RACC Blog

19th annual City of Portland and Multnomah County employee art exhibit, “all the art that fits”

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PORTLAND, ORE — The Regional Arts & Culture Council will be hosting the 19th annual City of Portland and Multnomah County employee art exhibit, all the art that fits, opening on Thursday, December 3rd. The exhibit takes place in the Portland Building lobby Installation Space and is a yearly favorite for both the artists and regular visitors. All types of 2-dimensional artworks are displayed “salon style” in the show, which is a delightful mix of beauty, whimsy, thoughtfulness, and charm.

RACC invites visitors to vote for their favorite artwork as part of the People’s Choice Award. This year’s winner will receive a gift from the Northwest Film Center for the Portland International Film Festival, generously donated for this event. The exhibition will run through Monday, January 4th, and the People’s Choice Award winner will be announced on January 5th, 2016.

Only original artwork created by current employees of the City or County is eligible to be included. All the artwork submitted will be installed wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling. For those eligible and interested in participating, submissions must be dropped off Wednesday, December 2, between 8:00 and 10:00 am, to the Portland Building lobby located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue 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 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland. The exhibition will run from December 3, 2015 to January 4, 2016.

The Right Brain Initiative and Work for Art release reports

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PORTLAND, ORE — Two programs of the Regional Arts & Culture Council – The Right Brain Initiative and Work for Art – have published summaries of their accomplishments and finances for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015. 

The Right Brain Initiative’s 2015 Progress Report illustrates RACC’s unique approach to supporting K-8 educators in the Portland tri-county region. Through workshops, coaching, and collaboration with artists, Right Brain helped 1,220 Portland area educators integrate the arts into their teaching during the 2014-15 school year. The report features profiles of teachers who are served by the program, all of whom describe how Right Brain has helped them and their colleagues learn to teach differently.

“Supporting and training teachers helps us catalyze a new relationship between public schools and the arts, making creative thinking a fundamental part of the learning process for all kids,” said Marna Stalcup, director of arts education at RACC. “We haven’t always talked a lot about this aspect of our work, but it’s part of our DNA.”

The Right Brain Initiative benefited 19,324 students last school year, 55% of whom qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. This school year, Right Brain is growing to serve 63 schools in seven Portland area school districts. Read more by downloading the full report.  

The Annual Report for Work for Art provides a summary of RACC’s 9th workplace giving campaign for the arts. A total of $750,350 was raised between July, 2014 and June, 2015, and the report includes the names of all campaign donors – including nearly 2,000 employees at 75 companies in the region. Work for Art donations are matched dollar-for-dollar by a public-private matching challenge fund, and proceeds are distributed to approximately 100 arts organizations every year.

“Over the past nine years, Work for Art has distributed more than $6.2 million in grants and direct gifts to arts and culture organizations based in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties,” said program manager Kathryn Jackson. “Their work plays out every day in theaters, concert halls, galleries, hospitals, libraries, classrooms and community centers throughout the region.”

Earlier this year, Work for Art announced that it has set an ambitious goal to raise $1 million in celebration of its 10th Anniversary Campaign that began in July, 2015 and runs through June 30, 2016. Mike Golub, President of Business Operations at the Portland Timbers, and Dave Lofland, President of KeyBank Oregon and SW Washington, are co-chairing the campaign. To learn more and contribute, visit workforart.org.

In late December, RACC will publish its “Year in Review” for all programs along with audited financial statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015.

“Celebrate Public Art” exhibition at Portland City Hall opens November 12

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PORTLAND, ORE — To honor the legacy of Portland’s longstanding and nationally respected public art program, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) presents Celebrate Public Art, an exhibition at Portland City Hall November 12th through December 4th.

The impetus for the exhibit is the 35th anniversary of the Percent for Art ordinance in Portland. All four floors of City Hall will be decked out with colorful banners showcasing all of the city’s public art collections maintained by RACC, including the Portable Works Collection, the Visual Chronicle of Portland, the Portland Building Installation Space, in situ PORTLAND, the Public Art Murals Program, and intersections artist residencies. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular building hours, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

The public is also invited to a reception on Thursday, November 19th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm with live music and refreshments. A special toast will be given at 6:00 pm.

“2015 is a big year for public art in Portland,” said Portland Arts Commissioner Nick Fish. “Thanks to our team at RACC, we’re showcasing our public art collection at City Hall, and declaring November 2015 to be ‘Public Art Month’ in the City of Roses.”

The exhibition is sponsored in part by Push Dot Studio.
 
 

Willamette Week awards Skidmore Prize to Right Brain staffer

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PORTLAND, ORE —The Right Brain Initiative’s Outreach Specialist Rebecca Burrell has received a Skidmore Prize, an award delivered annually by the Willamette Week to four outstanding non-profit leaders under the age of 36. This award is presented in conjunction with Willamette Week’s Give!Guide, a year-end fundraising campaign for Portland area organizations, which launched today and runs through December 31.

Burrell was hired in 2009 to build The Right Brain Initiative’s first strategic communications and community engagement programming. Since that time, Burrell has played an integral role in helping the program grow from serving 23 schools in 2009-10 to serving 63 schools in 2015-16, and securing Right Brain’s position as one of the most visible and respected arts education programs in the nation.

“Rebecca is passionate, creative, strategic, collaborative and tireless,” said Marna Stalcup, Director of Arts Education at RACC. “Most rewarding is her ability to galvanize the community, turning what could be passive supporters in to passionate activists working on our behalf.”

Since 2009, Burrell has allied Right Brain with the STEAM Caucus of the US House of Representatives, causing Right Brain to be cited repeatedly as a key example of STEAM education in the United States. She has led over 500 volunteers to deliver more than 10,000 hours toward advocacy projects for the Initiative. In 2014, she drove the effort to release ground-breaking data about Right Brain’s impact on student test scores, which garnered attention by Americans for the Arts, The Huffington Post, Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Portland Monthly.

In addition to her work with Right Brain, Burrell is currently chair of the Emerging Leader Council at Americans for the Arts. She is a co-founder of the Portland Emerging Arts Leaders, and a Portland Metro Leadership Council member of The Oregon Community Foundation.

The Right Brain Initiative plans to raise $20,000 through the Give!Guide by December 31, 2015. Donate to Right Brain and 142 other local non-profits at giveguide.org.

For more information about Right Brain’s integrated arts programming in Portland area K-8 schools, visit theRightBrainInitiative.org.

Restored “Talos No. 2” sculpture returns to the Transit Mall

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MEDIA ALERT AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

WHO: RACC

WHAT: James Lee Hansen’s public art sculpture, Talos No. 2, is being reinstalled

WHEN: Friday, October 30, 2015. Public art staff will be on site until 12:15pm.

WHERE: SW 6th Avenue at Stark Street in downtown Portland

Talos No. 2, a sculpture by artist James Lee Hansen that was violently knocked down by a vandal in July, is returning today to its pedestal at the corner of SW 6th & Stark.

Talos No. 2 has been absent from its pedestal since July 8.

Talos No. 2 has been absent from its pedestal since July 8.

Working with art local conservator Robert Krueger and expert welders from Art & Design Works, the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) coordinated a complete repair of the seven foot tall bronze that has overlooked the Transit Mall since 1977. The three month restoration process began with the precise physical reconnection of the five pieces the 400 pound sculpture broke into when it hit the sidewalk. Once positioned, the adjacent edges were ground to expose clean metal, welded, and then delicately “chased” to create a joint surface with texture indistinguishable from adjacent areas. The repaired areas were then treated chemically to match the overall bronze patina.

The City of Portland’s Fine Arts Insurance policy paid for a portion of the repair, and several donors have made small gifts to help cover the $2,500 deductible. Additional donations can be made at www.racc.org/donate. For more information contact Public Art Collections Manager Keith Lachowicz at 503-823-5404 orklachowicz@racc.org or visit http://racc.org/public-art/search.

2nd annual “Día de los Muertos” installation at the Portland Building, October 28th – November 4

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PORTLAND, ORE – The Regional Arts & Culture Council is pleased to present the 2nd annual Día de los Muertos installation at the Portland Building beginning October 28th and running through November 4th. This year the display has been organized by muralist Rodolfo Serna. Known for his large collaborative mural projects, Serna is working with young artists from the Boys & Girls Club to create large scale images on the walls while members of Portland’s Mexica Tiahui Aztec Dance Group set up traditionalofrendas (altar) in the center of the exhibition space adjacent to the Portland Building lobby. The Día de los Muertos holiday is focused on commemorating ancestors, family, and friends that have died, and serves to remind us the natural part death plays in the cycle of life. The holiday originated in Mexico, but has expanded over time and is now celebrated throughout the U.S. and beyond.

“This installation is a tradition we bring from across the border that has been part of the indigenous cultures there for thousands of years…we see this as a day and night of reconnecting with our ancestors, the Mexica people; every year we set up an alter in a community space where we can all gather and celebrate.”

– Rodolfo Serna

 

About the Artists:  Rodolfo Serna is a muralist who works in the tradition of his ancestors, he sees the arts as a way of bringing balance and confidence to people’s lives. Serna has created over 30 youth-collaborative murals in greater Portland, joining forces with numerous service organizations, educational institutions, and local businesses in the process. For the last 10 years Serna has worked extensively with at-risk and homeless youth communities in Portland. Mexica Tiahui is a traditional Aztec dance circle established over 10 years ago in Oregon with the mission of continuing the traditions, ceremonies, and culture related to Mexican indigenous roots. The organization carries its educational commitment to communities in the Northwest with the goal of lifting consciousness by focusing on the importance of retaining cultural heritage.

Viewing Hours & Location: The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday. The Día de los Muertos installation runs from October 28th through November 4th.

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

Media Alert: Portlandia’s 30th Birthday Celebration on October 8

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MEDIA ALERT AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

WHO: RACC, the City of Portland

WHAT: Portlandia’s 30th Birthday

WHEN: Thursday, October 8, 2015 from 12:00pm-1:30pm. Remarks and singing at 12:30pm.

WHERE: The Standard Insurance Plaza, across from the Portland Building on SW 5th between SW Madison and Main

NOTES: Portlandia, the sculptural icon at the Portland Building, is turning 30 years old and the public is invited to attend a free party in celebration of this milestone. Designed and fabricated by Raymond Kaskey, the statue is made of hammered copper sheeting around a steel armature.

Arts Commissioner Nick Fish will act as emcee and former mayor Bud Clark and current mayor Charlie Hales will be on hand to help celebrate. Rose High Bear from Wisdom of the Elders will provide a Native blessing, and Storm Large will sing “Happy Birthday” to the copper goddess accompanied by the fourth and fifth grade school choir from Chapman Elementary School. Other festivities include games, photo opportunities and music from 1985. Refreshments will be served.

Portlandia turns 30 on October 8; community celebration scheduled

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PORTLAND, ORE — The public is invited to attend a free party in celebration of Portlandia’s 30th birthday onThursday, October 8th from noon-1:30pm at The Standard Insurance Plaza across from the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Avenue.

Portlandia, designed and constructed by Raymond Kaskey, is made of hammered copper sheeting about the thickness of a dime formed around a steel armature. She took three years to complete and is one-third the size of the Statue of Liberty, the only larger statue of this kind in the nation. The sculpture was funded through the city’s percent-for-art requirement related to the construction of The Portland Building. The building’s architect, Michael Graves, had suggested a statue of Lady Commerce (from Portland’s City Seal) as part of his design for the building; Kaskey won the $198,000 commission and named the sculpture “Portlandia.”  

Upon her completion in 1985, Portlandia was shipped across the country by rail, from Maryland to Oregon, in eight pieces. After being reassembled in a local shipyard, she rode by river barge and truck to her final destination, welcomed by 10,000 Portland residents along the riverbank, streets, and bridges. 

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, Arts Commissioner Nick Fish, and former mayor Bud Clark will be on hand to help RACC celebrate. Rose High Bear from Wisdom of the Elders will provide a Native blessing, and Storm Large will sing “Happy Birthday” to the copper goddess with students from Chapman Elementary School. Other festivities include games, photo opportunities and ‘80s music. Refreshments will be served. 

“Thirty years ago, Mayor Bud Clark paddled down the Willamette to welcome Portlandia to the City of Roses,” said Commissioner Nick Fish. “I’m proud to join Bud, the great Storm Large, my Council colleagues, the Regional Arts & Culture Council family, and the community to wish our copper goddess happy birthday.”

Portlandia’s 30th birthday party is presented by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which maintains the city’s public art collection, and is sponsored in part by The Standard and Cupcake Jones.