RACC Blog

Regional Arts & Culture Council – Our Continued Commitment to Community

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 25, 2023

PORTLAND, OREGON: On Monday, May 22, 2023 RACC received an email from the City Arts Program Manager announcing the development of the City of Portland’s own arts and culture program to be completed by June 2024. RACC entered into its partnership with the City of Portland in 1995 via a region-wide intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas County, and Metro and the City of Portland). Though we were not made aware of these specific changes ahead of time, RACC has seen a growing divestment in equity-driven arts and culture engagement by the City of Portland since the fall of 2020.  

At this time, RACC does not have any more information than what has been released. It is our request and expectation that as the region’s contracted arts and culture agency, we will be invited into these conversations around the arts and cultural ecosystem in our community. We have a  deep experience working with, and for, the residents of Portland as well as City employees and elected officials.  

The City-led effort to assess the current state of the needs of our region for arts and culture continues with  community engagement sessions for the Our Creative Future cultural planning process is ongoing. The external partners for this process are the Cultural Planning Group from San Diego and the Metropolitan Group from Portland. This analysis and report is expected to be completed by the end of the year. RACC is the arts and culture advocate and funder that was created by the community for the community. RACC has been an integral part of ensuring access for those in the creative field since our inception and for the past 50 years. As a BIPOC-led organization we will continue to  adhere to our core values of equity, access, and inclusion. 

We want our community to know that we are committed to ensuring a thriving region for engagement and celebration of cultural diversity and artistic expression. Thank you for your commitment to RACC and your support for our mission and vision. 

 

Media Contact:

Communications Team, Regional Arts & Culture Council, comms@racc.org 

Video Highlights Muralists and Celebrates the Intersection of Art and Healing

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For Immediate Release                                                                                           

May 24, 2023 — Portland, Oregon

Art is healing — both for the artist and the viewer. That’s the central theme of a video released today by Portland’s metro area Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) featuring the work of three muralists who contributed their art to the Multnomah County Health Department’s Behavioral Health Resource Center (BHRC).

The film highlights the art and inspiration of Damon Smyth, Amirah Chatman, and Salomée Souag, three local artists of color with lived experience with mental health challenges and/or homelessness. All three artists created murals featured in prominent places throughout the BHRC, a day center that provides basic services and connections for people with mental health challenges who are living outside in downtown Portland.

Smyth is a comic book artist and emerging muralist. He painted the mural featured on the exterior north-facing wall of the BHRC. His mural, entitled The Pursuit of Nostalgia, is his first large public art commission. The mural showcases a series of panels that follow the journey of a young man as he encounters a variety of landscapes and animals.

Chatman, originally from the southwest, created a large-scale vinyl mural in the center’s first floor sitting area. Known as The Oasis, the artwork is based on the style of her pastel paintings. The mural includes abstract clouds in soft tones while a wide river on the left extends to the center where it meets a waterfall, offering moments of repose and serenity to anyone who views it. Chatman is hopeful about her art and the future of the BHRC. She hopes that the “BHRC sets out to do what it intended to do….I am hopeful it causes a ripple effect for the rest of the city.”

Finally, Souag’s artwork, entitled Healing from Within, is located in the center’s first floor courtyard space. Incorporating Souag’s hieroglyph-like design work, the mural shows abstract faces and uplifted hands placed against a backdrop of arches and floral shapes. Her mural reflects the importance of a space where the mind-body can find healing and long-term support.

About her mural, Souag says, “I can only hope that it gives people a sense of peace, a sense of hope, security, safety in such a hard time and challenging time we have to face.”

“We are so proud to share these artists’ stories with the community,” says Salvador Mayoral, RACC’s Senior Public Art Manager. “As advocates and champions for arts and culture, we recognize the impact of trauma-informed art for both the artist and those who experience the art.”

The three artists were selected by RACC, who manages the art plan for the center, Health Department representatives, and BHRC staff. All of the artworks in the building adhere to the center’s trauma informed guidelines.

“One of the real joys of this project has been witnessing the care, passion, and intention these artists have brought to their individual artworks,” says Mayoral who oversees installation of artworks. “The murals reflect the overall intention of the BHRC’s mission and spirit,” he says.

“Our hope is that this public art might assist in someone’s navigation processes to heal, recover, and overcome barriers to them seeking services,” he says.

Smyth adds, “This is a chance for people to feel welcomed and grow.”

The BHRC offers daily basic services and a safe place off the street to relax for people experiencing houselessness, substance use and/or mental health challenges. Services include toilets, showers, laundry and mail service at the Day Center, as well as longer-term stabilization through connections to services, treatment, and critical peer support.

The murals were installed in the fall of 2022, in time for the opening of the center in December 2022. RACC also purchased smaller portable works that are being installed throughout the center.

“Each of these pieces is contributing to this being a welcoming, safe place for people who have not often felt welcome, nor safe, in most other places,’’ said Christa Jones, Community Mental Health Program Associate Director at Multnomah County. “That each also reflects the artist’s lived experience makes them not only more insightful, and moving, but ultimately more hopeful for everyone. The County really appreciates how this work came to us.”

The video is a collaboration between RACC and Open Signal. The artists were interviewed in the Open Signal studio. RACC released a teaser for Oregon’s first Arts & Culture Caucus launch on February 27th.

 

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The Regional Arts & Culture Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides grants for artists and nonprofit organizations in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; and provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance. RACC advocates for equity, inclusion and access, working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org.

 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Regional Arts and Culture Council

Chanda Evans, Communications Team at RACC, comms@racc.org

Salvador Mayoral, IV, Sr. Project Manager, smayoral@racc.org

Multnomah County

Julie Sullivan-Springhetti, Multnomah County Communications Director

503-502-2741

julie.sullivan-springhetti@multco.us

Meet the newest Fresh Paint Muralist, Pearlyn Tan, now on display at Open Signal

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Artist Pearlyn Tan Honors the Fight for Women’s Rights with New Mural, Liberate

Liberate is now on view at Open Signal on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd as part of Fresh Paint, a partnership with the Regional Arts & Culture Council
 
PORTLAND, ORE. – April 12, 2023 – A mother and child charge forward atop a ferocious spirit beast in Pearlyn Tan’s new mural, Liberate. Tan’s work is now on display at Open Signal as the current installment of the temporary mural program Fresh Paint, a partnership with the Regional Arts & Culture Council. The mural is up through September at Open Signal’s wall on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, between Graham and Knott Streets.

Liberate is bold and colorful, inspired by the energy, courage and momentum women need to fight for their rights in the face of oppression and recent attacks on bodily autonomy. In particular, the mural shines a light on the lack of representation for women of color. The work encourages women to keep up the fight for liberation, to build a world of freedom and opportunity for the next generation.

Originally, from Singapore, Tan is self-taught in fine arts and draws influence from her textured background of varied cultures and careers. She worked as an art director, a designer and a hairstylist before finding her love for printmaking and painting. Her work revolves around themes of motherhood and Mother Nature.

Tan is the fourteenth artist in Fresh Paint, following Jerome Sloan, Munta Mpwo, Limei Lai and others. Fresh Paint began in 2017 as a collaboration between the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Open Signal to support emerging artists of color with their first publicly mural funded commission. The artists are provided space to experiment with techniques and scale to expand their creative skill sets, bringing their visions to the Irvington neighborhood six months at a time.

“We’re so grateful to have partners like Open Signal who are willing to enter into dream space with us to conceive programs such as Fresh Paint. These offerings give artists the opportunity to expand their portfolios, evolve their practice and connect with new audiences through the direct experience of creating within community,” says Sophie May Hook, Public Art Project Manager at the Regional Arts & Council.

See more from the artist at @The_Unordinary_Motherhood.

Muralist Pearlyn Tan, Image by: Daniela Karina Serna

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Contact:

Daniela Karina Serna, Communications Manager
Open Signal
daniela [at] opensignalpdx.org
(503) 288 – 1515 x931

About the Regional Arts & Culture Council

An independent nonprofit organization, we support greater Portland’s creative economy by providing equitable funding and services to artists and art organizations; managing and growing our diverse, nationally acclaimed public art program; and developing long-lasting public and private partnerships. Learn more at racc.org.

About Open Signal

Open Signal is an equity-driven media arts center located in Northeast Portland, Oregon. The largest community media space in the Pacific Northwest, we offer production studios andequipment, workshops, artist fellowships, a cable and online broadcast platform, and a professional media production team. We focus on telling stories underrepresented in the mainstream media. For more information visit opensignalpdx.org.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council Supports Maintaining Current Arts Education Funding Levels & Encourages School Districts to Join Us in Our Support of Arts Education for All

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Portland, OR –

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As our school districts across the state look to their budgets, reorganize, and prioritize in the coming months, we know that teachers’ jobs are in danger once again. When public education loses teachers, we lose educational opportunities for all of our students. This in turn affects our entire region. Arts education funding in particular is once again at risk.

We urge school districts to maintain your support for arts education programs in our K-12 schools. We are not asking for more funding, even though we know this is necessary to ensure equitable access to arts and culture programing in our schools. We ask you to not decrease funding. We know that art engagement provides a skill set that is critical in our creative economy, and also helps us heal, connect, and build relationships. Art has the power to help move us forward out of trauma. We know that having a robust well-rounded education that includes the arts keeps kids in school, exposes us to diverse cultures, teaches empathy and compassion, encourages us to think critically, to be civically engaged, and, most importantly, brings us joy. We know that the arts create a pathway forward, providing hope and giving voice to the community.

We envision an arts education that is rooted in equity, access, and inclusion. A new bipartisan group of 2023 Oregon legislators have formed an Arts and Culture Caucus. Many leaders in arts and culture in Oregon, including the Oregon Arts Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust, advocate for increased funding for arts education in our schools, and provide grant opportunities to arts organizations that have arts education programming. RACC is such a leader and, through our grant programs, support organizations who include arts education programming. RACC understands the importance of civic engagement and we encourage you to reach out to your elected officials to share with them your concerns.

Please support arts and culture educational programming in your local schools. Join us in supporting arts education for all.

 

MEDIA CONTACTS

Chanda Evans, Arts Education Program Manager

cevans@racc.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regional Arts & Culture Council receives bequest from the estate of Harriet Beal Cormack

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RACC is honored by the support of the long-time arts philanthropist and social justice pioneer to further its mission to enrich our communities through arts and culture.

Portland, OR —

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is extremely grateful for the philanthropic support of the late Harriet Beal Cormack. Shortly after her passing in June 2022, RACC was notified that we would be one of five nonprofits receiving a sizeable disbursement from the estate of Mrs. Cormack. RACC recognizes Mrs. Cormack’s considerable gift of over $400,000 in support of our vision of a just and equitable arts-aligned organization. These funds will greatly help us fulfill our mission to enrich communities through arts and culture. 

Born in 1942 in Butte, MT, Harriet lived her life elevating civic engagement through social justice, women’s rights, and the arts. She began her career on the east coast, and, upon her return to the west, landed in Seattle to begin a distinguished career in real estate development, finance, and management in public, private, and nonprofit settings. She took on and asserted her professional knowledge through challenging and civically invigorating projects for the City of Seattle and, as the Vice President of the Cornerstone Columbia Development Company, led the development of the Waterfront Urban Renewal area along the Willamette River in Portland, creating RiverPlace—a mix of housing and retail space, a hotel, marina, and floating restaurant. RiverPlace reshaped how the community interacted with the natural environment of the river. Harriet grew to be an integral leader in the development and growth of private-public partnerships that have enormously benefitted the communities in which they reside. Harriet completed her professional career by serving as the Director of the Portland Centers for the Performing Arts (Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Portland5). 

Harriet embodied a spirit of generosity reflected in her personal values of truth, integrity, and commitment to hard work. Her own personal determination to succeed and live a meaningful life was bound by the thread of dedication to friends, family, and the community with which she surrounded herself. Harriet was a staunch patron of the performing, visual, and literary arts and received numerous awards and accolades for her service to community, both in Oregon and Washington. Harriet was an agent of change in both her life and in her death. 

The RACC Team and Board of Directors are excited by the opportunity to mesh Harriet’s vision for community, social justice, and civic engagement with the vision and values of our organization. Created to support our region’s artists and creatives, RACC continues to instill the values of equity and inclusion in our community-focused activities. For nearly 50 years, RACC has led the region in supporting our creative culture. Harriet’s contribution will strengthen our efforts to ensure an abundance of arts and culture in every community. 

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RACC announces public art collaboration with Port of Portland at the Portland International Airport

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  November 14 2022

Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) announces the launch of new

public art projects in collaboration with the

Port of Portland (Port) at the Portland International Airport (PDX)

Portland, OR –

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is pleased to announce a unique collaboration with the Port of Portland (Port) to install original public artworks for the $2B terminal redevelopment project at Portland International Airport (PDX).  RACC is in the process of inviting artists to submit their qualifications for the design and installation of permanent public art displays that will be a part of this redevelopment. RACC’s values of equity, access, and inclusion are embedded in this process through intentional outreach and engagement with communities that have been historically marginalized. This project will involve requests for proposals (RFQ) for artists in the upcoming months, with completion of the entire project slated for five years from now. Check out PDXNext.com for updates, resources, and images

“The Port of Portland is thrilled to officially launch two open calls for the first permanent public works of art to adorn PDX’s new main terminal,” says Wendy Given, Port of Portland Art Program Manager. “Our Art Program’s mission is to provide equitable access to art and to commission and exhibit captivating work that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We believe everyone’s voice and history should be celebrated. So, together with RACC, we intentionally created opportunities for historically marginalized artists to apply, and we have developed a selection process that ensures equitable outcomes. We’re making a commitment to bring diverse voices and perspectives to life — all while enriching the experience of everyone who travels through PDX.”

Mack McFarland, RACC’s Public Art Project Manager, wholeheartedly agrees with Wendy Given, adding, “It’s really an honor to play a role in this massive project. The partnership between the Port and RACC has already resulted in several stunning artworks and unique ways to engage the artists within the architecture of PDX. The vison ZGF Architects is implementing for Terminal Core (TCORE) is presenting artists with a wonderful site for projects, while the forethought and care of the Art Selection Committee provides integrity and distinctiveness to the process. There are opportunities within the TCORE art plan for seasoned public artists as well as artists who may be new to creating artwork for such a public setting.”

The second RFQ launches within the next two weeks, with five more to be announced in 2023. The first RFQ, for Art Glass Walls located between the concourse connector and the security queuing area, closes on November 16, 2022.  More information can be found here. The proposed art exhibits are available for download here.

The Regional Arts & Culture Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides grants for artists and nonprofit organizations in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties; manages an internationally acclaimed public art program; convenes forums, networking events and other community gatherings; and provides workshops and other forms of technical assistance. RACC advocates for equity, inclusion and access, working to build a community in which everyone can participate in culture, creativity and the arts. For more information visit racc.org. 

“With its three airports, four marine terminals, five business parks, and hundreds of employees, the Port of Portland connects people and businesses in the region to powerful opportunities. Using its resources, expertise, and influence, the Port is striving to pull down barriers and unlock new opportunities for those who have been left out of the region’s economic growth, including people of color, low-income workers, and people with disabilities. The Port is leading major initiatives to drive positive change in the region, including: expanding and modernizing PDX; investing in Oregon’s mass timber industry and mass timber housing; and providing more options for small businesses to get their goods to markets around the world. For more information, visit PortofPortland.com.”

 

MEDIA CONTACT

Kristen Calhoun, Director of Public Art

kcalhoun@racc.org

Mack McFarland, Public Art Project Manager

mmcfarland@racc.org

Wendy Given, Port of Portland, Art Program Manager

Wendy.Given@portofportland.com

RACC unveils Going Public! A Mural Skill Building Intensive

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We are pleased to announce in partnership with the City of Hillsboro, Miller Paint, and TriMet a collaborative opportunity supporting public art in our community. This project is also supported with funds from the City of Portland. Envisioned over the last two years, this program has come to fruition with guidance by administrators Salvador Mayoral IV, the Public Art Manager at the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) and program consultant Ella Marra-Ketelaar as well as RACC’s Public Art Murals Committee.

In June of 2022, a cohort of emerging muralists of color were selected and paired with established muralists, all from the Portland metro area.  The program’s aim is to support these emerging muralists throughout the mural creative process by providing mentorship, mural-making workshops, and the opportunity to create and paint a design all the while being monetarily compensated for their energy, time, and labor to undergo this process. One of the program’s key goals is to  foster relationships with their fellow muralist participants through the attendance of the workshops, meeting regularly with their mentors, thus creating a network of support and access. This was instrumental in preparing the cohort of emerging muralists to paint their own mural designs on the many donated spaces from the Going Public! partners.

“We’re thrilled to be part of RACC’s Going Public! mentorship program,” TriMet’s Public Art Administrator Michelle Traver said. “TriMet is also committed to nurturing emerging artists and we are pleased to host artist Rebecca Rodela’s first mural, Lotería en Portlandia, at the Gateway Transit Center, where it can be experienced by our riders and the general public alike.”

“We are excited to partner with RACC to bring more colorful murals to our neighborhoods,” said Puji Sherer, Miller Paint’s Vice President of Marketing, Color & Brand. “Our Hollywood store in Northeast Portland is one of the mural sites for the project which is in the heart of this community.”

 All but one mural will be completed by the end of November 2022. Follow the mural making process by visiting the social media accounts of RACC, our partners, and the artists.

“Community building and skill sharing are at the forefront of Going Public!” said program consultant Ella Marra-Ketelaar. “It has been incredibly important to feature established artists (mentors and workshop presenters) that are willing to share their years of collective knowledge with the next generation of muralists. The program’s role is to create a platform, their knowledge, and collaboration is what makes it possible”. 

The workshop presenters include, Sarah Farahat, Bernadette Little, Adam Ciresi, Molly Mendoza, Ursula Barton, Daren Todd, Kyra Watkins and William Hernandez.

The mentors include, Kyra Watkins, William Hernandez, Alex Chiu, and Patricia Vásquez Gómez.

All images by Leo Townsell, July 2022 at one of the workshops in Zidell Yards.

The cohort of muralists include, Abdiel Flores Ubaldo, Saphya Lones, Nabíl De la Rosa, Rebecca Rodela, and Tim Tran.

Carol Tatch, RACC’s Chief of External Operations, stresses the importance of leading with RACC values of access, inclusivity, and equity. “It’s not just that you get to wake up and it’s there, but you actually get to see the process. It is definitely important to the economic prosperity of any region to have public art — art that is accessible. That just brings rewards for everyone in the community.”

For more information please contact Salvador Mayoral, the Public Art Project Manager.

RACC launches new Fresh Paint Mural in partnership with Open Signal

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Artist Jerome Sloan Comes Full Circle with New Mural, Growth
Now on view at Open Signal on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd as part of Fresh Paint, a partnership with the Regional Arts & Culture Council

Jerome Sloan spent his youth in Portland’s Irvington neighborhood, starting his creative journey as a spray painter in the 1980s. Now he brings his work back home with a new mural Growth, part of Fresh Paint, a temporary mural program from Open Signal and the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Growth will be on view from October to March on Open Signal’s wall on NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd between Graham and Knott Streets.

Sloan’s work documents the struggle to become a better person, drawing from his experiences during a long period of incarceration. At 19 years old, he was sentenced to life without parole. He spent the next 28 years within the prison system developing and leading cognitive programming to help ex-gang members change their lives, and teaching art classes to help others find meaning in creativity. In early 2022, his sentence was commuted by Governor Kate Brown for the impact he had on the young men he worked with.

He now brings his message to the area in which he grew up. “A great piece of art should compel you to take some sort of action or change the way you think,” says the artist. “I send my art out with the hope that it plays a part in changing people or moves them in a positive direction. It is my job to be an example that is positive.”

In this piece, two hands, with vines wrapped around them, reach up towards the sun — representing the need to grow to survive, and the act of reaching towards something bigger and more productive than oneself. The letters spell “growth” in an alphabet of his own creation, and in a graffiti style that he developed when he was young in this very area. The work reflects Sloan’s approach, taking a realistic image and pushing it into the abstract. “Through Fresh Paint we’ve been able to bring great local artists like Jerome into our community,” notes Open Signal’s Community Media Advocacy Manager KatMeow García. “This program is a true collaboration — what started as a conversation between the Regional Arts & Council and Open Signal now encompasses staff, artists, mentors and anyone who’s been impacted by the art. The mural may be temporary, but the connections keep going.”

Mural being completed with artist holding paint and a ladder and paint equipment on the sidewalk

Completed mural with two people standing in front of it with their arms up

Photos by Sabrina Spurlock,  Oct 2022

Fresh Paint is a partnership between the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Open Signal that began in 2017. The program supports emerging artists of color with their first publicly funded commission; the artists expand their creative skill sets and build paths to other public art opportunities. Sloan is the thirteenth muralist to take part in this program; previous muralists have included Molly Mendoza; the artist team of Bizar Gomez, Maria Rodriguez, and Anke Gladnick; and Zeinab Saab.

See more from the artist at jeromesloanart.com.