily congratulates George Thorn for receiving a Light a Fire Lifetime Achievement Award from Portland Monthly. George has been the quiet force of wisdom and advice for countless arts organizations in our community for many years. Happily for us after working all around the country with his partner in Arts Action Research he settled here. He is essentially a part of the RACC family shepherding our Cultural Leadership Program, which helps many arts organizations large and small every year with all kinds of arts management challenges. I compare his work to that of a therapist, listening to leaders articulate the problems they have identified and then talking through how best to address and resolve them. And these invaluable services come at no charge to the arts non-profits.

George also teaches the Art of Leadership, a program RACC inherited when Business for Culture and the Arts closed last summer. This series of classes trains business and other professionals in all aspects of serving on non-profit boards with a focus on arts & culture organizations.

When people ask how Portland has developed such a vibrant arts community part of the answer is certainly George Thorn. We are so lucky that he landed in our midst. Congratulations George!

Read: How George Thorn Guides Portland Arts Organizations to Sustainability

The third annual “Día de los Muertos” installation comes to the Portland Building, October 19 to November 4

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PORTLAND, ORE – In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Unidos Latinos Americanos (ULA) will present a site specific Día de los Muertos installation in the exhibition space adjacent to the Portland Building lobby starting October 19th.

Día De Los Muertos is a national holiday in Mexico and is now celebrated widely throughout Latin America, the U.S., and beyond. In keeping with the holiday’s tradition of remembering and celebrating the lives of loved ones who have passed on, ULA will build a Día De Los Muertos altar in the center of the exhibition space. The central display will be framed by an arch on the back wall made of vibrant crepe paper flowers, each one handmade by ULA members and friends. The installation will also include photos, objects, and food & drink favored by loved ones. To personalize the project and engage the audience, the public is invited to join this celebration and remembrance by submitting images of their own loved ones who have passed, anyone can participate; submitted images will regularly be printed out and added to the display.

To submit images of your loved ones for inclusion in the project select a photo of the person and take a digital image of it with your camera or phone; then email a your jpeg to PortlandArtAltar2016@gmail.com Please size the jpeg no larger than 8”x10”. If your loved one’s photo is framed, leave it in the frame when you photograph it. (Unframed photos will have a frame digitally added.) Printouts can be picked up at the end of the installation.

About Unidos Latinos Americanos: ULA is an affinity group of City of Portland employees committed to developing a professional network to promote advancement and mentoring opportunities for all Latino City employees. The organization highlights contributions made by the Latino culture, helps recruit Latinos for employment, and advocates for strengthening community inclusiveness through public outreach. ULA also regularly collaborates with other regional Latino community organizations and institutions on projects, shared goals, and accomplishments.

Viewing Hours & Location: The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in down-town Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. Día de los Muertos opens mid-day Wednesday, October 19th and runs through mid-day Friday, November 4th.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) manages the 13’ x 8’ installation space in the lobby of the Portland Building and presents installation based art there year round. For more information, including images, proposals, and statements for projects dating back to 1994, go to www.racc.org/installationspace.

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

Vanessa Renwick and Brian Lindstrom receive RACC fellowship awards in media arts

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PORTLAND, ORE – Two Portland-based filmmakers have received RACC’s 2016 Fellowship Awards. In addition to being recognized for their artistic excellence and achievements in the media arts, Vanessa Renwick and Brian Lindstrom will each receive a cash grant of $20,000.

Vanessa Renwick has been making provocative films in the Portland region for decades. Her work ranges from documentaries to video installations, most recently part of the Portland Art Museum’s APEX series. Her unique subjects often focus on environmental change and can be both captivating and biting. She has screened and distributed her films across the country as well as internationally, including The Museum of Modern Art, Art Basel, Oberhausen, The Museum of Jurassic Technology, Centre Pompidou, Bread and Puppet Theater and True/False Film Festival, among many others. She would use the Fellowship to purchase new equipment, upgrade her studio and create a new installment of the Portrait Series focused on Michael Hurley, a singer/songwriter extraordinaire.

Vanessa Renwick - photo credit Lisa Schonberg

Vanessa Renwick, photo by Lisa Schonberg

A Lewis & Clark graduate and teacher at Northwest Film Center’s Young Filmmaker’s Program, Brian Lindstrom makes documentaries about people who have setbacks in their lives. His films have focused on addiction, incarceration, mental illness and police brutality. These include Finding Normal, Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse and Mothering Inside. He shows a deep compassion and understanding of human frailty and strength as he focuses on local and, at times, controversial issues in our community. Brian will use his RACC funds to continue his exploration of the justice system in chronically under-funded Multnomah County Public Defender’s office and a documentary on a running club at McClaren Youth Correctional Facility.

Brian Lindstrom - photo credit LiveWire

Brian Lindstrom, photo by Jennie Baker for LiveWire

Established in 1999, RACC’s Artists Fellowship Award remains one of the largest and most prestigious grants to individual artists in the Pacific Northwest, supporting exceptional artists who exemplify RACC’s mission of enriching the local community through arts and culture. RACC rotates the disciplines it honors each year—performing arts, visual arts, literary arts and media arts.

To be eligible for consideration, professional artists must have worked in their field for 10 years and have lived in the Portland tri-county area for five years. Applications, which include three narrative questions, artist resumes, two letters of recommendation, and examples of the artist’s work, are reviewed through a panel process of community representatives from the discipline being honored. This year’s panelists included Surya Buchwald, Brian Lord, Brian Padian and Alicia Rose.

Renwick and Lindstrom join a prestigious group of local artists who have been named RACC Fellows in the past, including Mary Oslund, Obo Addy, Christine Bourdette, Terry Toedtemeier, Jim Blashfield, Michele Glazer, Tomas Svoboda, Keith Scales, Judy Cooke, Michael Brophy, Chel White, Craig Lesley, Thara Memory, Henk Pander, Joanna Priestley, Kim Stafford, Robin Lane, Eric Stotik, Lawrence Johnson, Sallie Tisdale, Linda Austin, Anita Menon, David Eckard and Ellen Lesperance. All RACC fellows are listed at www.racc.org/grants/individual-artist-fellowships.

Welcome new staff

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Eloise Blog:

After losing three staff members recently we are pleased to welcome their successors.

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Sarah Deal, The Right Brain Initiative Administrative Assistant, 503.825.5136, sdeal@racc.org 

Sarah is The Right Brain Initiative Administrative Assistant. She provides general daily administrative support; in addition to working closely with Right Brain committees, professional development workshops, and volunteers to optimize logistics and communication.

She is thrilled to return to RACC three years after her time as an Outreach Apprentice. In the interim, she graduated from Portland State University, coached rowing in New Zealand, and guided trail rides in Argentina. When not in the office she serves as the Head Coach for PSU Crew and can usually be found navigating the Willamette.

Sarah jumped right in during the busy season of a new school year and is holding together the Right Brain team and all the various parts of this complex tri-county program. Welcome Sarah.
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Amanda Kronlage, Public Art Conservation Technician, 503.823.5046, akronlage@racc.org

Amanda is a blacksmith and sculptor from Iowa who now assists in the installation and care of public works belonging to the City of Portland and Multnomah County. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a BFA in Sculpture and an Art History minor she apprenticed with a blacksmith and learned to make beautiful furniture using fire and metal.

In 2014 she rejoined most of her millennial peers and caravanned with her partner to Portland where she enjoys sitting near the ocean, looking at strange critters and growths, admiring public art, eating, and forcing herself to drink IPAs. You may view her sculptural work at www.amandakronlage.com

Amanda also joined RACC at a busy time of year. Nice weather is our prime time for taking care of the public art collections. She and the team had a recent challenge when vandals spray painted the statue of Mayor Vera Katz on the Eastbank Esplanade. Thanks to their speedy response the offensive paint was removed in a matter of hours.
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AllisonBailey
Alison Bailey, Business Partnership Manager, 503.823.5424, abailey@racc.org

A long-time friend to the nonprofit, business and arts communities, Alison brings a decade of experience as a corporate funder to the new Business Partnership Manger role. She leads the Work for Art team and is responsible for building meaningful connections between business and the arts in the region. In addition to Work for Art, Alison will help inspire funding support and awareness for the Arts Breakfast of Champions, Battle of the Bands, Art of Leadership, and RACC’s arts integration program, The Right Brain Initiative.

Before joining RACC, Alison managed The Standard’s corporate giving program and charitable foundation. Prior to that she produced national tradeshows and spent nearly ten years at Nordstrom as a department manager and sales associate. Alison is thrilled to call RACC her work home and can’t wait to make supporting art and culture a fun and easy choice for everyone. A native Portlander, Alison is happiest in the woods, at a concert or drinking beer in the neighborhood with her guy Chris.

Please say hello to these talented people when you have a chance!

Night Lights to appear over NW Glisan Street on First Thursdays

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Local artists will project large-scale media works outdoors each month through April

PORTLAND, ORE – Night Lights, a monthly public art event, begins its second year of urban intervention on Thursday, October 6. Every First Thursday through April 2017, local artists and art students will claim public space at NW Park Avenue at Glisan Street, broadcasting their digital media work on the north wall of the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) offices after dark.

Night Lights is a unique collaboration between RACC’s public art program and Portland Community Media (PCM). Now in its second season, participating artists were selected through an open call and a community panel process, and will receive a stipend for their participation. Presentations will include large-format projections, and, in some cases, live performance.

The full Night Lights schedule appears below, showcasing a different artist or university each month. The first installment, on October 6, features artist Renee Sills who will orchestrate a video dance party, in which attendees will learn dance moves from instructional YouTube videos. In January, members of the public are invited to BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer), that is, to bring their own projector and media project to share.

As part of this year’s series, Kalimah Abioto was selected as an artist-in-residence. Abioto will work on-site at Portland Community Media for three months, using PCM’s state-of-the-art media equipment and production studios to develop a new work to premier at Night Lights on March 2, 2017.

Night Lights schedule

 

Regional Arts & Culture Council, exterior north wall
411 NW Park Avenue @ Glisan Street, Portland
First Thursdays, October 2016 – April 2017
Dusk – 9:00pm

Thursday, October 6, 2106
Renee Sills

Thursday, November 3, 2016
Arianna Gazca

Thursday, December 1, 2016
Portland Community College

Thursday, January 5, 2017
BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer)

Thursday, February 2, 2017
Laura Heit

Thursday, March 2, 2017
Kalimah Abioto (Artist in residence)

Thursday, April 6, 2017
Portland State University

Learn more about Night Lights at nightlightspdx.tumblr.com

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) provides grants for artists, nonprofit organizations and schools in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; raises money and awareness for the arts through Work for Art; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance for artists; and oversees a program to integrate arts and culture into the standard curriculum in public schools through The Right Brain Initiative. RACC values a diversity of artistic and cultural experiences and is working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

For over 35 years, Portland Community Media (PCM) has empowered our community to make effective use of media for civic participation, creative expression and cultural exchange. Through media production resources, education programs, community development initiatives and a robust distribution platform, PCM helps artists, nonprofits, community groups and government agencies explore the frontier where story and technology meet. Learn more about pcmtv.org.